Chest Fridge on slide behind the driver's seat?

MorieSugg · 12-21-2018, 10:12 AM

I'm getting ready to do a minor buildout on my van. I currently have a good cooler (65 Qt Engel) and, though a fridge is in my plans for the future, I don't have the funds right now. I'm thinking of building a cabinet that will work with my current cooler, and also when I upgrade.

My thought is a slide (Dometic seems to be the best bang for the buck) behind the driver's seat.
I like the idea of creating more cabinet space by having the cooler/slide be perpendicular to the van. It will stick out a few inches past the driver's seat, and I wonder if that will be annoying.
I'm wondering if anyone who has done this has thoughts on how you like it and/or pics of your install.

larrie · 12-21-2018, 04:44 PM

Our fridge is on a slide out built into the kitchen cabinet. The fridge is a Norcold that is parallel to the side of the van. Description and photos.

One thing you should do, and I did not, was make sure that the cabinet is large enough for the fridge you really want. I now want a dual zone fridge freezer unit. Unfortunately I will have to rebuild the entire cabinet to get it to fit. It isn’t about 6” longer than the one that I have now. My other option is to buy a small fridge but that uses twice a much power as a dual zone unit.

**BroncoHauler** · 12-21-2018, 05:17 PM

If you're looking for a fridge slide, SoCal Teardrops makes a very nice one, though not inexpensive. They can size it to your needs, or maybe in your case, your future needs as well.

The one shown here is a width-wise slide, but I believe they also do length-wise slides if that works better for some reason.

So-Cal Teardrops - Options - Options - SCT Fridge Slide - Accessories

Herb

MorieSugg · 12-28-2018, 11:31 AM

Thanks guys.
Larrie- I'll definitely be thinking about which fridge I might want in the future when I build my cabinet.
Herb- I saw those, and if I decide to go with a "sideways" slide they may be my go-to option.
I still kind of like the "lengthwise" slide idea, but I'd love to hear from someone who's done it. I feel like I've seen some pictures of interiors set up like that somewhere along the way, but didn't bookmark them.

Anyone out there have personal experience or pictures?

MorieSugg · 12-28-2018, 09:01 PM

Seems like it should work okay...

**Gooseberry** · 12-28-2018, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorieSugg

Seems like it should work okay...

Oh I need the orange duck foot pooper

maptester · 01-01-2019, 12:34 PM

I have my fridge setup the way you are thinking about. I built the kitchen cabinet after I bought the fridge (a TruckFridge TB51) so I could make sure the fridge would fit. I used 2 drawer slides mounted flat and 2 small ball rollers to handle the weight as the fridge is pulled out. A 6 ga. water supply container and 5 ga gray water container are behind the curtain to the left of the fridge. The 2nd photo shows the cabinet under construction with the fridge drawer upside down showing the slides and ball rollers. I used a simple cord and carabiner to keep the fridge from sliding out while driving.

MorieSugg · 01-02-2019, 11:11 AM

Gooseberry- I hope we'll be done with it soon enough, and then you can have it. (I think. My wife has actually taken to using it in the middle of the night so she doesn't have to go outside. It'll be an interesting discussion when the kids outgrow it.)

Maptester- that's about what I was thinking. That truckfridge is nice because it's so short- only 23 inches. That wouldn't really stick out at all. Trouble is, I think I may hold out for a dual zone. If truckfridge brings back their TB65, I think it's 31 inches long. I may build around someday putting in a CFX65 dual zone. It's only 28.5 inches long.