Homemade Fridge Slide
Alright, this time around the fridge is going in the back of the truck. Last time, we had the back seat removed and the fridge was mounted behind the drivers seat. Well that has changed for two reasons: one, I couldn’t recline my seat….ever. And two, the dog would be pissed if I built him some half-width rear seat to sleep on. So in the back it goes. The only problem with the fridge in the back of the truck is the lack of access to it and the height to reach in looking for the last beer that slipped to the bottom.
Engel, the manufacturer of our fridge, makes some really sweet slide options, even ones that pull out and lower to a manageable level. Starting to look around, I noticed one downfall to these things… they are friggin expensive! Like $380-$700 expensive! Too much for a drawer that the fridge moves on. I scoured Amazon, Ebay and even Craigslist with no luck. So feeling cheap I decided to make my own. Here’s what I came up with…
Had the pan bent and welded by a local metal shop. It’s 14 ga. The angle is 3″x3″ x1/8″, and the slides were ordered from drawer slides.com. They are 200lb rated.
All Bolted Up
Mounted
Test fit
Fridge Temporarily secured. Just needs a coat of paint and it’s ready to roll.
As you can see, the truck is still in work mode but the build has begun. Overall I’m very happy with the slide. I do not have a latch to secure it yet. However, the distance from the slide to the tailgate is only 3/16″ so I’m thinking a couple of stick on cabinet bumpers and I’ll be good to go without a latch.
I was feeling so amped up about the savings I even fabbed up a set of artificial rain gutters for the roof rack. Can you believe Yakima wants $17 a piece for these things?
So for about $160 and some time I saved myself about $325. Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.
Great work Nate! I felt the same about the price of the original Engel slider. Not sure why they are so expensive. For our sleeping platform I used similar sliders. I highly recommend to have a 100% secure method of securing the fridge when it’s closed AND when it’s slide out. You might camp on a small slope and opening the fridge door will be a pain otherwise. Also all the bumpy roads are unforgiving for anything that moves (even a bit).
Hey Dino!
You are absolutely correct on needing the locking mechanism. I have been showing it off to people and unless on perfectly level ground it follows the slope closed/open. Very nice rig BTW! Safe Travels
-Nate
Nate – I would love the name of this local metal shop that saved you so much money!
Hey Matt, the name of the metal shop is Haley’s Metal Shop located in Biddeford, Maine. Make sure you make eye contact with the security guard at the front desk though, she’s a tough one!
Hey Nate,
The slide looks good! I’m about to order up some slides to build one myself. How are the 200lb slides holding up?
Looking forward to more blog post! The truck looks wicked!
Richard