Fridge on OEM battery - impossible?

[twisty]

I've been running mine for a couple weeks off the 12v plug in the back of the Jeep, with no issues. I'm not parking and running it for 2 or 3 days. If I did, I'd be looking at a different set-up.

Good to know, and the alaska trip is mostly driving and when you get there it's not likely I will stay in any one spot for more then a couple of days.

I think these overlanding forums have guys doing WAY over kill to be safe which is pretty smart. Many of them have lots of disposable income and have fun making them bombproof. I'll probably do something in the middle.

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[twisty]

I've been camping for MANY DECADES and I've had COLEMAN/ENGEL/ARB/IGLOO coolers-

All the electric ones are a P.I.T.A. and pose battery trouble, I've read about so many battery failures over the years, so

I will/have only used the ICE type any more and I don't have any troubles, even after 5 days--although I don't camp any longer than that !

How you prepare the cooler and the ICE FORM makes all the difference in the world-

W.E.

JIMBO

A lot of truth to this. Cheaper for sure and depending on temps the ice does last a while with today's coolers. I did a week long camp out in Colorado last june and if you use block ice it lasts a long time. Not sure what ICE FORM is, I'll look it up.

The problem with it is we had a 120qt cooler and about a 1/3 of it was ice. So you need a bigger cooler which obviously takes up space. If I knew I was going to take my jeep trailer then space isnt an issue and a regular cooler would be the deal. Then again that freaking cooler was HEAVY! lol

Another plus for a regular cooler is there is just something about beer coming out of an ICED cooler that no refrigerator can match.

 

[Martindfletcher]

Good to know, and the alaska trip is mostly driving and when you get there it's not likely I will stay in any one spot for more then a couple of days.

I think these overlanding forums have guys doing WAY over kill to be safe which is pretty smart. Many of them have lots of disposable income and have fun making them bombproof. I'll probably do something in the middle.

Here is a recoverymethod.

https://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/productline/micro-starts/

My arb runs for at normally least 36 hours in California sun. 2 days a week. Eventually it killed the battery with wrong setting on the cut off when I was on vacation.

I got a small solar for pool days it’s not enoug to offset the arb, but it will add some safety, or time and 8 I got the anti gravity jump kit in case. Some rumors exist that you need let the battery charge some before jumping. I had issues getting mine to start, but better cables worked so who knows.

 

[DanW]

Good to know, and the alaska trip is mostly driving and when you get there it's not likely I will stay in any one spot for more then a couple of days.

I think these overlanding forums have guys doing WAY over kill to be safe which is pretty smart. Many of them have lots of disposable income and have fun making them bombproof. I'll probably do something in the middle.

Yep, moderation is a pretty sound philosophy in life, too. After watching Litebrite torture their Jeep, and seeing how it came through, I feel good about staying the course with light weight and simplicity being a priority. Still love watching the extreme folks, though. They do some brilliant and amazing things.

 

[twisty]

Yep, moderation is a pretty sound philosophy in life, too. After watching Litebrite torture their Jeep, and seeing how it came through, I feel good about staying the course with light weight and simplicity being a priority. Still love watching the extreme folks, though. They do some brilliant and amazing things.

your onto something lightweight. I am struggling with upgrading bumpers, winch, belly skids, big tires, lifts. Driving it stock is great and I dont want to screw it up but I cant leave it stock for what I am going to do with it. Fingers crossed

 

[DanW]

your onto something lightweight. I am struggling with upgrading bumpers, winch, belly skids, big tires, lifts. Driving it stock is great and I dont want to screw it up but I cant leave it stock for what I am going to do with it. Fingers crossed

I went with this philosophy on my JK and it worked well. That old 3.8 doesn't have much power, but it sure felt better than the heavy rigs friends had with that engine. Better range, better fuel economy, less stress on the drive train, less breakage, lower center of gravity, more power, better handling, and significantly less cost, are all benefits of the light weight approach. The big rig guys had to regear and reinforce axles and other drive train parts on their JKs. I didn't have to do any of that. 125k miles and 11 years later, I've had no major issues related to off-road stress. I went with a 2" spacer lift and 33's on it. I didn't go bigger than 33's, because the 35" guys were bowing axles, in some cases. That JK is still going strong.

On the JL, I've gone the same route, starting with the Smittybilt XRC9500, which weighs in at only 46lbs with synthetic rope. I went with 35's on this one because they beefed up the axles and suspension for it from the factory. However, I went with KO2's and stock wheels, as they were nearly the lightest package. The KO2's weigh in at 64lbs. For comparison, I saw tires as heavy as 78lbs in 35's. 14x 5 is a 70 lb savings. (Duratracs would have been even lighter, at 62 lbs, but I'm just not sure the sidewalls hold up like BFG's.) 8lbs here, 10 lbs there, it all adds up and makes a difference. If you do want undercarriage armor without the weight, look at Artec. Their aluminum setup is really nice and only adds a net 10lb gain, because it replaces the steel gas tank and t-case skids. That's the one I was considering. I just feel now that I don't need it, so there's 10lbs saved right there! Lol. My JL doesn't feel like it lost much acceleration from the larger tires, and still feels quick. It has plenty of power, even in sand dunes.

Anyway, that's the approach. It does require a bit of attention on the trail, because the bumpers don't resist damage like the thick aftermarket ones do, but I'll take that tradeoff.

 

[twisty]

I went with this philosophy on my JK and it worked well. That old 3.8 doesn't have much power, but it sure felt better than the heavy rigs friends had with that engine. Better range, better fuel economy, less stress on the drive train, less breakage, lower center of gravity, more power, better handling, and significantly less cost, are all benefits of the light weight approach. The big rig guys had to regear and reinforce axles and other drive train parts on their JKs. I didn't have to do any of that. 125k miles and 11 years later, I've had no major issues related to off-road stress. I went with a 2" spacer lift and 33's on it. I didn't go bigger than 33's, because the 35" guys were bowing axles, in some cases. That JK is still going strong.

On the JL, I've gone the same route, starting with the Smittybilt XRC9500, which weighs in at only 46lbs with synthetic rope. I went with 35's on this one because they beefed up the axles and suspension for it from the factory. However, I went with KO2's and stock wheels, as they were nearly the lightest package. The KO2's weigh in at 64lbs. For comparison, I saw tires as heavy as 78lbs in 35's. 14x 5 is a 70 lb savings. (Duratracs would have been even lighter, at 62 lbs, but I'm just not sure the sidewalls hold up like BFG's.) 8lbs here, 10 lbs there, it all adds up and makes a difference. If you do want undercarriage armor without the weight, look at Artec. Their aluminum setup is really nice and only adds a net 10lb gain, because it replaces the steel gas tank and t-case skids. That's the one I was considering. I just feel now that I don't need it, so there's 10lbs saved right there! Lol. My JL doesn't feel like it lost much acceleration from the larger tires, and still feels quick. It has plenty of power, even in sand dunes.

Anyway, that's the approach. It does require a bit of attention on the trail, because the bumpers don't resist damage like the thick aftermarket ones do, but I'll take that tradeoff.

I HAVE to beef it up and will go alum where I can get away with it. One thing is certain I wont be going with big lug tread like I have previously. Like you I will be going with K02, not so much for the weight but for a HOPEFULLY quieter ride. The weight is a bonus for sure!

 

[Jzsquared]

Ok maybe I’m missing something here but I have a 37 qt ARB fridge and when I was on a week long camping trip parked I just started my old Jeep for about 15 minutes a day. Didn’t even notice my gas gauge move so why worry about extra batteries and such ?

 

[American Jeeper]

I have a small 12v fridge I have been testing out (holds about 6 water bottles and will heat or cool 30 degrees from outside temp). Space is at a premium and I found it better to rotate what doesn’t have to be stored cold (i.e. water) and focus on bringing food items that are light, compact, and don’t require refrigeration. It can be an exercise in discipline. For weekend trips I sometimes pack a gallon container with ice inside it stored in a cooler with food to keep critical things cold, then I have cold water to drink the next day as food supplies go down.

Agree with Jzsquared-run the Jeep for a bit to keep things charged and don’t stress on it too much.

 

[JLBoy]

I have an Engel fridge running full time since March. it will easily go 4 days without running the jeep. I also have a Ram 3500 with dual batteries and a bigger Engel fridge that runs for 7 days without running the truck. I've had that set up in my Ram full time for 3 years now without issues. If you're worried about it draining the batteries 10-15 mins a day running your jeep would be lots.

 

[TheWingman]

Dometic CFX35 running in the back of mine, plugged into 12v power outlet. It will run 12-24 hours at 31F in 85F-100F ambient temp before kicking itself off at the Medium drain setting. Works good enough, unless I was relying on it to keep perishables fresh in the dead of summer, in which case I would run the jeep for a while as others have stated. Haven't had to do this yet, though.

 

[catabler]

Anybody tried one of these? Being a 100ah deep cycle battery, should last much longer than the stock battery. Would be about $500 with the mount and battery though.
https://www.extremeterrain.com/artecdustries-odyssey-pc-2150-battery-mount-8718-yj-tj-jk-jl.html

https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-31-P...8&qid=1545958413&sr=8-2&keywords=odyssey+2150

 

[TIDALWAVE]

Just let you know....Chinese solar panels use the same kind of photons and electrons as good ole USA ones! (or were you just making a joke?)
The Rubi's 150 watt inverter gives out enough amperage to power a high efficiency battery charger to more than keep up with my ARB fridge (pre-cooled and eco-setting). But the inverter only runs while the engine runs.
I have a 100 watt solar panel feeding an MPPT high efficency controller which provides about 8 true amps when the sun is shining. Panel size has been decreasing as manufacturers have been increasing the efficiency.
The two feeds are more than sufficient to keep the ARB cold.

 

[roaniecowpony]

My brother has a 37 and 53 qt ARB. I wired my last truck for dual plugs in the bed under a topper. I tapped into the trailer harness for the power. I used them several times and now he has that truck. I bird hunt and seldom camp. Often staying in motels. I have concluded that my uses are better served by a common cooler. Not a Yeti type. I actually bought a Cabelas extreme cooler (tested better than Yeti). I also have a few other common Igloo types. I'm in a town vitually every day. I can afford ice. I am seldom in hot weather when hunting. Ice generally lasts a few days in the fall/winter months. When I first got the Jeep, it was on the plan to get a ARB, but Ive changed my plan.

 

[Punk'n2doorsport]

So i run a unique 45L fridge of of my OE battery, i have it set to 11.7V cut off and have only had 1 hiccup, i daily it though, so i notice that when i just drive to work and back (15 min) the battery sits a bit lower and gets much more discharged, and the alt shuts off stop/start and the motor runs for about 30-45 to catch up on a long drive
I dont have a winch, lights, bla bla bla im mostly stock haha

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