ARB fridge

Maxcustody

Maxcustody

Adventurist
I have been reviewing choices of portable fridge/ freezer units and have purchased the ARB 47L. It was a big purchase but I believe after reading and researching the topic, this product should last us for many years. I have recently joined the overland lifestyle, but have been camping for years. I am looking forward to no more ice or the wet food stored in the cooler due to the melting ice!! Next step is to set up the JK as efficiently as possible. It arrived yesterday, here is a pic
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I might suggest running a dedicated #10 power source to wherever you're going to place it. Some with JKU's have reported low voltage with stock 12v receptacle in rear of cabin
 
woody said:
I might suggest running a dedicated #10 power source to wherever you're going to place it. Some with JKU's have reported low voltage with stock 12v receptacle in rear of cabin
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Yeah I have been looking at that....not sure which way to go yet.


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I thought a fridge was ridiculous, then we bought one and now I don't know how I survived without it.
 
ARB makes a wiring harness complete with fuse and terminal ends.... a bit pricey at $50 though. You should have gotten one of the new type screw type end terminals just run a pair of#10 wires back to it with a suitable fuse close to the battery. First one I wired used their setup and left the excess coiled till I was sure the frig location was set then trimmed and secured.
 
woody said:
ARB makes a wiring harness complete with fuse and terminal ends.... a bit pricey at $50 though. You should have gotten one of the new type screw type end terminals just run a pair of#10 wires back to it with a suitable fuse close to the battery. First one I wired used their setup and left the excess coiled till I was sure the frig location was set then trimmed and secured.
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Woody, are you saying to get the ARB wire set up or just use a #10 wire with the plug that mine already came with?
 
Either way is fine but the ARB setup is cleaner. Initially I just coiled the excess behind the seat till I firmed up where I wanted to run the hidden portion of the cord. Some like the fridge in back on right, others on left and some in assorted places.The aforementioned install is for a hard wire, if you're going to a National Luna Power Pak or similar unit you can just use the supplied 12 volt power cord, no need for any additional hard wiring. Mitch here on the forum is Mr Electrical, I'm just a hack.:wow
 
I ran dedicated wiring from my 2nd battery and installed both a switched and non-switched 12v outlets. I plug the fridge into the non-switched, but only have the fridge running when I'm out camping. Not my daily driver.
 
I run two batteries, this same fridge and the ARB wiring loom. The only thing I would not do again is the wiring loom. Or, I should say I would buy the wiring loom, but cut the hella style socket and replace it. I think you can make your own that will work better, for cheaper. If you're doing a lot of bumpy overlanding type stuff, the plug seems to work its way out and kill power to the fridge. I know the hella-type sockets are supposed to be better, but I would not use one again for this application. Just my .02
 
Thanks, I used it for the first time this weekend at ARV in North Carolina. I had it plugged into the rear port in the JK. It seemed to work fine, kept my beer nice and cold!! I will hard wire it though, still researching and thinking what will work best.........
 
I cut my plug off and hard wired it into an aux fuse panel in the rear quarter panel. I can sleep well at night knowing it won't work itself out. Truth be told, it wasn't affecting my sleep quality, but it's still nice to know it won't work itself out :)
 
fireball said:
I cut my plug off and hard wired it into an aux fuse panel in the rear quarter panel. I can sleep well at night knowing it won't work itself out. Truth be told, it wasn't affecting my sleep quality, but it's still nice to know it won't work itself out :)
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Good call, Ben. I remove my fridge when it's not in use so that's not as practical for me, but it's a perfect solution to the less than stellar plug that ARB is providing.
 
^^ Just to elaborate a little more. There are times when it's just me and my son, plus dog and we're not using the RTT but just sleeping in the back. I have a second plug that I installed in the passenger footwell, I sometimes move the fridge from the back and into the passenger seat out of the way.

If you're not hard wiring the fridge for permanent placement, I would install 2 plugs just in case you ever need to move it. Or if you're off the beaten path for a long time it's a bit of added redundancy in case one socket quits working
 
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