ARB 50 qt fridge on factory rear 12V plug (1 Viewer)

[RootMeanSqr]

When I run mine it'll have a power monitor that kills the power in the event that the battery voltage drops below setpoint

If all you are worried about is the fridge, the ARB has selectable built in HIGH/MED/LOW setpoints to automatically shut off to preserve the battery. So unless you are planning to monitor and kill power for multiple loads, the built in monitor is available and may be sufficient.

 

[TXSunDevil]

ARB wiring kit the best/easiest way to go?

For me it is convenience. I may be able to save $25 buying the individual components and putting them together but that takes time on the install. I am running short on time lately.

 

[4Beast]

For me it is convenience. I may be able to save $25 buying the individual components and putting them together but that takes time on the install. I am running short on time lately.

I had someone do the install for me, but I picked the components. I put a 12v cig outlet, a voltmeter and 2 USB ports on 8ga dedicated from my second battery, with a blue sea circuit breaker. I think that is more than enough for most people. No problem with my 43 qt Edgestar,

 

[TXSunDevil]

It seems 8 AWG automotive wire is 1$ a foot and I would need probably 40 feet to be safe in case I install a slide out. The ARB seems like a bargain at $50. I may see what a local shop would charge to do it.

 

[PabloCruise]

Looks like the ARB kit is 20' of 10 AWG wire.

Can anyone comment if this is enough to go from the stock battery location to the Pass side D Pillar? I want to mirror the factory outlet on the DS. Seems like 20' might not be enough...

https://www.amazon.com/ARB-10900027-24V-Wiring-Refrigerator/dp/B00NIOBC02

 

[vman07]

When I wired my rear plug for my fridge I went with the products below , total cost was around $40 including some miscellaneous terminals, heat shrink etc that I didn't include in the links...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U4ZZPK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N58Z7UX/ref=twister_B01LXU7QOM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TXLX100]

My experience with fridges...
-Cigarette lighter style will fail and/or unit will come unplugged often. And the issue of dropping / stuffing things in your car with the plug sticking out the side panel
-7-8 amps is the peak draw, usually when compressor turns on, more likely the constant draw while running is 2-4 amps.
-Hardwiring is the best, and if you add a fuse block to the rear, it's expandable for charging points, lights, other accessories, etc
-I wouldn't trust the OEM tiny wires that power the OEM cigarette plug in the rear, 7amp on those little wires seems like a lot.
-Single Group 31 AGM battery is enough to keep my cheap edgestar running for at least 24 hours even in hot weather.
-11.5-12V cutoff on the fridge would be really nice. Mine is standard at like 10.5v which next to useless if I forget and leave my fridge plugged in for days and don't start the car.

 

[TXSunDevil]

My experience with fridges...
-Cigarette lighter style will fail and/or unit will come unplugged often. And the issue of dropping / stuffing things in your car with the plug sticking out the side panel
-7-8 amps is the peak draw, usually when compressor turns on, more likely the constant draw while running is 2-4 amps.
-Hardwiring is the best, and if you add a fuse block to the rear, it's expandable for charging points, lights, other accessories, etc
-I wouldn't trust the OEM tiny wires that power the OEM cigarette plug in the rear, 7amp on those little wires seems like a lot.
-Single Group 31 AGM battery is enough to keep my cheap edgestar running for at least 24 hours even in hot weather.
-11.5-12V cutoff on the fridge would be really nice. Mine is standard at like 10.5v which next to useless if I forget and leave my fridge plugged in for days and don't start the car.

Well I just ordered the ARB kit. The ARB socket is meant to be coupled with the ARB fridge and it has threads to prevent it from falling out. The fridge I can get tomorrow with an REI 20% off coupon but I will have to wait for it to be shipped. I still may change my mind overnight because now it looks like I may need a slide and some drawers to actually gain cargo space since I can't stack anything on the fridge.....

 

[Saddletramp]

Having a dedicated wire source for the fridge is the way to go. I've installed two of the ARB fridge wiring systems for friends and the length worked for a 200 and an 80 so plenty long.

The fridge will be an item you will wonder every trip how you lived without it. Any run time under 2 days and for sure overnight will not deplete your battery.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Having a dedicated wire source for the fridge is the way to go. I've installed two of the ARB fridge wiring systems for friends and the length worked for a 200 and an 80 so plenty long.

The fridge will be an item you will wonder every trip how you lived without it. Any run time under 2 days and for sure overnight will not deplete your battery.

Thanks. I hate spending the money for something that will sit in my garage and only be used 4-5 times a year but I think I could always resell if I don't really use it. Is either side easier on the 100 to wire? I was thinking the drivers side that way I could use the passenger side 3rd row seat if I installed a single drawer system. I was planning eventually mounting the ARB on a single drawer in the rear drivers side.

 

[vman07]

My Dometic 50 qt. is in my garage keeping quite a few beers cold, it basically gets used everyday...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Using the ARB kit as a guide I have run #10 off the battery to the factory outlet on few Land Cruiser. I cut the factory small gauge wire about 1" off the back of the factory outlet and crimp on the #10. Everything looks factory but works MUCH better.

Remember as the voltage to the outlet drops the amperage/wattage increases making oversizing the wire never a bad thing.

 

[C6H12O6]

I bought my 50qt. ARB from REI last year and I thought the same thing about using it 4-5 times a year. I thought I'd road trip with it and store it in the back of the 40 in the garage the rest of the year. I never took it out. I use it at least weekly. I can't believe how many times I've used it for restaurant left-overs while heading to a movie, or after grocery shopping while making another stop, fishing trips, solo camping, etc. So nice to be able to take anything I want cold and not worry about ice sloshing around getting everything wet. No going back.

I wired mine straight to the battery with 8-ga wire and a starting/deep-cycle AGM battery. Actually, 8-ga to a BlueSea fuse block, then 10-ga to the fridge, and a sub amp. No power issues whatsoever. The only time I've ever run into problems was three days in the driveway at home in 100°F weather. I left it run just to see how long it would go. It finally shut off on the third day. As long as you're driving a little every day or two with a deep-cycle battery in there, you're good.

 

[TXLX100]

Well I just ordered the ARB kit. The ARB socket is meant to be coupled with the ARB fridge and it has threads to prevent it from falling out. The fridge I can get tomorrow with an REI 20% off coupon but I will have to wait for it to be shipped. I still may change my mind overnight because now it looks like I may need a slide and some drawers to actually gain cargo space since I can't stack anything on the fridge.....

You can stack things on the fridge it just has to come out when you pull it out.... or you could build a cage around your slide. GooseGear can hook you up for a pretty penny, or you can DIY it with 80/20 or lumber. I make custom fridge slides that bolt right up to third row seat mounts or can of course easily bolt to drawers. Message me if you need a product or some ideas for fridge slide.

Our fridge and slide lives full time in the 100 series, wife uses it weekly and we use it on trips of course.

 

[bamabrock]

I bought one of these slides when they were twice the price to use with my indel-b 51 qt fridge and bolted it to the top of my homemade drawers where it has worked flawlessly fir six months.

Black Forest Gear 5012269 Cargo Slider

 

[nnnnnate]

I wired mine straight to the battery with 8-ga wire and a starting/deep-cycle AGM battery. Actually, 8-ga to a BlueSea fuse block, then 10-ga to the fridge, and a sub amp. No power issues whatsoever. The only time I've ever run into problems was three days in the driveway at home in 100°F weather. I left it run just to see how long it would go. It finally shut off on the third day. As long as you're driving a little every day or two with a deep-cycle battery in there, you're good.

I won a fridge at HIH this year and wired mine similar to Steve. I figured if I was going to go through the hassle of running wire from the battery to the cargo area I was going to take full advantage. I installed a bluesea 6 slot fuse block in the back and off that wired a dual usb holder I swapped in the factory 12v spot. I also installed a little 20" led strip on the rear hatch to help with lighting up the cargo area. With the fridge on its own slot I still have 3 places left. I ran 10 gauge wire from my only battery to the fuse block then smaller wire from the block to the device. I wish I would have put the usb ports somewhere else because they aren't too usable all the way back there. I'll add more up front before too much longer. (Maybe I'll ask for some for christmas, they are in the good price range for that kind of stuff.)

I actually installed 2 fuse blocks. One under the hood and the second in the cargo space. I just wanted to get all the random wires cleaned up and installed in one good place. I still haven't done that yet...I should probably work on that.

My fridge like all modern ones has a voltage shut off that you can set. When camping over labor day in the mountains it tripped and shut off at night but the LX still started up without any issues. AHC is still in my rig but when it gets pulled I'm going to consider adding a second battery. Realisticly though a jump pack would be more helpful to me than a second battery since I could use it with all my vehicles. I will say though that after labor day I did replace my LX battery, the other one was one its way out.

 

[TXSunDevil]

I won a fridge at HIH this year and wired mine similar to Steve. I figured if I was going to go through the hassle of running wire from the battery to the cargo area I was going to take full advantage. I installed a bluesea 6 slot fuse block in the back and off that wired a dual usb holder I swapped in the factory 12v spot. I also installed a little 20" led strip on the rear hatch to help with lighting up the cargo area. With the fridge on its own slot I still have 3 places left. I ran 10 gauge wire from my only battery to the fuse block then smaller wire from the block to the device. I wish I would have put the usb ports somewhere else because they aren't too usable all the way back there. I'll add more up front before too much longer. (Maybe I'll ask for some for christmas, they are in the good price range for that kind of stuff.)

I actually installed 2 fuse blocks. One under the hood and the second in the cargo space. I just wanted to get all the random wires cleaned up and installed in one good place. I still haven't done that yet...I should probably work on that.

My fridge like all modern ones has a voltage shut off that you can set. When camping over labor day in the mountains it tripped and shut off at night but the LX still started up without any issues. AHC is still in my rig but when it gets pulled I'm going to consider adding a second battery. Realisticly though a jump pack would be more helpful to me than a second battery since I could use it with all my vehicles. I will say though that after labor day I did replace my LX battery, the other one was one its way out.

Looks like the harness will be here tomorrow. I was going to pop the door sills and drivers side rear panel where the jack is and look for a place to push the wire through the firewall. Is this the easiest way?

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Looks like the harness will be here tomorrow. I was going to pop the door sills and drivers side rear panel where the jack is and look for a place to push the wire through the firewall. Is this the easiest way?

yes out of harms way

 

[nnnnnate]

Thats the route I took for mine. I cut a slit in the rubber boot just below the brake fluid reservoir to pass through the wires then ran them down the driver side. Just past the second row door if you undo the seat belt bolt you can pop that panel out enough to fish the wire all the way to the back door.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Thats the route I took for mine. I cut a slit in the rubber boot just below the brake fluid reservoir to pass through the wires then ran them down the driver side. Just past the second row door if you undo the seat belt bolt you can pop that panel out enough to fish the wire all the way to the back door.

Thanks. I am going to try to remove the factory plug and install the ARB socket in that hole. That way I can keep the factory look and still have the screw in socket without having to cut anything. I plan on removing the rear quarter panel. Ill post photos so the next guy can find.