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Johnnybear
03-10-2006, 12:58 AM
Has anyone rigged up a reefer unit to a enclosed utility trailer for storing your meat? I was just wondering what kind of power you'd need for one etc.. I talked to a trailer guy about the insulation in the ceiling walls and floor etc. but need to do some homework on the refridgeration unit. I think a 14 ft. trailer with the front 6 feet with a man door in the side as the meat cooler and 8 feet in the back with a ramp door for gear would be a good hunting set up. Especially in the early season when it's not cold out yet.

Steeleco
03-10-2006, 01:49 AM
how much meat are you planning on getting ?? ;) ;)

sealevel
03-10-2006, 04:38 AM
I saw an old MB crew buss with the back 4feet made into a cooler there was room to hang several moose.

Fred
03-10-2006, 10:05 AM
If you check with the food equiptment places and or refrigeration places you should be able to get a "drop on" freezer unit. These things are usually electric so you would need a suitable genset but they would also be most effective. Between 2 and 4 inches of styrofoam insulation would work in that department. Fred

lip_ripper00
03-10-2006, 01:37 PM
or a cheaper way to go use a deep freeze.Bone the animal out and run the deep freeze intermittenly would take days to freeze a whole moose

NEEHAMA
03-10-2006, 05:17 PM
used horse trailer $1500. pop by your local industrial spray foam insualtion guy and spray the inside. head over to the local rv dealer and buy one of those large motorhome air conditioning units. mount it on the roof. immediatley head north for the augast moose season!

Johnnybear
03-10-2006, 07:02 PM
I'm just toying with the idea. If your in a hunting party with 4-6 guys and you harvest a few animals your not going to get all the meat in a deep freeze. This project would not be for myself alone. A couple of us are looking at building it together to share the costs.

rock
03-10-2006, 10:16 PM
6 X 8 you'll need around something around 12000 or 20000 btu, a simple way is to seal up the compartment you want and go purchase a window air conditioner new or used either will do the job and install on the side of the trailer,roof top units are okay but have a tendency to leak as they get older, that could be from rougher road we use which we always take to the limit with are rigs. If you find the proper unit one should do for that area just by a good gen set and have it cool before hanging your meat.

Walker
03-10-2006, 11:10 PM
Going with a window air condtioner or a roof top A/C unit is only going to lead to problems and disappointment. The most you could get the temperature down to is around 65 degrees or so before the coil starts to freeze up. Also air conditioning units pull far too much moisture out of the air for a meat storage area. What you need is a properly sized and installed refrigeration unit. The only problem is that it has to be installed by a qualified technician as refrigerants can only be legally obtained by licenced individuals. It all comes down to if you want it done right you have to spend the money. I can help you with the sizing, design and equipment needs if you PM me. I am a government certified refrigeration technician.

Al

Johnnybear
03-11-2006, 07:00 PM
Thanks for the reply guys. I would be going with the commercial style reefer for the reasons pointed out. When I get more into it in the summer (like I need another project to work on:-? ) I'll get more serious about contacting someone to help with the reefer unit.

Buckman
03-11-2006, 07:27 PM
A friend of mine took a 6x8 foot shed he had, insulated it and put drywall on it. Then he cut a hole in the side and stuck in a window airconditioner he borrowed from his neighbour and presto he had a great reefer unit. Worked for him and I'll be hanging my meet in there this year too!

Phred
03-11-2006, 07:54 PM
Going with a window air condtioner or a roof top A/C unit is only going to lead to problems and disappointment. The most you could get the temperature down to is around 65 degrees or so before the coil starts to freeze up. Also air conditioning units pull far too much moisture out of the air for a meat storage area. What you need is a properly sized and installed refrigeration unit. The only problem is that it has to be installed by a qualified technician as refrigerants can only be legally obtained by licenced individuals. It all comes down to if you want it done right you have to spend the money. I can help you with the sizing, design and equipment needs if you PM me. I am a government certified refrigeration technician.

AlCan you give me an idea what a 3' x 5' x 5' high cooler would cost to set up? Just the refrigeration unit itself. I've seen a window model in operation when it was quite hot, and it seemed to do a good job. Maybe it wasn't good for anything long term, but it seemed to work for a few days.
PM me if you want, but I thought others here might be interested in your answer.

greybark
03-11-2006, 09:51 PM
:-D Hey Johnybear, Two friends of mine used a window air conditioner on their unit and with the thermocoupler on the outside it worked just fine.
;) If you have hanging hooks to keep the quarters separated which is recommended DON`T FORGET TO LAY THEM DOWN BEFORE TRAVELLING AS THEY WILL SWING AND TIP YOUR TRAILER OVER ON THE FIRST CORNER !!!!!

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

Johnnybear
03-12-2006, 05:37 PM
Good point about the tipping!!!. I was thinking of some racks or something to keep them from moving around. Maybe some aluminum bins to keep them separate?

bucktrack
03-13-2006, 11:13 AM
I have been using an airconditoner for 5 years now
1) it works great and to all those refridgerator guys who say it can' t be done! BS, My unit with the proper controls can operate below zero if I want it to. typically I run it at 3deg C. I have run my unit for 2 weeks straight and never froze up once.
2) it was cheap
3) my meat locker is 4.5 by 8. and the unit runs on 1300 watts.

but hey if you have the money for a reefer, even better.

gollum257
05-29-2006, 11:47 AM
Come & see me I have a reefer truck that is used for hauling fruit it is a 1978 I believe runs okay has an insuled box & a real reefer unit you use a genset with.Let me know.Tx. collector0003@shaw.ca

Fred
05-29-2006, 11:09 PM
1978 What and what kind of money? Fred

30-06
05-30-2006, 07:24 PM
we got a 30 foot weekend warrior trailer that we just have 2 deep freezes in it works pretty good

Don in BC
06-12-2006, 08:14 PM
we have a 9 ft enclosed trailer. The boxed in section is divided in half. the rear half has a hinged ramp/door for 2 wheeler or quad and front half is insulated with 1 1/2 stirofoam covered by china board. two meat poles inside and a household a/c unit mounted on the front. a/c unit is thermostatically controlled and is power by a 2800 watt honda gen set which sits in a rack over the a/c unit on the outside. it powers the camp as well of course. A/c unit cycles from 34f to 38f. We use vinegar and let the meat skin up over night and then bag it and in the cooler . we run the cooler for 2-3 hours a day when the weather is warm and the meat stays cold and safe from critters and prying eyes. I first tried a 1400 watt honda but the start up amperage on the a/c unit is 18 amps so the breaker would blow before the compressor would achieve any speed. I had to go with the 2500 to overcome the start up load. Little on the big side but we have run it this way for 7 years. It only gets used for hunting season. I'll see if I can find a picture.

Don

Don in BC
06-12-2006, 08:31 PM
Here is one. I have one more somewhere.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/basil1000/2005ElkHunt--RemembranceDayweekend0.jpg

Here it is.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/basil1000/BudandDon--Huntingtrip2005-MoriceRi.jpg