# Harvest food supplies - Help! Tractor fridge/cooler



## the_wife (Jul 27, 2012)

Hello all,

I'm new here, but thought this maybe the place to come for people's opinions of tractor fridges/coolers!

Harvest has started and the trusty 12v cooler bag my husband has had for the last number of years has just packed up, so I'm on an urgent hunt for something new!

Ideally he'd rather have a fridge rather than a cooler. 

Some can be VERY expensive which I don't mind if there are some recommendations about for one which is good and should last!

It's for a CAT Challenger.

Any ideas anyone? (we're in the UK)

Thanks in advance!
Sarah


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Well Sarah, I have a rig called a coolatron! It's a good sized cooler, a tad smaller than one of those bar fridges and it plugs into a power point / cigarette lighter in the vehicle. Works great!
good luck with your quest.


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Sarah.

Might help if you gave us a little more info. To what use are you going to put this to and about what size are you envisioning. What kind of budget do you have?

Not clear to me whether this is for snacks/ beverages for you while doing tractor work or something larger for holding crops being harvested. With a better understanding I'm sure you will receive several good suggestions.

Oh, one last thing. Cooler = ice chest, Frig = powered system that will drop/hold cold temps?


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## the_wife (Jul 27, 2012)

Thanks Pogobill - i've done a search and found a HUGE range of Koolatron fridges and coolers which are available here in the UK - reviews look good and plenty to choose from - I will look some more, thank you good tip!


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## the_wife (Jul 27, 2012)

Thanks Mickey,

To clarify, it's for within his cab for his food hence why it needs to be 12v so he can plug it in to the adaptor.

Size wise it needs to fit an entire days worth of food and drinks but also compact enough to fit within the cab and not take up all of the spare room! It will also need to be quite rugged as obviously it wont be on the smoothest ride within the tractor all day! And all important it needs to keep the food cold rather than just cool - as with the 12v cool bag style ones we've had in the past they just don't keep foods cold enough over 12+ hour days.

I know my husbands JD tractors all have mini fridges and coolers built in, but unfortunately the CAT does not so he has always had to take one when he is doing this kind of work.

Price isn't hugely important in the fact that if lots of people recommend a £400 one as being the best and will last years then great, same as a £50 which is great but only last 2 or so years... As long as its good value for the price I'm open to any suggestions!


Thanks


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

Sarah, from you last post I'm not so sure something like a Kooltron cooler will do the job. They use a Peltier device more commonly refered to as a thermoelectric device. Their cooling capability is marginal. At best they will hold the temp 30-40° F below the outside temp and need for the contents to be precooled. If the tractor cab doesn't have air conditioning. in the middle of summer these kinds of coolers are not likely going to keep things *cold*. If cold is a must, you are likely going to need something with a real refrig compressor like a home frig. They are way more expensive than the units using the peltier device and also larger.

I have an electric cooler like the kooltron and during the summer, it's marginal at best even in a car with A/C.

Here's a link to a port frig that has a refrig compressor and works on AC/DC. http://www.bing.com/shopping/12v-co...cooler+fridge&lpq=12v cooler fridge&FORM=HURE


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## MBTRAC (May 28, 2012)

I'd highly recommended the Waeco range, we run them in our tractors, harvesters & trucks - they have no trouble running 24/7 at times when we're using our gear constantly in 24hours shifts.

The current models we run are CDF11, CDF18, TDF14 & TDF21( the TDF being coolers are a little quieter in the cab & have the benefit of being able to heat as well are cool, though won't handle temperature much above 30c - though in an A/C cab environment this isn't always a concern, however if you want a great cool fridge that can also be adjusted to freeze the CDF are great ) - Having said that, in our Aussie summer days of c. 40C+ even in an A/C cab the TDF's can be a little marginal at times.

We have a few old non current Waeco's that at up to 15yrs old are are still performing well & the current CDF & TDF seem just as rugged - the dust & hard (ab)use of our heavy handiness doesn't seem to knock them around too much- all are put the "test" by the family, employees & casual/seasonal workers we use, so none have had an easy life ( & the older units have well outlasted the Cat Challengers we used to run & prove superior to those JD factory fitted units). 

PS - the Warco 12v coffee makers also help the "long haul" on cold mornings & nights go by....


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

The TDF models you speak about are thermoelectric/Peltier devices. They share all the same characteristics as any other thermoelectric coolers. 

Peltier devices are not very efficient. Typ Peltier device is in the order of 7-8% efficient while a typ compressor frig is 50% efficient. While the temps being advertised seem decent one has to consider the quantity of thermal energy they can transfer which isn't very much. This is why they require the contents of the cooler to be pre-cooled.


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## the_wife (Jul 27, 2012)

Hello,

Thanks all for your input it's very useful - Waeco is specifically a brand I've been looking at, but with such a high price tag on some models and few Internet reviews it's hard to know if they are value for money or not, so I am pleased to see a valued opinion on the Waeco range, thank you for that.

My husband has previously used the cooler variety and whilst it isn't nearly as good or efficient as a 'proper' portable fridge it has done a more than adequate job at keeping his food cold, we just had to follow a few rules. We're in England (uk) and to be fair it does get extreme temperatures here, even in the height of summer only in a rare (and short!) occasion does it ever reach the late 20c 's range. So a preprepared breakfast, lunch and dinner taken from the household fridge is placed in the 12v cooler along with a couple of small ice packs from the freezer (and usually a frozen bottle of drink from the freezer for the latter end of the day) is sufficient to keep his food cool/cold for the day, as long as he only opens the bag to take something from it (doesn't leave the bag open for any period of time). This has worked well for a couple of years and the bag was (whilst pricey for a cooler) was a lot cheaper than a mini fridge and very versatile and easy to transport being a soft padded bag. I think his only real disappointment is that it doesn't cool anything from an ambient temperature (as expected) and this is probably where he'd favour a fridge over a cooler.

I'll keep up my research, thank you all for your comments so far 

Sarah


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

Sarah, I'm not real clear on what this "bag" you talk about actually is.

Just for the Halibut, I ran a small test yesterday using my thermoelectric cooler that is an insulated rigid plastic container. Shop was at 63/17 when started. Let it cool for .75 hr then put in 2 qts of water which was at room temp. 1.75 hr later the water had dropped to 57/13.9. Was away from the house much of the day but after 7 hrs, the air temp was 73/22.7, and water at 49/9.5. If air temp was higher, then temps inside the cooler would have been higher also.

So much for cooling. If contents had been pre-cooled I suspect contents would have been/stayed colder.

Hope you can find something that suits your needs.


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## MBTRAC (May 28, 2012)

Apart the Waeco fridges you might also look at an the Engel - Engel is also a premium brand which is tough enough to handle constant hard use. ......Good luck & let us know what you end up buying.


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