We have a Bushman, it is about 7 to 8 years old. It has never missed a beat, works as good as the day we purchased it. I replaced the factory power connection pin fitting on the fridge after it was out of warranty. I fitted one that held the power cable more securely. With the high lid it gives you a 42 litre capacity or 35 litres with the flat lid. You can also get a spacing collar which ads another 12 or 13 litres. I once forgot to switch our dual batteries over, the fridge ran for three days on a average sized battery before the fridge switched itself off.
Regards
Daryl
-- Edited by DandS on Sunday 28th of August 2011 07:51:44 PM
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Alcohol is not the answer. It only makes you forget the question.
Had our Bushman for about 6 - 7 years - never let us down in any weather - only problem we have ever had was the LED display needed to be replaced. We ran it for 4 days continuously in Mildura off our 75a deep cell battery - never missed a beat on any of our trips - used as freezer when we got the caravan, and kept everything well frozen. Usually use the extended lid always. Great fridge and ours was at a really good price.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
Likewise I have owned a Bushman for 10 years. I did have a problem with a dry joint (techies will know what that is) on the control printed circuit board early in its history and Bushman replaced the whole fridge under warranty. The replacement unit has performed faultlessly for many years.
I use a 7amp Ctek "smart" charger as the power supply and this simultaneously recharges the aux battery when on "ground" power. This is instead of the power supply the Bushman supplies (as an extra).
I bypassed the input connector with a lead connected directly to the circuit board however Bushman now supply a retaining clip to secure the lead to the connector overcoming the connection reliability issue.
I also have the Bushman. Does the job well, holds heaps of stuff, and although not terribly quiet on start up, it appears fairly efficient. Was told it draws 3.6amps on startup, and the settles to 2.6amp, maintaing temps plus/minus 2degrees of setpoint. Mine runs 12volt through a merrit plug, although I do have the 230volt adapter.
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
Hi All, We have had ours for over six years. The only thing that I have done is replace the AA batteries in the Control/Temp panel. Runs well, however, when using the 12 volt direct from the battery a good contact/connection is paramount. Hope to have many more years service.
Runs well, however, when using the 12 volt direct from the battery a good contact/connection is paramount. Hope to have many more years service.
Two Strays
This applies to all 12v fridges. I don't consider the cig lighter type plugs and sockets sufficiently reliable for this purpose. Note Bob's comment above re the Merrit plug. I use the old fashioned Clipsal 2 pin jobs that look like "common or garden variety" 3 pin power plugs except for having 2 pins arranged in a "T"
If using the existing cig lighter socket that's standard in most if not all vehicles these days the the voltage drop may prevent the fridge from starting properly. Some manufacturers will supply (as an extra) a suitable wiring loom to be installed to overcome this. I think that the Engel looms come prewired with their own proprietary plugs and sockets.
