Fridge in Truck Bed or Cab (Rear Seat) - Heat concerns

[handyman98]

Now that summer is here I use a Ecoflow Delta 3 Plus (only 27 lbs) sitting on the rear floor and a Massimo fridge/freezer combo in the backseat for grocery runs and running it while I run several more errands. I was out for 2.5 hours yesterday and the Ecoflow only went down 10 or 11%.

Sponsored

 

[smlobx]

I think the important thing is not to over engineer the situation.
Using a Charge controller like a Redarc will allow you to charge a second (or house battery) when your driving and then your battery system (be it a BattleBorn or Jackery etc.) can power your needs when you’re parked.

Like @Bug out above I also have a solar panel to use when I’m camped for several days but rarely need it even though I have a fridge, heated shower, water pump and other minor items.

 

[KevinM60]

The whole set up In Simple terms is as follows:
400w solar to charge controller
This is connected up to 3 x 100Ah batteries.
This whole set up runs lights, water pumps, H/C shower, set power fridge and freezer.
Complete off grid ability anywhere.

I’d like to set up an Offroad trailer like that with an RTT included but won’t build that on the Gladiator because I like to keep the weight and center of gravity down

I think the important thing is not to over engineer the situation.
Using a Charge controller like a Redarc will allow you to charge a second (or house battery) when your driving and then your battery system (be it a BattleBorn or Jackery etc.) can power your needs when you’re parked.

Like @Bug out above I also have a solar panel to use when I’m camped for several days but rarely need it even though I have a fridge, heated shower, water pump and other minor items.

I have a solar panel but also have only brought it along for basecamp camping.
I do use my battery power supply in throughput for the cooler so I can keep it charged up for when I’m stationary at night when overlanding.
The offline power supply and 12v cooler is pretty new to me so I’m still refining my system but aim to simplify it as much as possible.
We do really like the onboard fridge because now we don’t have to worry about keeping ice fresh and don’t have to try to keep the food out of the icemelt.
I already had a BLUETTI AC50B(700w) and when I saw a decent small cooler on sale I picked that up for short trip and day use. The smaller BLUETTI will power it for a full 24 hrs. If needed

 

[rjs-az]

Hmm I meant to post in this thread but when I opened my laptop posted in another . Moving it here...

I went with the bed and heat has so far not been a concern. Had a 2020 Rubicon and I think I put the fridge in around early 2021. Recently switched to a 2024 Mojave and ported the setup over, so I guess the fridge has been in the bed 4 years now.

So far, no problems with the fridge running 24x7 in the bed under a Tonneau cover despite living in the Phoenix metro area. To be fair, when I am parked at work I am outside but under covered parking but it is still 110+ quite a bit in the summer.

I run a Dometic fridge and it is tied to a LiTime 230Ah battery and also in-bed AC. Well...it was running off the in-bed AC on the Rubicon - I don't have the bed outlet on the Mojave but have the kit and need to enable it.

My understanding was that the battery cannot be safely connected to a charger and a load at the same time. So here is my setup:
- Fridge on a slide. Had the Dometic slide but then switched to a Setpower slide late last year.
- Slide is bolted to a board that is anchored to a BuiltRite molle panel which is in turn anchored to the stock bed rails.
- Fridge is connected to AC and DC but I have a relay setup to switch between them. Picked up on Amazon for about $30.
- I also hooked up a relay to toggle between "shore power" and "onboard power" because I don't drive enough to keep the battery charged for more than about a week.

It sounds more complex typing this up than it really is. How it works:
- When Jeep is off and not plugged in to house ("shore") power, the fridge is running off of the 230Ah battery. This should last about a week.
- When Jeep is on, the relay cuts the DC power from the fridge and connects the AC. The AC powers a 10A charger to charge the battery while also applying DC power to the fridge. The on board 400W inverter is enough to support both. So while driving, the fridge is powered by AC and the battery is charging.
- When Jeep is off and plugged into the Shore power (say overnight on a weekend), the above applies but the source is an extension cord to the house rather than from the onboard inverter.

Fridge shown here with the tonneau cover rolled back. Fridge fits under the cover but I do not to pop up the release to pull it out.

Here is a shot with the fridge pulled forward. The black plug is for connecting to an extension cord to charge in the garage. I have a connector to embed into the rear bumper some day so I don't have to lower the tailgate to charge.

And here is a close up of the electronics. The gray box to the upper box is an AC relay I picked up on Amazon for $33 (pre-tariffs). It has a standard electrical box connector on the bottom that I mounted into the white project box. This has the wired connections - AC power and DC connectors to the charger.

And the "PROwatt" switch by Xantrex was about $65. When I plug into the wall it disconnects the AC to the Jeep inverter.

It was a fun little project. The black panel is wood - I wanted to do something in aluminum or steel but not in my skillset.

 

[grringle]

Hmm I meant to post in this thread but when I opened my laptop posted in another . Moving it here...

I went with the bed and heat has so far not been a concern. Had a 2020 Rubicon and I think I put the fridge in around early 2021. Recently switched to a 2024 Mojave and ported the setup over, so I guess the fridge has been in the bed 4 years now.

So far, no problems with the fridge running 24x7 in the bed under a Tonneau cover despite living in the Phoenix metro area. To be fair, when I am parked at work I am outside but under covered parking but it is still 110+ quite a bit in the summer.

I run a Dometic fridge and it is tied to a LiTime 230Ah battery and also in-bed AC. Well...it was running off the in-bed AC on the Rubicon - I don't have the bed outlet on the Mojave but have the kit and need to enable it.

My understanding was that the battery cannot be safely connected to a charger and a load at the same time. So here is my setup:
- Fridge on a slide. Had the Dometic slide but then switched to a Setpower slide late last year.
- Slide is bolted to a board that is anchored to a BuiltRite molle panel which is in turn anchored to the stock bed rails.
- Fridge is connected to AC and DC but I have a relay setup to switch between them. Picked up on Amazon for about $30.
- I also hooked up a relay to toggle between "shore power" and "onboard power" because I don't drive enough to keep the battery charged for more than about a week.

It sounds more complex typing this up than it really is. How it works:
- When Jeep is off and not plugged in to house ("shore") power, the fridge is running off of the 230Ah battery. This should last about a week.
- When Jeep is on, the relay cuts the DC power from the fridge and connects the AC. The AC powers a 10A charger to charge the battery while also applying DC power to the fridge. The on board 400W inverter is enough to support both. So while driving, the fridge is powered by AC and the battery is charging.
- When Jeep is off and plugged into the Shore power (say overnight on a weekend), the above applies but the source is an extension cord to the house rather than from the onboard inverter.

Fridge shown here with the tonneau cover rolled back. Fridge fits under the cover but I do not to pop up the release to pull it out.

Here is a shot with the fridge pulled forward. The black plug is for connecting to an extension cord to charge in the garage. I have a connector to embed into the rear bumper some day so I don't have to lower the tailgate to charge.

And here is a close up of the electronics. The gray box to the upper box is an AC relay I picked up on Amazon for $33 (pre-tariffs). It has a standard electrical box connector on the bottom that I mounted into the white project box. This has the wired connections - AC power and DC connectors to the charger.

And the "PROwatt" switch by Xantrex was about $65. When I plug into the wall it disconnects the AC to the Jeep inverter.

It It was a fun little project. The black panel is wood - I wanted to do something in aluminum or steel but not in my skillset.

Thanks. Many ways to setup a fridge/battery but my primary concern was potential issues with heat if in the bed and exposed to the heat while driving. I lived in Phoenix/Scottsdale so if you are running it in the bed full time there I can assume there is no/minimal risk of the heat causing premature issues with the fridge and the components.

Not sure if I will go with the bed setup yet but appreciate the feedback from everyone on this. I at least have some different options that I originally thought. Will see what ultimately works best for me.

 

[Jglad15]

You said your power station was a Bluetti? Just get the new bluetti charger one to charge the power station when driving. Then run the fridge off the 12 volt when driving. When you get to camp or wherever use the power station.

 

[KevinM60]

You said your power station was a Bluetti? Just get the new bluetti charger one to charge the power station when driving. Then run the fridge off the 12 volt when driving. When you get to camp or wherever use the power station.

The BLUETTI charger would be an extra component and cost that isn’t needed. Why plug into a charger when I can go direct? The BLUETTI has throughput charging so it will run the fridge while charging. While in operation it charges about +30% in three hours so if I’m getting a lot of road time it never gets low anyway.

 

[Jglad15]

The BLUETTI charger would be an extra component and cost that isn’t needed. Why plug into a charger when I can go direct? The BLUETTI has throughput charging so it will run the fridge while charging. While in operation it charges about +30% in three hours so if I’m getting a lot of road time it never gets low anyway.

Because the charger one is much faster at charging the power station then the 12 volt. I have been out before where I have needed to recharge my power station and that 12 volt isn’t fast enough to give me the juice I needed in the time that I was driving to my next spot. And if I come to camp and my power station isn’t where I would like it to be. Then I guess I’m s.o.l. I use my power station for more than just running a fridge. So I would rather be topped off and not have to worry bout the 12 volt. Might not be a cost that isn’t needed for you, but I think it has been worth every penny so far.

 

[KevinM60]

Because the charger one is much faster at charging the power station then the 12 volt. I have been out before where I have needed to recharge my power station and that 12 volt isn’t fast enough to give me the juice I needed in the time that I was driving to my next spot. And if I come to camp and my power station isn’t where I would like it to be. Then I guess I’m s.o.l. I use my power station more than just for running a fridge. So I would rather be topped off and not have to worry bout the 12 volt.

I can see that. The charger would be a good backup to have for those situations.

 

[Jglad15]

I can see that. The charger would be a good backup to have for those situations.

For me it’s been nice too, that I didn’t have to go out and buy an inverter, batteries, all the wiring, etc. This in a sense replaces all that for me.

Sponsored