HELP! Refrig for a straight truck

**fortwayne** · 01-19-2010, 05:09 PM

I need to find a solid, affordable and dependable refrigerator for my straight truck. Looking for some pointers on the best little refrig that I could pick up at Wal-Mart or somewhere. I can plug it into a regular outlet, but just want to be able to keep 4-6 cokes cold and some lunch meat, fruit - nothing fancy but need it dependable and able to stay cold! Thanks EO world! Side note - don't want to pay mega-dollars for it either........

**OntarioVanMan** · 01-19-2010, 05:26 PM

I just use a cooler with ice...if I don't buy ice I fill up my coffee mug at a J or wherever and get it free...and it is tax deductable...cheap

**Shadowpanda** · 01-19-2010, 06:27 PM

Walmart.com: Sports & Fitness: Camping: Coolers: Store Items

Thats every cooler Walmart carries in its stores. I have the Coleman Powerchill, although I didn't pay near that much for mine. More like $79.

**cheri1122** · 01-19-2010, 07:05 PM

The small 'dorm size' fridge sold at WalMart, Best Buy, etc, is fine for the truck. Toss a few frozen dinners in, [you can borrow the truckstop's microwave, if you don't have one] and you can save even more $.
Also: no charge for ice if you fill your own cup, and I also refill my gallon jugs with water free.

**Bruno** · 01-20-2010, 04:34 AM

Best one's we have found are at Target for $69.99 or cheaper at some of the other Target's.

**chefdennis** · 01-20-2010, 12:08 PM

There was a thread on this a while back and the fact that some of the 120 volt "dormroom" frigs don't work well or last when run on an inverter...i can say mine is an older model and it has worked fine for 18 months in the van and in my dads motorhome before that for 3 yrs....

some mentioned and i did it right from the start when i installed mine, the key to making them last was to isolate then from the floor of the truck, put them on a "platform" or a piece of form or another form of insulation to keep them from the vibration of the truck as much as possible....mine if mounted in a cabinet i built and is 3 inches off the floor...and the 1.2 and 1.7 cu ft sizes seem to fit well in vans and trucks sleepers with limited space....

**simon says** · 01-21-2010, 10:46 AM

The built in 12v I had in a used sleeper was DOA, so I got a Haier from Walmart for around $80? and put it in the same cabinet. The Star Class sleeper is on air, but the cab is not, so there is still some rough riding on city and suburban streets. The frig lasted about a year, then died. I am certain it died from vibration- it could even be a simple fix, but I have not bothered to pull it out and look.
I think to be successful for any length of time, you would need to mount it on pliable rubber of some sort...I am convinced now that the best alternative is a 120v cooler with a decent fan to keep liquids cool, and perhaps a sandwich for a short time. I had great luck with a small "Koolatron" that I used to keep on the floor between the seats- it did a good job and I left it behind with an ex-girlfriend. For the money you save, you could get a larger one and put it in the cabinet space designed for the 12v fridge. I think they sell for around $115- less at a Walmart of course.

**rollnthunder** · 01-21-2010, 01:06 PM

walmart one is just fine.I have a oversized fridge with freezer from there in my freightliner.Its been in there 2yrs.My sleeper is air ride but it still bounces alot on city streets with no problems.