Moving a loaded freezer cross country?

The_Kapn

The_Kapn

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My Brother In Law is moving from lower CA to GA.
He has a late model freezer Loaded with expensive meat including a lot of Halibut from his Alaska fishing trips.

The plan is to put the loaded freezer in the pickup with a 2000 Watt generator.
Cover the freezer with thermal blankets, probably welding blankets.
Run the generator as needed to assure all stays frozen.

The current plan is run the genset for a couple of hours in the AM and then again in the late afternoon.
Thinking all will stay super cold overnight and during the daytime drive on a 3-4 day trip.

Any reason this will not work?

Thanks,
TIM
 
Dry ice is a good idea. We unloaded a full chest freezer into 4 or 5 Iceberg coolers (the good ones). We were only moving from MA to NJ, but the meat was on the truck for 3 full days and did not suffer. Longer, dry ice seems a good idea.
 
Another dry ice vote...
 
Passing through Texas in August it will melt :shocked: Consider dry ice as well. I would also consider placing a digitial thermometer probe inside the freezer to monitor temps from the outside.
Good luck,
 
You could run generater going down the road if in the back of truck. Just make sure freezer is able to breath.The wireless temp. meter is also great idea so you do not have to unwrap it.You may also if have can put thin plywood over blankets and then straps to keep blankets tight to freezer. Just keep vent area for compressore clear. Good luck DouG M
 
Should work fine. Just don't block airflow to coils and compressor on the freezer.

We do this whenever power is down for several days from hurricanes, ice storms, or whatever. We take the generator around to neighbors, friends and family, and twice a day keeps refers and freezers good to go. Three hours twice a day usually allows the units to cool back down enough for the compressor to shut off normally.

Turn the controllers down to the coldest setting prior to the trip will also give you a few more degrees of safe range.

Biggest issue to me would be getting a "full" freezer in and out of the truck bed.
 
You could also look at the freezer wattage needs and hook an inverter to the battery of the truck and keep the freezer on all the time, no messing with gas, generator running etc.

Put the generator close to the battery and run an extension cord to the freezer.

He could also buy a late model Chevy truck :thumb:, mine has a 110 volt plug on the dash, I am not sure on the wattage but I have ran a coffee maker on it before
 
thunderalley3 said:
You could also look at the freezer wattage needs and hook an inverter to the battery of the truck and keep the freezer on all the time, no messing with gas, generator running etc.

Put the generator close to the battery and run an extension cord to the freezer.

He could also buy a late model Chevy truck :thumb:, mine has a 110 volt plug on the dash, I am not sure on the wattage but I have ran a coffee maker on it before
Click to expand...

I think the plug in my Silverado is rated for maybe 1 or 2 Amps . . .

I had to rescue a guy about a year ago at a tailgate, with my grill, because he kept blowing fuses in his Pilot with his crock pot. :biggrin1:

If I were the OP I'd do the Dry Ice route and blanket route. And the thermometer, for no peaking. And figure out where I could stop and refill the ice if necessary.

And maybe a few Brethren along the way with a long extension cord! :idea:
 
My concern would not be just for the wattage, but for the refrigerant oil to lubricate the compressor. Climbing hills or tilting can cause issues with the lubricant not finding it's way back to the compressor. It's always recommended that if you move a refrigerator / freezer that you let it sit for 24 hours before turning it back on. It might make the trip, but if it were my unit, I wouldn't risk burning up the compressor on the freezer.

Personally I would seal it up tight and add the dry ice as needed to maintain temperatures throughout the trip.
 
know of a guy that traps heavy through the west, he skins and freezes along the way. He hauls 2 freezers on a trailer. When he's working an area he plugs into regular power at a barn, etc in cooperation with the rancher, but on his trips home, he only plugs in at night when he stops. A full frozen freezer won't defrost in 12 hours or even 24. I've had chest freezers last almost a week at home after hurricanes killed the power, just don't open it.
 
IamMadMan said:
My concern would not be just for the wattage, but for the refrigerant oil to lubricate the compressor. Climbing hills or tilting can cause issues with the lubricant not finding it's way back to the compressor. It's always recommended that if you move a refrigerator / freezer that you let it sit for 24 hours before turning it back on. It might make the trip, but if it were my unit, I wouldn't risk burning up the compressor on the freezer.

Personally I would seal it up tight and add the dry ice as needed to maintain temperatures throughout the trip.
Click to expand...

If the refrigerator was laid on its side, or spent time past vertical, you could possibly have a concern. Allowing the time vertical, that it spent not vertical, generally allows for any lube to find the sump.

If your concern was factual, there would be no compressor driven refrigerators or freezers on boats, motorhomes, travel trailers, or guys selling shrimp on the side of the road.

Unless he is going off-road from CA to GA, normal road and interstate travel will not have hills or tilt enough to bother a compressor. I have had zero problems with any of my motorhome's compressors (non-ammonia systems) since the early ninety's.

And so you might question as to what I know about compressors, I maintain a few over 300 compressor cooled reverse osmosis water units, as a part of my business, that get transported, moved, tilted and seriously banged around.
 
I'd run ice or dry ice and secure the door from bouncing open. The freezer is insulated and meant to keep the cold. The air passing over the freezer while on the highway will help to prevent heat build up vs if the unit were sitting stationary in the sun. You could cover with some insulating blankets if that makes you feel good.
 
We left our house we sold in central Illinois at 9 am for closing, hit the road immediately afterwards and drove for about 8 1/2 hours to north Alabama. An upright, small chest, and a fridge sat on the back of the moving van for the almost 10 hours unplugged. We plugged them in in Alabama for the night then left in the a.m. for Florida. Almost 8 hours later we arrived and plugged them back in. Once the truck stopped I gave them about 30 minutes to settle the oil. We had no problems at all, other than some misplaced items. I put a few strips of duct tape on the doors to make sure nothing popped open or no one opened them. It was hard to not open and check them, but they all had indicator lights to show they came on and I listened for them running, not putting much stock in the lights.
 
In a pickup, you'll get more heat coming up through the bed, an insulating layer UNDER the freezer would be a good idea
 
Yeah I would vote on Dry ice. I helped a buddy move from UT to MI, he is an avid hunter and dry ice worked perfect
 
Hmmm not worth the stress, If he is going I-10 he can stop by my place in SE Arizona and I will take all that meat off his hands therefor he will not have to stress about it.:icon_smile_tongue:
 
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