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SteveS

Member Since: 05 Oct 2010
Location: Devon & Berkshire
Posts: 388

2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Santorini Black

Home made fridge mounting plinth

I thought other forum members might find it interesting to see how I made a low cost plinth to mount a 50L fridge behind the passenger seat in place of the single rear seat

Materials you will need are: 100mm x 50mm sawn wood, 50mm x 25mm sawn wood, 18mm plywood, dowels, countersunk wood screws, tenon saw and wood bits, additional lashing points and ratchet straps.

Click image to enlarge

My fridge is a 50L Waeco which I wanted to position in the gap left by the removal of the single split rear seat. This allows me to have configurable rear seating which still retains the double rear seat if I wish.
The positioning of the fridge needs to be carefully considered particularly in relation to the raked back of the front seat, clearance to rear load guard, clearance to the bar that the rear seats latch to (particularly if you plan to retain the double rear seat section) and the rising edge of the rear wheel arch. However, I found that the plinth base was optimally placed on 100mm high wooden cross pieces. More of the other things to look out for later.

Click image to enlarge

I decided the basic plinth construction would be 18mm marine grade plywood (too thin and it will bend under strain of the tie down straps) supported by cross pieces which more or less run under the load bearing feet on the fridge.
The frame has to support the weight of a full fridge (say 50kg) on rough roads (potentially corrugations) and thus has to be sturdy enough not to fall apart.
The frame is made up of 3 basic parts – a longitudinal (the spine) piece 100mm x 50mm, a cross piece 225mm x 50mm, a cross piece 100mm x 50mm.
The tall cross piece is made up of 2 pieces of 100 x 50 plus 25 x 50 to make up the correct height. Drill holes for 2x dowels in each of the 50mm sections to fix them together. The dowels and mating faces should be glued. Once dried then screw the 25mm high section to the bottom.

Click image to enlarge

Both cross pieces and the spine are cut so that they interlink. When you’re ready these can be glued and screwed together. The spine runs centrally. You may find that the rear end of the spine needs to be cut 45 degrees to not hit the rising wheel arch. Retain the scrap piece as this can be used for further fillet bracing of the taller cross piece. You may have to cut the spine so it does not hit any seat retaining bolts, carpet and hidden cables (in my case to the sub).
Cut the plywood to size and chamfer one corner so as to clear the complex angle on the wheel arch. Assemble the frame to the top surface using 50mm wood screws at approx. 50mm spacing along the spine and cross pieces.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Then finish off the top surface with grip mat and the chamfered corner with a small piece of carpet (tile) to keep it from rubbing on the complex angle (I hate squeaks)
Bolt an additional lashing point to the small section under the rear edge of the passenger seat. The other lashing point is the OE point in the rear of the main load area

Click image to enlarge

29th Jan 2013 8:58pm

Tiger

Member Since: 06 Jul 2012
Location: Wales
Posts: 2265

Are you sure it's strong enough?

Looks underengineered to me

29th Jan 2013 11:52pm

TooTall

Member Since: 10 Jul 2012
Location: Fens
Posts: 504

Franticly looks for irony reset button :L "Ease your worries, Clear-up your woes,
Go into your garage & put stuff into rows."

30th Jan 2013 5:40am

ken

Member Since: 18 Aug 2009
Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !!
Posts: 4328

Did something similar in the old 110 all i'd add is the proper locking floor for the fridge

30th Jan 2013 7:27am

bpman

Member Since: 21 May 2008
Location: Oslo
Posts: 8069

2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SVX Station Wagon Santorini Black

if you have changed your rear wheel carrier, the part you take off the back door works well as a bracket to bolt to the seat fixings/floor, then add the fridge tray/base. I used 20mm ply as a base for mine and bolted the focal sub to the bottom of the tray and there still room for the first aid kit, paper towels and emergency bag. Because I use a fridge or an icey-tek cold box, I fitted ali locking tracking to the tray / base to strap the units down.

30th Jan 2013 8:18am

SteveS

Member Since: 05 Oct 2010
Location: Devon & Berkshire
Posts: 388

Irony and

taking is fine.

I guess the answer to the question about whether it's strong enough will all play out once I get onto some corrugations in Morocco.

I used to work many years ago in a company that had a vibrating bed table to do military testing of equipment and metalwork. When viewed under strobe lighting you'd be surprised just out of shape items can get when the bed hits the right harmonic....often to the point of fracture.

30th Jan 2013 9:00pm

tatra805

Member Since: 16 Aug 2011
Location: Dolany
Posts: 436

2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Bonatti Grey

Quote:
I used to work many years ago in a company that had a vibrating bed table to do military testing of equipment and metalwork. When viewed under strobe lighting you'd be surprised just out of shape items can get when the bed hits the right harmonic....often to the point of fracture.

why do i have a feeling something else on the car might disintegrate way earlier at any random harmonic before your construction does?

31st Jan 2013 1:17pm

SteveS

Member Since: 05 Oct 2010
Location: Devon & Berkshire
Posts: 388

tatra805 wrote:
Quote:
I used to work many years ago in a company that had a vibrating bed table to do military testing of equipment and metalwork. When viewed under strobe lighting you'd be surprised just out of shape items can get when the bed hits the right harmonic....often to the point of fracture.

why do i have a feeling something else on the car might disintegrate way earlier at any random harmonic before your construction does?

Like me for instance

I'm not sure how much g and deflection you might expect on a corrugated road (it feels unpleasant) - but the vehicle is the sprung/damped weight but not perfectly so and some of that energy gets through. Even if it were only 2g then my 50kg (full of beer) fridge suddenly becomes 100kg. Then you need to think about shock/impulse. having it strapped firmly to 2 tons of steel obviously helps a lot

I'm sure somebody could calculate it for me....pretty please

Putting all that aside it really boils down to if you set out to make it out of wood then you need something readily available and able to be built up....ie 100mm x 25mm is harder to bolt together on the thin edge (to make it 200mm) and is more likely to twist

Anyway - i'll find out soon - i can always use it for firewood - should keep the fire going for a few days

31st Jan 2013 8:40pm

GREENI

Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10360

Nice install. It made me look in your gallery for more on your truck, but little seen. I'd like see a full build thread if there is one on another forum?
Looks fab.

1st Feb 2013 12:33am

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