Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Rear draws build and setup

Michael Montgomery

Michael Montgomery

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
2,577
Garage
Country Flag
uk
Hi Guys looking at building a rear draw setup and whilst i'm researching how I'm interested in what you guys have and what works well. I have a few questions to best figure out things before I dive in and hope you guys can help somewhat.

My needs are to be able to camp out but maybe run the fridge daytime & overnight at most till the next day before setting out again.

First one is can I run a fridge / freezer with this setup and if so how what are the limitations on this for a fridge like a "Engel MT45" ?

Second would it be worth installing a inverter to power 240v small appliances and if so what & how is that setup like?

Ideally my needs are pretty simple but yet I'd like to include things into the build now rather than after in the design.

I'd appreciate your thought and experience on this.

Thank you Kindly

Dervis
 
What sort of appliances do you need the invertor for? I run everything (cameras, fridge, laptop, gopro etc) off 12v now so no need for an invertor. 2 Batteries with a simple isolator works well for stops upto 48 hrs (ambient temp depending) without the need for several £100's of split chargers etc
 
MarkW said:
What sort of appliances do you need the invertor for? I run everything (cameras, fridge, laptop, gopro etc) off 12v now so no need for an invertor. 2 Batteries with a simple isolator works well for stops upto 48 hrs (ambient temp depending) without the need for several £100's of split chargers etc
Click to expand...

Hi Mark thanks for your help.
Just was thinking to run some small quick use appliances e.g a blender. Mostly an idea for cotributing to making food items and anything else I may not realise right now. Maybe I can get 12v versions to save on doing this.

Cooking side is pretty easy to work out. I do wanna have a easy yet less complicated system TBH.

Do I need anything extra to run the fridge in the install setup Mark?

Thanks
 
I have an inverter in my set up. It's a decent pure sine wave unit. Made sense when I fitted it but can't recall when I have ever used it. As Mark says, just about everything comes with a USB on it nowadays. If you need power tools then they're all battery nowadays too.

Fridges are pretty frugal and I've run a test where I've had about 5 days out of a battery before it's cut out at the safe level. All depends on ambient temp. There are some tricks though. If you run a freezer as I do then set it to max when you are driving during the day, then at night before you finish, turn it up from the -18 it's at to say -4 and in the morning you'll find it around say -10 having not consumed a single amp.

With fridges, you need to exercise a little discipline too. Don't be in there every 5 seconds. Also keep them filled if you can. You can use bottles of water during the say to use up space and act as a heat sink. Fresh air is harder to keep cool than a bottle. The big challenge is thing s like ferries where you could be a couple of days. Make sure you get them well chilled, then turn them to the minimum for fresh when you stop. Good fridges have a cut off. Cheap cool boxes will run till your battery is dead. Something like an Engel or Waeco can be set to cut off and protect the battery. Remember that 11.8 volts is roughly half discharged. Don't make the mistake of thinking that half of the capacity of a 12 v battery is 6 volts!
 
As Mark says, if you can go all 12v then that’s a massive saving on cost, space and battery draw. If you want a good battery charger for a leisure battery I have some innatbthe minute from Oz. See my thread on the Intervolt DCC Pro.

There’s been another similar thread on here recently with various builds. I might have even put mine up on there as well iirc.

Things I thought of were to keep weight and space usage to a minimum. Lots of ally but lots of plywood too. Also keeping the weight low down was important as was the ability to change the drawers to another set with my work tools in.
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Chris said:
I have an inverter in my set up. It's a decent pure sine wave unit. Made sense when I fitted it but can't recall when I have ever used it. As Mark says, just about everything comes with a USB on it nowadays. If you need power tools then they're all battery nowadays too.

Fridges are pretty frugal and I've run a test where I've had about 5 days out of a battery before it's cut out at the safe level. All depends on ambient temp. There are some tricks though. If you run a freezer as I do then set it to max when you are driving during the day, then at night before you finish, turn it up from the -18 it's at to say -4 and in the morning you'll find it around say -10 having not consumed a single amp.

With fridges, you need to exercise a little discipline too. Don't be in there every 5 seconds. Also keep them filled if you can. You can use bottles of water during the say to use up space and act as a heat sink. Fresh air is harder to keep cool than a bottle. The big challenge is thing s like ferries where you could be a couple of days. Make sure you get them well chilled, then turn them to the minimum for fresh when you stop. Good fridges have a cut off. Cheap cool boxes will run till your battery is dead. Something like an Engel or Waeco can be set to cut off and protect the battery. Remember that 11.8 volts is roughly half discharged. Don't make the mistake of thinking that half of the capacity of a 12 v battery is 6 volts!
Click to expand...

Thank you Chris for taking the time to raise some very important points and certainly makes sense to learn from with your experience. This being all new for me theres a lot to learn.
 
I would add in general that builds are all unique but echoing what one very experienced builder on here has said before is that it's easy to become limited by things like your drawer set up. Because we tend to buy something propriety you get restricted on the other things you want to do. Now I'm very happy with my set up, but I can see that if a really big family fridge is key and central then if you buy drawers then stick the fridge on top, you'll find problems. You need to start with the fridge and build around it. OK so some people will say don't bother with that, just put everything loose in the back in plastic boxes stacked up. That's fine if you like that but for me it would just drive me nuts. The whole thing in the back of a Cruiser is a compromise. You just have to ask yourself what things are you prepared to give way on the least.

In order to look after your batteries, I'd agree with Rich. You do need some intelligent management there or they will suffer.
 
StarCruiser said:
As Mark says, if you can go all 12v then that’s a massive saving on cost, space and battery draw. If you want a good battery charger for a leisure battery I have some innatbthe minute from Oz. See my thread on the Intervolt DCC Pro.

There’s been another similar thread on here recently with various builds. I might have even put mine up on there as well iirc.

Things I thought of were to keep weight and space usage to a minimum. Lots of ally but lots of plywood too. Also keeping the weight low down was important as was the ability to change the drawers to another set with my work tools in.
Click to expand...


Will have a look into that Intervolt DCC Pro post thanks.

As for build I'm fully aware of how quickly weight becomes a issue. With a 130Lt tank on the back and draws / fridge etc will be quite a bit so making it as light as possible is critical. Have a few ideas on that but before I start wanna get the setup up right to how its all gonna function rather than look.

Thanks
 
Chris said:
I would add in general that builds are all unique but echoing what one very experienced builder on here has said before is that it's easy to become limited by things like your drawer set up. Because we tend to buy something propriety you get restricted on the other things you want to do. Now I'm very happy with my set up, but I can see that if a really big family fridge is key and central then if you buy drawers then stick the fridge on top, you'll find problems. You need to start with the fridge and build around it. OK so some people will say don't bother with that, just put everything loose in the back in plastic boxes stacked up. That's fine if you like that but for me it would just drive me nuts. The whole thing in the back of a Cruiser is a compromise. You just have to ask yourself what things are you prepared to give way on the least.

In order to look after your batteries, I'd agree with Rich. You do need some intelligent management there or they will suffer.
Click to expand...

I agree totally Chris I'm looking into what I'm gonna build around to work out the function of the setup. I don't need to cater for a large family really only for 2-3 people at most.

My needs are Just to use for camping outside and overnight stay is not planned for now so don't need to worry about showers or longer stay camping setups being off grid.

Doesn't the modern fridge freezer units today have management system built in to make sure batteries are not damaged Chris?
 
My Numax leisure battery has just died after 4 years :(, no fancy chargers and I'll admit I've abused it heavily running the voltage too low etc. But I still don't see the need to change yet just be a little more carefull with the replacement.

My biggest issue with 12v charging is the laptop will only charge with the engine running, if I could run my navigation software on a tablet I'd switch as they are easier to run via 12v, but whilst I can get a tablet to work as a satnav no sensible price ones will run Mapsource.

At some point I'll run some heavier duty power cable to the rear for accessories and maybe add solar so I can park up for longer without power.
 
MarkW said:
My Numax leisure battery has just died after 4 years :(, no fancy chargers and I'll admit I've abused it heavily running the voltage too low etc. But I still don't see the need to change yet just be a little more carefull with the replacement.

My biggest issue with 12v charging is the laptop will only charge with the engine running, if I could run my navigation software on a tablet I'd switch as they are easier to run via 12v, but whilst I can get a tablet to work as a satnav no sensible price ones will run Mapsource.

At some point I'll run some heavier duty power cable to the rear for accessories and maybe add solar so I can park up for longer without power.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that Mark I guess its all swings and runabouts. Hopefully you enjoyed the use of it fully to justify the expense. I guess your on the road a lot in the great outdoors. I'm just starting out so taking it slow.

I know at least the more our needs require being met the more work, time & money its gonna take to keep us happy. Whats your setup like?

Thanks
 
Just finished a drawer build in my 120, not intending it for over landing just wanted something that maximises the space when you need two dog cages. I used MDF as it won't be seeing too much heavy use but having seen other builds I'd certainly consider metal framework with wooden inserts if I were to do it again.
 
Karlosfandango said:
Just finished a drawer build in my 120, not intending it for over landing just wanted something that maximises the space when you need two dog cages. I used MDF as it won't be seeing too much heavy use but having seen other builds I'd certainly consider metal framework with wooden inserts if I were to do it again.
Click to expand...

Thats what I'm considering Karlos a aluminium frame and cladding. Will know more once I get closer to acquiring the parts to what I need to & build around them.

First on the list is a fridge, various handles & hinges & carpet.

Thanks
 
2300kg fully loaded . I could be lighter if I’d used aluminium tube but it’s a lot more expensive
 
I'm in a 95 remember, 2 rows of seats removed get rid of a lot of weight as well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Does this frame look bent? Trying to decide if its worth it to purchase at auction.
Replies
0
Views
230
gocougs242
G
AmirAndAzadeh
Troopy 78/75 setup and products for overlandes
Replies
4
Views
650
AmirAndAzadeh
AmirAndAzadeh
C
Ignition signal in rear compartment
Replies
4
Views
843
Petespendthrift
P
Scoobysnac
Hey there everyone
Replies
0
Views
220
Scoobysnac
Scoobysnac
tony rodaway
Rear aircon block off
Replies
10
Views
337
tony rodaway
tony rodaway
Back
Top