GJeep

Twin-head portable compressor, front bumper, snatch block, Bushranger Sandtracks.
Each of those, from ARB, does its' job well and build to last.

Jeered

Just ordered my ARB fridge. Hope I can ditch the 100qt cooler now that weights like 100lbs when filled

Dlampe

You are going to love that fridge!

Jeered

Did you solve problem with your battery dying?

GJeep

This reminded me of another very well made Ausi in the Jeep, for the dual battery --
Smart Isolator from RED ARC, # SBI212, 200 Amp' continuous.
(Two yellow-top Optima)

Mark Doiron

Dual-battery is something I should have included on my earlier list of things that differentiate a rock crawler from an expedition/overland rig. While no one wants to get stuck because of a dead battery, the risks with an expedition rig are much greater. Way back when we had a forum member who's JK broke down at Eureka Dunes in Death Valley. I recall him posting on here an emergency request for help, which took him a couple days to finally get (to his credit, WOL was putting together a rescue party, if needed). The stuck member coaxed out a tow truck driver from a long way off, who brought out a new battery. And told him he sees it all of the time, especially out at Eureka Dunes because washboard roads vibrate batteries to death.

That, BTW, is why I also run two Optima Yellow-tops. Despite the bad press/reviews from some since moving production of the battery to Mexico (sometimes I wonder if that fact alone has more to do with it than actual battery quality), the Optima is the only battery designed specifically for harsh vibration environments. Right now, one battery is going on three years and the other on one year. I don't agree with those who say to swap both at the same time to have batteries with essentially level performance in their life. The batteries should be isolated and should never be used together except in the most unusual circumstances--say for the 60-second dual-hookup configuration that the Coles-Hersee isolator provides so I can start the Jeep with a dead starter battery. By having the batteries roughly half a life apart, I reduce the risk of two failures together, and reduce the pain on the wallet. I have the Benchmark Designs tray, which is sadly no longer made (or maybe that's better since the owner had such lousy customer service).

My friend, Torn, who helped me with the install ...

spicoli

Maybe it is because I'm in colorado and the mountain streams are freezing (even in the summer), but there was only 1 trip where I could have used an ARB fridge (but made due with a cooler and ice and got ice when filling up). I'm a backpacker so I constantly have a minimizing attitude with camping and luggage. My wife and I make dehydrated meals (which taste amazing) and cool beers etc by putting them in a mesh bag and tying it down in a stream to cool/keep cool. 2 meals (1 each) take up about a beer cans' worth of space (we vacuum seal them which cuts the size in half). Milk and cheese are the only things that can be a challenge, we dehydrate our eggs (scrambled) which come back to life surprisingly well.

When we did a month long road trip with camping, backpacking and 4wheeling it would have helped to have the fridge, but when the car is parked for five days while we backpacked Big Sur, the cooler seemed a better option because the food was cool (ice was completely melted) and battery still charged. Would the fridge kill your battery in that amount of time?

07Rubi

Not gonna make it this year, due to scheduling conflicts. I'll probably get back next year however. Hoping to take the free time this year and spend it on some expeditions. Have a blast though. It was one of the coolest things I've ever participated in, if you haven't been already, which maybe you have.

Scott

Dlampe

Sort of, well yes. First I ran a dedicated 10 gauge wire to the fridge which help tremendously. The problem came back after a few months so I replaced the battery with a much stronger one with more amp hours in reserve. I have one now that has 850 cca and 1020 ca with 120 AH reserve. It seems to be working much better. I just couldn't pull the trigger on the Optima. It was about $100 more. In hind sight, maybe I should have. I could have kept the original which was only 600cca and 75 ah reserve but added to optima to rear of the jeep as a dual set up. I don't think I have room under the hood on a 2012 for a dual setup.

Jeered

I have read it is hard to get dual batteries in the 2012 which I have too. I don't know if I will leave it in my Jeep all the time. But worry about it dying when parked a few days camping. I guess I will have to explore more when camping now.