ARB Fridge Bed Mounting Question

I received my new Fridge/freezer last week. I want to mount it in the bed semi permanently. The ARB 37 liter model will just fit under my Extang Solid Fold Tonneau. I have a Pop n Lock so it's fairly safe.

I have seen some amazing stuff in this forum so I'm soliciting ideas. Has anyone added anything like Etrack to their truck bed? One idea I had was to hang L shaped tie down points from the factory rail in front and in back of the unit and tie down to that. In the cab is not and option because I haul family in there. The truck is a 12 DCSB I do some off roading nothing uber intense, still I don't want that thing bouncing around.


Ric

 

As far as mounting the fridge in the bed goes I've only seen people drill holes into the bed and bolt the slide down. I had my 50qt mounted on the backside of the back seat in my 09 but I'm going a different route with my 2012. I'm probably getting a drawer system and will bolt my slide to that. Your best bet is to check out expo portal because most people here don't know much about this stuff.

 

Thanks for your response Enzo. There is not enough height under the cover to add a slide. Your response does tell me that I can drill into the composite bed. When drilling into the bed is there a need to add extra reinforcement to prevent it from damage?

 

This is one thing that i want to put in the next truck, do alot of work on our ranch and it requires ice chests ect and this would be a great addition, looking at a extended cab second gen and mounting it behind the drivers seat, do you have pics of it mounted in a double cab by chance? Still in the air of what truck ill be ending up with. Ill be checking up on expo portal to look into this more!

 

I used rivnuts to hold my CO2 tank to the front of the bed. The bed is about 1/4" thick and pretty stout. How many mounting points are there on the fridge?

You could use the nuts to attach eyebolts too so you could strap down the fridge, or maybe make a frame out of angle that bolts to the bed?

There are more pictures in my build thread if you want to take a look.

The rivnuts balloon out on the backside giving you a permanent threaded hole in the bed. They might not be necessary considering you can get to the underside of the bed though.

 

^Good idea. If I decide to get a campershell, I might give this a try.

 

Saw a pic of yours enzo and i like how its mounted, id do this only because i do use the bed of the truck on a daily basis and the bed space is precious to me haha

 

Just wish these fridges won't so expensive or else I would buy one

 

The 36 quart is like $700 something i believe... gonna search around to see if i can find it cheaper... Not gonna be one of the first mods but deffinetly on the list.

 

There is a 60qt Engel on texas land cruiser club for $750.

http://www.tlcc-houston.org/forum/index.php?topic=498.0

 

Will that be able to fit on the backseat of a Access cab second gen if need be? a DC probably wont have a problem making room. I dont need something overly hudge, just something i can keep lunch, snacks and drinks for work ect.

 

OP, what did you end up doing to mount the fridge? I know it's been several months, I figured you had it worked out by now.

 

Heres how I did mine in a 2nd Gen DoubleCab...

First I removed the seat bottom, then the seat back, then the plastic crap taking up more room.
Was left with something like this:

So I made a rack to host some secure tie-down points:



Then reversed the hinges on the fride so I could tuck it closer to the back of the cab and not need room for the lid to clear when opened:

Swapped out the handles for some brackets made of angle:

Then mounted it in the truck:



Relocated the latch:

Floor storage still works:


Then completed Project "no more holding the fridge open" is now complete!

 

^Very well done. However, I'm in the same boat as the OP with a family of four, so in cab is not an option. If I pull the trigger on the ARB 50 quart, I think I'll buy the ARB sliding mount and put in the truck bed and be done with it.

 

@Tacoma1192 Check this out.

 

Dude that’s awesome. I love how it is back far enough to still access the storage under the seat. The downside, I’d have to remove my factory sub to get it that close.