Mounting the fridge right behind the front seat with access from the rear doors?

[Comanche Scott]

Hey guys & gals, I have some questions regarding mounting of a fridge:

1). Has anybody mounted their fridge so that it is accessed from the rear passenger door (driver's or passenger side)?
2). If you have it mounted that way do you like it, or would you rather have it mounted in the back of the vehicle?

Reason I ask is, I have this little cooler, that fits on the floor behind the front seat of the Wrangler. It is so easy to grab a soda, or sandwich while driving that I was thinking it would be cool, once the rear seats are out, to mount the fridge in that spot.

Would be interested in opinions whether or not you even have a fridge.
How the fridge is mounted determines everything else inside the Jeep, so I'd like to get it as right as possible the first time, and I'm getting ready to start on the raised floor.

thanks for your input! :beer:

 

[dstock]

Not exactly what you describe but on one of our trips, I folded the driver side portion of the rear seat down and put our ARB 50qt there for the duration of the trip. It was easy to get into, I think I did tilt my driver seat back forward slightly while parked to make access easier, but seemed to work fine there. I had a tuffy security deck in the back and the fridge doesn't fit under it (or on top of it very well either)
If you are taking the rear seats out, seems like you could position it perfectly. Personally I prefer the fridge in the back, but I also have a trailer now to hold most of my camping crap!

Hope this helps!

 

[Comanche Scott]

Thanks dstock! that is great info. :beer:
Do you like it back there so that you can maintain your seats, or is it also easier to use in camp?

I like to cook away from the vehicle, due to the food smells fouling up that fresh tanned leather "new vehicle" smell... lol
Actually it was a bacon cooking incident in a camp trailer that causes me to cook outdoors any more... :elkgrin:
Whole truth be told, I'm not allowed to cook in camp unless there is no one over the age of five sober enough to light the stove... :campfire:

So the fridge doesn't necessarily need to be near the stove, like for those with the slide out ovens, and tailgate shelves.

 

[orangeex]

We did exactly that on our Global Expedition. Took out the 40 of the 60/40 back seat. Made a base and mounted the Engel back there. The base became a storage area and location for the safe. I could reach back there when co driver was driving and grab a cold water when outside was 120 degrees. Way better than having to stop the airflow and open the truck to dive in the back.

 

[Comanche Scott]

We did exactly that on our Global Expedition. Took out the 40 of the 60/40 back seat. Made a base and mounted the Engel back there. The base became a storage area and location for the safe. I could reach back there when co driver was driving and grab a cold water when outside was 120 degrees. Way better than having to stop the airflow and open the truck to dive in the back.

Thanks orangeex! :beer:

The whole idea of just reaching back for something cold on the trail is a big draw. I could teach Super-Mutt to open the fridge and bring up a soda, but I don't think a sandwich or ice cream would make it to the front seat.

Did you guys cook out of the back of the vehicle, or setup a table outside?

 

[silvElise]

Had this done pretty much full time on my d1. I really did like the setup and it provided a lot of advantages like someone easily grabbing stuff while on the road and also freed up a ton of space in the rear. However it does provide limiting on day to day use if you plan on having more then 3 people in the car.

Since the d1 was not my primary this was ok how ever i would not want to do it if it was my only ride. Also since my d1 was lifted quite high it was hard for shorter people to get into the bottom of the fridge. If it was in the back this could easily be fixed with a sliding drop down type system.

 

[dstock]

Thanks dstock! that is great info. :beer:
Do you like it back there so that you can maintain your seats, or is it also easier to use in camp?

I like to cook away from the vehicle, due to the food smells fouling up that fresh tanned leather "new vehicle" smell... lol
Actually it was a bacon cooking incident in a camp trailer that causes me to cook outdoors any more... :elkgrin:
Whole truth be told, I'm not allowed to cook in camp unless there is no one over the age of five sober enough to light the stove... :campfire:

So the fridge doesn't necessarily need to be near the stove, like for those with the slide out ovens, and tailgate shelves.

Haha! Believe me, I am no expert chef either!

I don't cook out of the back of the Jeep for similar reasons, but now with the M101a1, we set up our kitchen off the tailgate of the trailer. I can back the JK up to next to it and have easy access to the fridge and trasharoo. The other factor is the tailgate has stops to stay open whereas the side doors do not, so if the JK is not on perfectly level ground the door will hit you in the back while getting in and out of the fridge. Not a big deal mind you, just something I've noticed.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Had this done pretty much full time on my d1. I really did like the setup and it provided a lot of advantages like someone easily grabbing stuff while on the road and also freed up a ton of space in the rear. However it does provide limiting on day to day use if you plan on having more then 3 people in the car.

Since the d1 was not my primary this was ok how ever i would not want to do it if it was my only ride. Also since my d1 was lifted quite high it was hard for shorter people to get into the bottom of the fridge. If it was in the back this could easily be fixed with a sliding drop down type system.

Thanks silvElise! :beer:
I hadn't thought about access for shorter people. So will plan for that in either mounting position.
.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Haha! Believe me, I am no expert chef either!

I don't cook out of the back of the Jeep for similar reasons, but now with the M101a1, we set up our kitchen off the tailgate of the trailer. I can back the JK up to next to it and have easy access to the fridge and trasharoo. The other factor is the tailgate has stops to stay open whereas the side doors do not, so if the JK is not on perfectly level ground the door will hit you in the back while getting in and out of the fridge. Not a big deal mind you, just something I've noticed.

That makes good sense.
Hadn't considered the door issue either, or that the camp is normally "behind" the vehicle, not beside it, especially in a group of vehicles.

 

[KevinsMap]

Ahhhh, you mean... Like This?

 

[KevinsMap]

;-)

Other side...

 

[KevinsMap]

Engle MT27, TransitLoc mount on vibration-damping platform. Runs on a 160Ah MasterVolt battery through (modified) National Luna Power Pack charger and power distribution electronics.

Think you need a larger fridge for a week? You chill way too much beer ;-) When I drink beer, it's ambient!

But really, I'm a wine/cocktail man myself... much more space efficient.

 

[KevinsMap]

One more note; you only have the option of reaching into the fridge from the drivers seat if you are willing to load the fridge that way too... and THAT is a pain that gets old in a hurry.

Note that I have mounted it for convenient opening to the rear door access. Easy

 

[plh]

Here is mine



50/50 seat half removed. Stand/riser built under fridge. Inside stand is my house battery & solar controller plus misc storage.

 

[RAFoutdoors]

I have an ARB 50 qt and a 2013 Tahoe. I have two configurations I use. Both are positioned behind the front passenger seat. I can fold the seat back down and place the ARB so that it opens from the front side of the vehicle. I also made a plywood deck I place over the second row seats and again place the fridge behind the front passenger seat. The opening is oriented facing the back (side) passenger door. The deck allows the fridge to sit lower. That makes it easier to get into and creates less of a blind spot. Both ways allow access from the front passenger seat or by standing outside at the rear passenger door. Both positions allow me to strap it down by running a strap under the seat. My wife can get me something to eat or drink while we roll and we can access the fridge on road trips while inside without having to go outside and get wet in rainstorms. Because of the way I store gear in the cargo area, I can not secure it as well and don't want it traveling in an accident.