Mounting ARB Fridge in M101CDN Trailer?

[BrettDez]

Hey guys, looking for some ideas or what others have done. For space and power considerations I want to mount the fridge in my M101CDN.

I bought the ARB Tie Downs and am thinking of just putting bolts through the floor of the trailer where I want the fridge mounted and using the straps to keep it right in place. Any downsides to this or do we recommend something else? I may also trim an inch thick exercise mat to place under it for added protection.

I thought about the slide but wouldn't be able to slide the fridge anywhere so thought it was a waste of money for trailer mounting since I have no tailgate.

Any other ideas for mounting it safely?

One more thought is the gear inside the trailer can take a beating on a rougher trail. Having the fridge strapped down with cushion under it will help, but has anyone seen fridge failures from too much shaking??

Thanks in advance guys and I will update with photos once I mount it based on my ideas and feedback!

 

[Septu]

One more thought is the gear inside the trailer can take a beating on a rougher trail. Having the fridge strapped down with cushion under it will help, but has anyone seen fridge failures from too much shaking??

I'm sure it's possible... but if it was easy I think I would have seen with with my cheaper Waeco 25L by now. Last summer was my 3rd summer with it... and I keep it in the back of the jeep most of the time - and on every wheeling trip, and I don't normally secure it so it can really get bounced around. It's still going strong.

 

[Lucky j]

I'm looking into that as well. But I would pesronaly try to put it in the front of the trailer. The back, just amplified the shaking. I do not have a M101, but I remember putting a cooler in the back of the trailer, it was the only room available. The cooler was fine, but food was a mess in theire. Now that I own an ARB, I know I would not put it in the same spot. But then, the front is ending up far from were I need it, in the back of the trailer near the tailgate.

So I'm still thinking!

 

[BrettDez]

On the tongue I have a battery, fuel, and 19gal water tank. So I am trying to minimize weight forward of the axle. So with this concern I was considering placing in the rear of the trailer tub.

However, what you mention about the range of motion leading to worse "shaking" in the rear of the trailer....maybe I'll mount it against the forward edge inside the tub.

 

[hollaback55]

Hey Brett,

Hoping the trailer is treating you well. When I had it outfitted I had it placed in the rear of the trailer for weight distribution purposes. If you noticed there are 6 holes already there which is where I had my engel fridge and mounting plate were located. Additionally it allowed for the lid to open fully while inside the trailer.

The way the weight on the trailer is distributed you will need it in the rear b/c the battery, gas, and water are on the tongue and forward of the axle center line. When I was pulling it with my jeep the trailer was not lifted and at stock height so this was not an issue for me as my jeep was higher than the trailer. Once connected it sat perfectly level (or slightly nose up but with enough weight hold the trailer steady and not cause an issue). It tracked great, never swayed or caused ill effects on the tow vehicle.

I would keep the fridge in the rear especially if you are planning to take gas, water, and have a battery in the nose box. I would pack my lighter items on the front interior face of the trailer, pack heavier items on the center line and place the fridge and recovery gear in the rear. This setup gave me the best weight distribution for the trailer while it was loaded.

 

[BrettDez]

Thanks for the response! Planning a big trip coming up utilizing the trailer for a good 4 to 6 weeks so long as everything works out. I think I will locate it in the rear of the trailer like you had pictured, maybe I'll be able to re-use some of the holes.

With the Spring Over Axle conversion and 35s the trailer now has, it sits perfectly level with my Jeep which works out nicely! It doesn't sway at all and tracks behind me great both on the road and on the trail. The one thing I noticed is that on some bumpier trails the trailer would sometimes jump a little almost getting airborne even with the pressure dropped. I was considering removing a leaf from the spring packs to see if that helped.

 

[hollaback55]

yeah that can be an issue with the military leaf pack, its designed to hold a ton of weight for ammo and military gear and usually when loaded up for a trip your only at 1/2 of their capacity. dropping a leaf would most likely help with the bouncing effect but Martyn and Mario would be much better minds to pick for this issue. FYI, suzuki samurai front springs from OME are suppose to a direct fit length wise and should offer more flex and suppleness than the factory leaf pack.

 

[BrettDez]

Do you know anyone who has done the swap to the OME suzuki samurai leafs for confirmation? I would think they would be perfect. I can imagine, just as you said, that they would provide a much better ride than even removing a leaf from the military pack.

 

[BrettDez]

I'm going to create a new thread for the suspension discussion so that way it is easier for other people to find if they do a search in the future.

Austin,

For the fridge mount, I see you used a slide to actually place the fridge on.

I was going to skip the slide mount and simply put a trimmed "exercise mat" underneath it for cushioning. Then use the OEM ARB tie downs. Literally just put a bolt through the floor to anchor the tie downs too and then strap the ARB using them. In your experience do you think there is a downside to this? I thought the slide would be unnecessary especially since I won't be sliding the fridge at all, but would love to hear other opinions.

 

[vegan_jeeper]

So just a tip. I have the ARB tie down kit also.

The straps are not ratcheting type. So I took a single ratchet strap from HF, cut it down, and use one in the front. The other 3 are the black ARB tie downs.

This allows me to really cinch down the ARB.

Scott

 

[jays0n]

This is another way to secure both the fridge and any other cargo, E-Track. It's cheap, pretty easy to find and there are many types of attachments available that lock into the track. I picked up the ARB tie down kit and a few e-track fittings with D rings on them. I cut the D rings off and replaced them with the straps from the ARB kit. Now I can secure it in the front or the back of the trailer depending on how I want the weight distributed. I also have some cam buckle straps for securing the rest of our gear, super easy and the tracks don't really get in the way or take up too much space.

 

[hollaback55]

I personally like the track idea. That seems to give tons of options for securing it. As for the bolts through the floor you should be ok but you might want to add a plate underneath to spread the load over a larger area. This would be more of a worse case scenario like rolling the trailer but you can never be too safe IMO.

 

[BrettDez]

As promised, I have completed the mounting and am uploading pictures!
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Installing the fridge mount. Bolted through floor/crossmembers with bolts/washers. I also cut out an exercise mat to add additional padding beneath the fridge. Taped the wires running from the power source to the fridge.
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Fridge will run for 3 days on the trailer battery without a recharge and then can be recharged or maintained before draining from the Jeep or from an AC outlet.
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SOOO excited for the first trip to test out the new fridge!

 

[hollaback55]

man that looks good. cant wait to see some camping pics.

 

[Septu]

Boy the tub sure fills up fast.