Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Curious what are the concerns/problems you are seeing?

 

Gotcha--so you're running your Kimbo on an F-150?

 

Just going back through the last month or two of this thread, issues with ventilation, heat, power.

 

My understanding is that have stopped using the SMAD fridge. Not sure what they are offering as factory installed at the moment. Ours worked great on propane when parked, but the propane sparker on the fridge unit is not currently working, so lighting it is a pain which involves removing the vent panel from the outside and manually lighting with an aim and flame. This is most safely done with two people, one inside to push the primer, one to light from the outside. With driving days as long at 10-12 hours, though, it would be m=nice to have a 12V option as well

 

#248 in production, pick it up early october!

 

I would much prefer to have a fridge in the Kimbo. Is anyone aware of the Kimbo's power consumption when hooked to "shore power"? Perhaps setting up a Redarc system to plug the Kimbo into while on the move is the way to go.

 

it looks like its a dometic fridge now see 23:40

 

I do like the versatility of a removable chest cooler. I’ve used mine in the house for “gatherings” at times. Gatherings since I’m not in my 20’s any more.

 

Skipped the fridge option - custom bench/kitchen with the Iceco fridge/freezer, sips electricity (VL60) but there are smaller options. Have not had a bit of trouble with it. It's a huge top loader with options to run as an entire fridge, entire freezer, or a mix of both. Runs on 12v or 120v...never was a fan of the propane fridge options out there.

 

What battery system do you plug it into for 12V? I have the Kimbo-supplied Goal Zero in my camper and there seems to be some concern that a fridge would overtax this battery.

 

My ICECO pulls about 2-3 amps per hour on eco mode. Sometime not even running due to it being out of the sun and well insulated. Depending on battery size and time to recharge, you can estimate how long it with run. Take you Watt hours on the Goal Zero and divide by 12 for amp hours.

 

I am using the goal zero 500x and it seems to be fine but you have to use the cigarette lighter because it's regulated - the other 12v plug is not.

 

Confirmed with Kimbo today that they are currently suppling a Dometic 50CD 47L

 

Do you know if they are setting them up as DC 12V only, or both AC and DC operation?

 

I bet it is dc

 

I have the Dometic fridge they started supplying last fall. One item I ran into was when the outside and inside heat was up in the 90-95F range, the compressor ran a long time before it shut off...maybe 1-1 1/2 hours but as soon as the temp dropped into the 70's or 80's, the cycling was more normal. the initial fan that cools the coils is located behind the coils and does not get enough flow to properly cool as I was getting really hot temps on the wood counter top directly above the fridge. Kimbo shipped me another fan to place on the outside of the coils which now "pulls" air thru them and the unit operates much cooler and I am pleased. Kimbo said the propane fridge made by SMAD was not reliable in high altitude conditions along with some other items that I can't remember. that is one reason the started supplying the River Pro double battery pack as the fridge now pulls more power than the Yeti could provide.....plus the Yeti was also now hard to get.....my 2 cents for today after a couple of camping trips in the 95-100 deg F temps which put the system to the test.

 

I'm considering installing a Redarc dcdc charger and 1500W inverter to charge the Kimbo while driving. Does anyone else have a solution like this?

 

Interesting solution! Can you upload a pic of that? thank you

 

Magunha......Here is a youtube of the fan modifications to the Dometic fridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdxqzNdMwIU

 

Thanks for the update! I am, for the time being, unlikely to be operating at high elevations, so maybe the SMAD will work for me. I have a 12V pigtail on the way from SMAD and I am going to install it and see if the GoalZero can power the fridge while I am driving. So far, the SMAD has been fine while plugged into AC or while running on propane, but I have not really worked it very hard yet.

Oh, and I get a "Video Unavailable" link above where you are trying to share a video of your current fridge setup, FYI