Portable fridge, open truck bed and vibrations

1MK

ExploreDesert
Just picked up a Waeco CF-50 with the travel bag. Really nice unit and has been working great for the last couple weeks keeping my beers icy cold.

I'm going to be mounting it in the back of my Tacoma for our trips. It's an exposed bed with a bed rack and RTT on top. How do these fair with dust, and more importantly, vibrations from washboard? Should I look into isolating it somehow or am I over thinking it?

No option of mounting it inside due to the midget and dog.

Thoughts? Experiences?
 

JeepTreeHouse

Adventurer
I'm also wondering about these concerns.... Also I wonder about the fridges being exposed to water... Anyone have any inputs?

As for washboard roads, I know you could use shock mounts that are used in aircrafts for all their equipment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Haf-E

Expedition Leader
I know in australia they are used all the time in truck beds and seem to survive - I would mount it on a think layer of dense foam rubber to reduce the level of shock and to keep it from wearing through the paint on the fridge and the truck bed. Something like two or three layers of closed cell foam with ratchet straps to hold it down (but not overly tightened).
 

Finlay

Triarius
My Edgestar has been riding in the bed for years.

Rain, snow, dust, offroad, bad road, 100 degrees and 10 below. Nothing seems to have hurt it at all.

YMMV of course, but these fridges are build pretty durably. If you were really concerned, it wouldn't take much to build up a plywood doghouse for it to live in. I'll be doing this soon, as it makes it easier to keep the long pigs out of my beers.
 

pluton

Adventurer
IMO: Yes, you're overthinking it.
I've got my Engel 45 strapped firmly to the rear floor of my 4Runner; It's sitting on the interior carpet( which has almost zero cushioning ability) and I have no worries about vibration/washboard roads, etc. Just make sure you firmly tie it down so it's 'one with' the truck bed and doesn't bounce.
 

4x4junkie

Explorer
If you can mount it toward the front of your bed rather than at the rear, this should reduce the level of vibration it's subjected to.

Agreed though, they are pretty durable. Would be a good idea though to take an air compressor and blow out the fan and condenser coil once in awhile if it sees a lot of dust.
 

beadblaster

Observer
Bed mounted fridge

I have a ARB fridge mounted in the rear of the bed in my raptor with a roof top tent on top of it. I have driven 15,000 miles of dirt roads and trails all over the western states and have never had a problem. I have ponded it do hard that I have broken every made of glass that was in the cooler. One of the best investments you can make.
 

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