Truckfridge fridge/freezer sale
- Thread starter tony_h
- Start date
rangerdogg
Adventurer
Just received mine today . Took two days . Looks nice so far . Will put on tomorrow after it sits for 24hrs
1Louder
Explorer
Looking for feedback from other owners. I have found with my 51 if I don't pre-load it with food and pre-cool it at least 24 hours in advanced with 48 hours being better it does not hold the temperature across the fridge very well. I have a dual temperature thermometer with probes to better keep track of the actual temps. On this past weekend trip the dairy section was way too warm and the main section was a bit too warm as well. The fridge was set at 32 with temps in the main area around 40 and the dairy fridge at 60. On the morning of day 3 everything was great. Main area was 30ish and dairy was 40ish. The fridge was in my truck and briefly pre-cooled without food prior to loading up at the grocery store. My other main complaint is if I have the fridge at 30 and it reads 32 the fridge does not kick on to cool down to 30. I have to set the fridge, at least temporarily, at 28 to kick on.
Here are my brief pros and cons compared to my 37 quart ARB which I sold to get a larger fridge. I have owned this fridge for about 6 months.
Pros:
Price point - Way more budget friendly than the ARB. (Some will say you get what you pay for)
Dimensions - It is skinier than the ARB so it makes it easy to fit more gear in the back of my FJ (also a con)
Deep Dairy area - Large bottles fit easily here to save room for food in the main sections (see temp issues below)
Draw slide - Excellent quality, no issues, and reasonable price point (especially when on sale)
Cons:
Dimensions - The ARB is a wider fridge and the space just seems more efficient. On my 37 qt you can fit a dozen eggs width wise in the dairy area. You can't do this without splitting a carton of eggs
Temperature control - The fridge seems to like to have a 4 degree temp delta before turning back on. So if you have the fridge at 30 and it climbs to 32 the fridge will not kick on until it goes to 36 or you lower the temp to 28. I am having a harder time finding a sweet spot temperature on this fridge compared to my ARB to keep a few things at the bottom frozen and then rest cold.
Lid - Isn't as rugged as the ARB but I haven't had any issues to date
Dairy Area - While being much deeper than the ARB in theory is great. Unless you have the fridge at below freezing this area can be as much as 20 degrees warmer than the main section. On the ARB is was 10 or less. It is great for large sports drink bottles, juice, etc but it is best if that stuff is already cold and the fridge has been pre-cooled.
Hope this helps new and future buyers and I hope to hear what others have experienced. Mine is wired to 10 awg wire to a fuseblock with a deep cycle battery. Never had any issues in those areas.
Here are my brief pros and cons compared to my 37 quart ARB which I sold to get a larger fridge. I have owned this fridge for about 6 months.
Pros:
Price point - Way more budget friendly than the ARB. (Some will say you get what you pay for)
Dimensions - It is skinier than the ARB so it makes it easy to fit more gear in the back of my FJ (also a con)
Deep Dairy area - Large bottles fit easily here to save room for food in the main sections (see temp issues below)
Draw slide - Excellent quality, no issues, and reasonable price point (especially when on sale)
Cons:
Dimensions - The ARB is a wider fridge and the space just seems more efficient. On my 37 qt you can fit a dozen eggs width wise in the dairy area. You can't do this without splitting a carton of eggs
Temperature control - The fridge seems to like to have a 4 degree temp delta before turning back on. So if you have the fridge at 30 and it climbs to 32 the fridge will not kick on until it goes to 36 or you lower the temp to 28. I am having a harder time finding a sweet spot temperature on this fridge compared to my ARB to keep a few things at the bottom frozen and then rest cold.
Lid - Isn't as rugged as the ARB but I haven't had any issues to date
Dairy Area - While being much deeper than the ARB in theory is great. Unless you have the fridge at below freezing this area can be as much as 20 degrees warmer than the main section. On the ARB is was 10 or less. It is great for large sports drink bottles, juice, etc but it is best if that stuff is already cold and the fridge has been pre-cooled.
Hope this helps new and future buyers and I hope to hear what others have experienced. Mine is wired to 10 awg wire to a fuseblock with a deep cycle battery. Never had any issues in those areas.
TacomaAustin
Observer
In my 24 hour test of my TB-41A, I found that the only the main compartment with the removable basket maintained a storage temperature that was within approximately 4°F of the 32°F setting at which I ran the fridge.
I refer to that gray colored plastic, deep-welled area, that sits atop of the compressor and condenser, as my "fruit/vegetable compartment" versus "dairy". My reference point for this was a youtube video from Spain. Dairy wise, I will only use this section for butter and eggs. The young lady does a pretty good review of the "Nevera"
rangerdogg
Adventurer
I have the 51 and it been plugged in and just water is in mine.i have it set for 32but it kick on st 34 almost like yours. I don't hv s thermometer in it but the feel of water and drinking it doesn't feel that far off. I'm going camping next week for a real test with food . So I guess I will see .
1Louder
Explorer
Thanks for the feedback and I am learning that as well. Sadly it takes away from some of the useful space compared to my ARB 37QT.
1Louder
Explorer
Cool and I want to be clear I am not bashing the fridge. It's more of an observation and tip for getting the most out of the fridge. $847 for an equivelant size ARB is hard to swallow vs $449...
Last edited:
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Long term experience...
We've been rocking a TF-41 (Indel-B TB-41) since June of 2014. Still works great.
A few nitpicky issues: The plastic panel where the switches are started peeling up right away. Still works but looks like crap. I tried to glue it back down with no success.
The arrangement of the hinge is not convenient. They should have put the hinge along the long side, not the short side. Make sure you have adequate vertical clearance to open the fridge. The similar sized Dometic fridge has the lid hinged the right way.
Keep in mind that the temp display will tell you the temp in the coldest part of the fridge, i.e. the bottom. It can be considerably warmer at the top. We use the portion that sits on top of the compressor as the "egg compartment" since eggs don't have to stay as cold as the rest of the fridge. We also have a cheap metal fridge thermometer on the top of the fridge.
DEFINITELY pre-cool on 120v/240v AC if you possibly can. That makes the fridge's job a lot easier.
Our fridge has been knocked around off-road and still works fine.
We've been rocking a TF-41 (Indel-B TB-41) since June of 2014. Still works great.
A few nitpicky issues: The plastic panel where the switches are started peeling up right away. Still works but looks like crap. I tried to glue it back down with no success.
The arrangement of the hinge is not convenient. They should have put the hinge along the long side, not the short side. Make sure you have adequate vertical clearance to open the fridge. The similar sized Dometic fridge has the lid hinged the right way.
Keep in mind that the temp display will tell you the temp in the coldest part of the fridge, i.e. the bottom. It can be considerably warmer at the top. We use the portion that sits on top of the compressor as the "egg compartment" since eggs don't have to stay as cold as the rest of the fridge. We also have a cheap metal fridge thermometer on the top of the fridge.
DEFINITELY pre-cool on 120v/240v AC if you possibly can. That makes the fridge's job a lot easier.
Our fridge has been knocked around off-road and still works fine.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
What power pack is that?
According to the manual and my findings, the display tells the temp in the middle of the fridge.
Chad
1Louder
Explorer
Not sure where in the manual it says that or how the fridge could read a temp in the middle. Using a laser temp gun you can see where the reading is. ARB was the same way.
1Louder
Explorer
Looks like an older ArkPak to me. Also depends on what size battery is installed in it.
I was mistaken. It says that in the instruction manual for my Waeco. It's on page 19.
Chad
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjl-vb7h6LOAhUszoMKHWe5CdcQFgglMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dometic.com%2FQBankFiles3%2FEPiServer%2FDometic%2FUS%2FManuals%2FRV-manuals%2FRefrigerators%2FCF-35_CF-40_CF-50-Instructions_17614.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHJh0296izxkZtMh5rSPry5htSCxw&sig2=vWeP-emtOE8kBC-mDntCEQ
TacomaAustin
Observer
I have the TF/TB-41A, as well. Someone over at the TW web site has modified their fridge to allow the hinge to open from the side.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/indel-b-fridge-freezer-group-buy-and-bs-thread-closed.409363/page-72#post-12738165
https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Hybrid-Stainless-Plastic-Silver/dp/B006VYTU6E?ie=UTF8&tag=amazonqueryr2-20
https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-24045-Hybrid-Hinges-Black/dp/B00U5WMT8Y?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
TacomaAustin
Observer
Yep, it's the older ArkPak 715 with a smallish 60 Ah AGM deep-cycle battery installed. I'm the second owner of the ArkPak - so it was cheap.
I'm not through with my build. So, I have know idea where I'll be locating the Aux Battery when I'm through. For now, it's nice to have one package to remove from the truck when the Aux Battery is not in use. The ArkPak works brilliantly with its AC charger in order to bring up the final voltage of the Aux AGM Battery to 13.1 volts, if you have 4 to 8 hours. In other words, it's a great package for when the Aux battery is in storage.
With that said, I don't trust the ArkPac's electronics to handle the fridge, while using its DC charger. So, I'll be hooking up a CTEK 250S Dual to charge the Aux Battery, while on the road. Eventually, there will be a solar panel connected to the CTEK as well.