Drop Down Fridge Slide Review

As the use of 12V compressor fridges has gained acceptance by grey nomads and 4wd enthusiasts alike, the question has arisen as to where do you mount the fridge so that it is easily accessible.

Fridges are being mounted on the top of tray back utes, in the back of 4x4 station wagons, (either on the floor, or on the top of rear storage drawers), in camper trailers etc.

No matter where they are mounted getting easy access to them has been a dilemma. The majority of the fridges are mounted on some form of fridge slide, or slide out unit that allows the fridge to be moved out into a position where they can be readily accessed. As these fridges are predominantly chest type units they must be accessed by opening a lid on the top of them, and, unless they are mounted very low down it means that you will usually need to stand on something in order to see, and gain access to, what is in the fridge. This is especially true when they are mounted on a tray back ute, or on top of rear storage drawers in the back of a 4WD.

Enter the Platinum drop down fridge slides. These units not only allow the fridge to be withdrawn or slid out from their normal mounting position, but with a minimum of effort, the fridge can also, if required, be lowered 300mm, or almost a foot in the old scale providing much easier access to the unit.

These slides have been designed to take the knocks that Australia’s outback gives vehicles and their equipment. They are manufactured from steel with a flat black powder coated finish. The bearing slides, gas struts, locks and roller bearings have been thoroughly proven to withstand whatever abuse is thrown their way. They have a maximum load capacity of 200Kgs (the weight of two average people, or 10 bags of cement), so I doubt if you would be likely to overload these slides.

Platinum drop down slides are available in three standard sizes ensuring that there is a model available for just about every fridge out there in the market, be it EvaKool, Waeco, Engel, Bushman, you name it, the chances are there is a drop slide available that will fit your fridge.

But, the use of these slides is not just limited to portable fridges. They are ideally suited to tradesmen or mobile mechanics that need to gain access to the top of their tool boxes, generators, compressors, battery systems, or whatever.

Perhaps the best feature is their ease of use. With its gas strut assistance, the ease in which a fridge can be lowered and raised even when fully loaded has to be seen to be believed.

Installation of these units is a relatively easy task not outside the scope of most handymen. They are supplied with a kit to locate the fridges or tool boxes on the tray of the slide, and Australian Direct currently offer a bonus tie down kit that makes securing fridges onto the tray of the slides a breeze.

Rather than go into detail of which slide suits what fridge, the following is a
guide you can use after you measure the footprint of your individual fridge or toolbox:

DS40 Drop Slide has a tray that is 715mm long x 390mm wide

DS50 Drop Slide has a tray that is 810mm long x 480mm wide

DS60 Drop Slide has a tray that is 870mm long x 530mm wide

These slides are built to last, they are heavy, ranging from 35Kg through to 42Kg each.

To purchase a drop down fridge slide please click here.