12V Socket for Fridges: clever ones?

[articulate]

What kind of 12v socket are you using to power your fridge? I purchased one at Radio Shack, which has been somewhat of a bust. It's not as rigid as I'd like.

I found this beauty online:


So far I can't find it near home (mainland USA). This Australian site has it, though.

I like that it appears to screw (or bolt if you can) down to a surface solidly. Where can I get one like this in the USA? Ideas?

Gracias, amigos.
Mark

[Brian McVickers]

I was talking with Will at Sierra Expeditions the other day and they are getting ready to carry a locking 12 plug/socket. It sounds very interesting and very HD durable.

They won't have them till September.

Brian

[FlyingWen]

I was talking with Will at Sierra Expeditions the other day and they are getting ready to carry a locking 12 plug/socket. It sounds very interesting and very HD durable.

They won't have them till September.

Brian

We are importing these and unfortunately that is a slow process as many of you know.

[flyingwil]

Wow, this thread has exploded.

For long term durability IMO there is two solutions and it depends on what route you take with your fridge.

1.) Fridge is allways in one rig only: Hardwire kit. We are currently testing the Engel Hardwire kit, that allows you to hard wire your 12v plug at the moment.
2.) For those of you who switch their fridges in and out of vehicles (example: Switch from rig 1 to rig 2): A locking plug. We're working on bringing in the Engel Posi-fits, but a locking plug that would allow one to "lock" the cable in is the best solution (Similar to what Scott posted.)

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Here is the twist lock from Cabela's..........

It's not flush mount but you could make a little box for it.

[Tucson T4R]

I was looking at this thread, thinking I wanted a plug in connector for my fridge. I have had problems with the one I have with it loosening while traveling or blowing the fuse if pushed in too far. Well, on my last camping trip my fridge started throwing error codes and cycling funny.

When I got home I researched the code and found it indicated low input voltage on the 12VDC. Switched to AC and it worked perfectly. Waeco says that is usually due to low or flaky 12VDC power supplied to the fridge. Since I have had problems with the plug I just removed it completely and built a new cord with crimped on eyelets on the end. Then I replaced the 12V receptacle with a screw on terminal block and hardwired the fridge cord to the terminal block.

Testing since then has been error free and I have no worries anymore of the connection loosening. Since I don't move this fridge around between vehicles, this is a great solution for me.

[BirfMark]

Here is the twist lock from Cabela's..........

It's not flush mount but you could make a little box for it.

I've got these connectors in my rig (though not from Cabela's) and they're not true locking connectors. There's a small detent in the housing of the socket for the plug to fit in, but a mild pull, and it comes disconnected like any other plug.

[flyingwil]

I was talking with Will at Sierra Expeditions the other day and they are getting ready to carry a locking 12 plug/socket. It sounds very interesting and very HD durable.

They won't have them till September.

Brian

They're FINALLY here!!! Tested and meet our standards! As a forum sponsor, I am pleased to announce that Sierra Expeditions now has Engel Posi-fits in stock!

I know what your thinking... Wil, what in the world is an Engel Posi-fits? Let me explain it to you. Basically it is a locking mechanism to lock your Engel's DC plug into the electrical source.

Here is the Engel Posi-fits itself:


I know, that still does not explain this... So now you take your existing DC cord and unscrew the cigar plug portion. (Note: there is two poertions on the plug that you can unscrew one being the fuse access and the other is the "plug" portion.) You unscrew just the fused portion, once unscrewed it will look like this:




So, now you can mate your existing DC cord with the Engel Posi-fits. Once connected you then screw your plug into the Engel Posi-fits, meaning that your DC cord will not rattle out of the plug!

[overlander]

What are the options for the new ARB on this? In Iraq now, and my fridge is in the US, so can't look at it. Does ARB have a posi-lock?

[flyingwil]

What are the options for the new ARB on this? In Iraq now, and my fridge is in the US, so can't look at it. Does ARB have a posi-lock?

Which ARB fridge are you referring to? The old ones were rebadged Engels, so the Posi-Fit would work.