Chest fridge for frunk

[Lightning 327]

Tailgating post a few weeks back. This was my winner. Issue is height more than anything else. Good luck

Sorry to bump up an old thread,

wondering if you have any comments on the performance of the CR02? I am looking into buying one for the summer to go camping. any feedback on energy consumption / any issues from having it on the frunk? (Ventilation, space and such?)
Thanks!

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[yed19]

IT pretty small in the frun with no issues for ventilation, etc... THere i a drain in there and the frunk is not air tights so I wouldnt be too worried. Its been great to have for tailgates and chilling drinks, etc... I have had no issues.

 

[RidetheLightningSW]

I bought the same one. I pre-freeze to lowest setting with frunk open before I leave. Then I turn temp back up and leave. Then it is more efficient. It came with a cardboard box with the other charger accessories and that fits nicely behind the cooler to give the proper air space. I bungee it in. Allows me to buy the Costco ice cream I always skip because I can’t get home before thawing.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I use a simple mini-fridge from wally world, and put it either in the back seat area, or in the bed... my tri-fold hard tonno cover actually allows for it, with 1/2" to spare. I like the rear bed option since I can make use of a 'front door' fridge, versus a 'chest fridge'.

 

[River Rat]

For the Canadians out there. I picked up a Princess Auto SKU#:8984098 ALPICOOL CX50 , 12V or 110V adapters, -20_20C (-4, 68F), 25"W x 16D x 22H. Too tall for the bed or Frunck but sideways in the back seat behind with the seat up, works great and cools quickly. Didn't notice much loss.

 

[YellowGoat]

Its CR02-30Quart by BougeRV. It's not too spendy either.

Sorry for grave digging this thread out of the ground. I did just want to say thanks to Sdctcher and yed19 for the suggestions and feedback. I've been thinking of getting something like this for the truck and just ordered one of these directly off the BougeRV site. With their coupon code, it was something like $120 cheaper from them than on Amazon. So $210 which is an amazing price and way lower than I was expecting for something like this. I'll probably run it in the frunk and see how it does in there even being confined. yed19s post seems to indicate it operates fine in there but I'm still slightly concerned.

 

[yed19]

Sorry for grave digging this thread out of the ground. I did just want to say thanks to Sdctcher and yed19 for the suggestions and feedback. I've been thinking of getting something like this for the truck and just ordered one of these directly off the BougeRV site. With their coupon code, it was something like $120 cheaper from them than on Amazon. So $210 which is an amazing price and way lower than I was expecting for something like this. I'll probably run it in the frunk and see how it does in there even being confined. yed19s post seems to indicate it operates fine in there but I'm still slightly concerned.

It’s a pretty small refrigerator and does not get warm really at all. And remember that the frunk is not air tight by any means. Now, not sure how long you are wanting to keep it in there (ask the time plugged in?) but long term usage may not be a viable solution. You may want to go a different route if so. Custom refrigerator built into paneling with open to outside air, etc…

 

[YellowGoat]

I was actually thinking of leaving it in there almost all of the time. I figured I would keep an eye on it for a few days to see if it was getting too warm.

Backup plan; I would just move it to the bed and lock it back there with a bike lock or something simple / cheap to keep the honest folk honest. I don't care if someone random grabbed a cold water. And with the thing being so reasonably cheap, if someone went to the effort of cutting a handle or bike lock to get it, I'm not too worried. The truck being so tall would make it hard to spot anyways. I'd only wonder how well it would hold up in the elements parked at work. At home it's in a garage.

I"m not going for a crazy expensive custom thing This is purely convenience of having cold drinks all the time and not something I'd spend a ton of money on. If it doesn't work to just leave it on in there all the time, it'd still get use for a few days in a row camping. And would still be useful for grocery runs, tailgating ect.

 

[GoodSam]

We like this, bought for $340, but saw it on sale today 9-19 at Amazon for $264, "Lightning Deal"!:
【Upgraded】BODEGACOOLER 12 Volt Refrigerator, Portable Freezer, Car Fridge Dual Zone WIFI APP Control, 53 Quart（50L）-4℉-68℉ RV Car Cooler 12/24V DC and 100-240V AC for Outdoor, Vehicles, Camping, Travel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D96FM73/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Did not know or measure frunk inside height, but this unit is 18" high (see picture with measurements). Usually put in back seat area lengthwise with passenger side seat folded up. Use 120Vac to not pull the LV battery down and actually kept the truck on and ProPower on with A/C running when camping for a couple of days, but that was about 10kWhr/day. Probably should just keep outside on the ground in shade powered from frunk (a thin 6 ft extension cord sneaks thru weatherseal to the front) or bed inside of wasting A/C power. But it was protected well that way and some other groceries were kept cooler in the cab as well. Freezer side worked to keep stuff frozen, at least near the bottom.

We have been using this continuously as a second refrigerator for drinks at home for months, so that is a good sign for longevity.

 

[Pjlightning]

this bodega in the Frunk has been awesome for camping.

And the hot plate makes a mean grilled cheese on top.

The Lightning rocks as a camping vehicle. 20k miles, 14 months. Loving every minute of it.
Way to go Ford !!
Never camped before - now we do all the time.
I never thought that I’d use that frunk so much - it’s a brilliantly designed vehicle

 

[GoodSam]

this Bodega in the Frunk has been awesome for camping

Is that the T50 / 53 quart? Does it overheat the frunk or seem to run longer that it should in the frunk on a hot day? Are you using the ~10F freezer section or taking out the middle divider and ony using it as a ~40F refrigerator?

 

[Pjlightning]

Is that the T50 / 53 quart? Does it overheat the frunk or seem to run longer that it should in the frunk on a hot day? Are you using the ~10F freezer section or taking out the middle divider and ony using it as a ~40F refrigerator?

it’s the 38 quart. Wanted the bigger one but that was too tall for the frunk.

I use it both ways , as split freezer/ fridge, and without divider as all fridge.

I never really messed with the factory settings on the temps, maybe I should have : )
But it seems to run fine, keeps ice cream cold enough, etc.

I honestly haven’t looked too closely at its operations day to day in varying conditions. We use it on camping trips, and seems to operate fine inside the frunk. I guess I’ll know if I’m affecting its longevity a year from now, but so far so good.

got it on prime day on Amazon for $230. Seemed like a no brained at that price.

 

[YellowGoat]

Got the CR02-30Quart by BougeRV and played around with it a bit. Fits fine in the frunk and I ran it in there for about 5 hours in eco mode and checked on the temp. Seems fine. Frunk did not get noticeably warm and the fridge got a little hot near the compressor, but didn't seem to care.

One thing I discovered is I needed to leave the truck "on" to power the frunk outlets. For road trips that's fine, but if I wanted to keep something cold camping, I'd prefer if the truck wasn't "on". It left the dash and infotainment screens on and dropped my range about 3 miles in 5 hours which seems a little much.

Is there some way to power the outlets in the frunk without the whole truck being powered up?

 

[YellowGoat]

Took the truck / cooler on a road trip. I had been using the cooler in eco mode, but I switched it to normal mode for the trip and I think it hurt the range / efficiency. I'm still trying to test it out a bit more now that we're back to see if it was actually a noticeable impact or if I'm just letting my range anxiety show a bit. Pro-power screen showed it pulling 100w, but I felt like my mi/kwh was down by at least a few tenths. Anyone else notice or see this range loss with a cooler running?

 

[River Rat]

I use one shopping and haven't noticed anything as far as draw. My right foot draws a lot more power

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