State hopping and Freezers

[markymark]

I am going to need a freezer. I have two obvious options buy a new freezer or used. I have heard a few stories of used freezers going bad not saying a new one can't go bad either.

If one is to buy a used one is it a wives tail that freezers like to turned on and never off. I have seen this with servers before, they run for a few years turn them off and they never boot again. I feel they get in sorta of comfort mode and that any power disruption makes them go a little nutty.

How about running one off a generator. What about tossing a tip to the land owner where you are staying for power? 50 bucks a week for power is that fair or insult??

[coyotewhisperer]

50 bucks a week for power is that fair or insult??

Around here that is way too much money. You could rent a house with utilities included for 100$ a week and probably 200$ for a month.

Jeff

[bobwendt]

marky, I take one to 3 depending on the trip, on a flatbed. best deal is you back right into a lockable barn and leave them on the trailor. full you can`t lift them without a fork lift. what freezers don`t like, new or old, is jiggling. the trip there jiggles the heck out of them. so you need to park it at least 24 before you plug in, let the gasses settle back down. and cut boards to custom fit each freezer and put in on top of the fur each day, with a cinder block on top, to compress it. and the obvious tuff. lay everything out overnight to cool first, and lay everything flat and spread out much as you can. I pay $200 a month , probably cheap as it gets me electric, a locked building, place to skin and keep maybe 100 live coyotes for a month. I started him at $100 about 20 years ago and quick saw I had a good deal and raised him up. he grins like a cat when I hand him the rolled up bills every year. he told me they put in an account for their son and invest it and it`s like 5-6 grand now. they are giving it to him as a graduation gift, " from the trapper". he offered to stay free way back when, but I do realize the abilitys of grease and it has not disappointed me.

[rk660]

A freezer should only use 10 bucks worth of juice a month, probibly less in winter. I'd offer $25 for a months worth of running a freezer alone, more if it included use of a building.

[coyotewhisperer]

Bob when I saw your freezer method it was a HUGE tip!

Jeff

[bobwendt]

you a moderator now?

[markymark]

Rich that is good advice but once farmer brown hears my NY accent he's going to toss me out on my ear LOL. I'll write it off as a business exspence.

I guess I'll just have to toss cation in the wind, having that vaction home in Taos NM made things easy. Right now I am getting a new extra set of mirrors mounted on my front bumber so if my trailer tire flies off and passes me I'll see. You like that idea Rich. That story you told made me laugh and I have told it about 6 times just this pass week.

[HappyPlumber]

The problems with freezers or refrigeraters is the oil in the compressor. When the units are tipped or laid any way but upright, the oil runs out of the compressor and needs to drain back down before it is activated again. the units need to be set in a location where they are level to operate efficiently. If it is on a trailer, the trailer bed needs to be leveled. In a house everybody ASSUMES that the floors are level. Some older freezers can give you problems. I bought a used large one that was one year old and stored it for a season before plugging it in. It worked when it was shut off, but when it was plugged in it didn't work. I was told by a refrigeration guy that the coils will corrode when the unit is not in use. That is probably the reason they tell you to let it run. I doubt that shutting it off for a trip will effect it. Matter of fact there are some guys that take freezers along for big game hunting and plug them in at motels on the way back. A moose or other large game does not freeze over night. HP

[garman]

I took my freezer on the moose hunt last fall, left it in the back of the truck, day before we cut up the moose plugged it in, then through cut up moose in, worked great but they are right need to let it set on even ground about a day before running it.

[Bob Jameson]

I have lost 3 over the years on the road. Lost another last winter. Left it set for a week before I had to turn it on. The compressor hummed but no cooling took place. Thank goodness I had a friend that left me use his until I could put the fur up there until the trip home.

[bobwendt]

I lost one couple years ago ,and was naturally in the middle of nowhere, closest town with a freezer store was 150 miles. had one trucked in for $650. about 150% normal price. the road miles kill them.

[rk660]

Ya, know, Ive heard that tons of times about freezers should be left to sit and oil drain back into the compressor, but Ive ignored that advice dozens of times on free-bees ive hauled home and never had a problem, usually cause Im 3 days-week late on finding one konked out and need to get stuff back frozen NOW! They always have worked, tipped on side or end, unloaded and plugged right in. I supposed hauling them and the vibration is hard on them, probibly rubs a hole in a freon line from vibration is my guess.

Bob's tip on cutting a plywood board and weighting it with a cinder block is one of the slickest things Ive seen to use space to maximum, like Jeff said.

Yep, it seems alot funnier now looking back in trailer tire, when it happened I was abou ready to sit down on curb and bawl, LOL. I dont think he is on internet, but a trapper who I'd done buz with in years past, Brad from MI, came by and helped me get going. Whats the chance of that, broke down 6 states from home and someone ya know comes by and helps ya out. I went back to tire store in Albert Lea, and got a $100 out of them for not tightening the lug nuts tight enough. Covered the cost of the new hubs I had to buy. The ass. manager who I dealt with on tires tried to stonewall me, but the manager got involved and made it right.

We once lost an 8" boat tire off a small trailer. Guy drove up beside us on interstate, and held up tire we where missing, LOL. He picked it up and raced us down, we were going 80-85 I think, riding on the hub. Think I gave myself a sprained neck on way back from PA looking at trailer tires in mirrors all the way back. I usually give tires a trucker kick and feel bearings for heat when I fuel up to avoid such calamities.

On road wth freezer, you can usually "borrow" a little electricity here and there, carry a long cord. Car washes are good place to hole up for night in truck and plug in. I just got a 750 watt convertor you could probibly run a freezer with if needed while driving. If your going to NM and running out on I-80 thru NE, just figure you got place to stop if needed.

[bill1306 (Phil)]

Bob is right about the boards he cuts for his freezer, it really compresses all of the hides and he completely fills the freezers until they can't hold anything else. We also have another friend that traps in Ks that hauls several freezers here and uses Bob's trick to keep everything packed tight. He saves freezer space, by using boards with blocks on them.

Phil

[jim]

I have two chest freezers that I use, one of them goes to 30 below and never stops running,but still hard to freeze fur if two many pelts are stacked together so i have a couple of wire grates with spacers to hold them apart and then put them in the other one as tight together as I can get them. Jim

[bobwendt]

jim, it`s imperative you never put a fresh hide in,always cool over night first. and that system you use woul cut freezer space 1/2 or better is my guess.

[thebeav2]

Bobs Idea Is a great one. I use a sheet of plywood but I found some pieces of steel that are heavier then the blocks but are only 3/4" thick they let you pack more then the blocks do.
When working with beaver I normally leave the beaver lay for at least a day before skinning In most cases you can get by with 2 days. Fresh beaver are just to bloody to work. Once I get them skinned I will place one single layer In each freezer and compact them with Bobs system. If I have hides that I can't put In the freezers I just fold them up so no flesh Is showing and lay them out till the next day. Beaver are pretty forgiving, I really can't ever remember loosing a beaver to slippage. Same with otter.

[Bob Jameson]

I would be concerned with the spoilage factor at first thought of this proceedure as the air will not be circulated over and around the hides to chill and then allow to eventually freeze. But I have not tried this method. I know years back when taking large numbers of beaver and otter we tried a similiar such method and lost several hides even after chilling all the hides before placing into the freezer. Typically after that occurance I wont layer any furs until totally sure things have frozen solid prior to another layering.

They were all rough skinned and being fat as beavers tend to be freezeing doesnt come quick. Eventually began placing expanded metal sheets between 2 layers with some 2"x2" shims between the layers to promote more air flow to discourage too much insulation between the hides. Then I removed the spacers after they were frozen solid in a day or two and prepared for another layer etc. This did work after some trial and error.

[thorsmightyhammer]

Beaver require at least 24 hours to freeze solid I like to give them 48 hours before I pile on another layer. I like to make sure they are froze solid.

If your are catching a bunch a day you should be using more than one freezer or you will get into trouble

[bobwendt]

the pre cooling is imperative, and the obvious, like steven says, you can`t freeze 3 freeezers worth in one. I`m in ks in jan and it is inthe teens near every night. all hides lasyed out are crusty good by daylight and generally thawed enough to put in the freezer by skinning time late that day. bob j., didn`t you lose an unacceptable amount of room that way? for me out of state, room is ( and weight)a major major issue,always.

[Bob Jameson]

In the beginning years ago I certainly did lose valuable room as a result of the first spoilage incident. I had 4 freezers but were spread out over 3 counties. Would run one loop and then camp for a nite and run another loop etc. So never had them all in one place initially due to my operation and line set up.

A couple of years later I maximized my storage by flattening as reasonbly as possible before pre freezing. This helped considerably to economize space.In Arkansas the weather doesnt typcially get that cold at nite so all cooling had to be done in the freezers.

Yes weight and room is always a factor. As I bring home boned meat and many hoofed animals for taxi and private sales. I need to upgrade for this coming winter to a higher gross weight trailor to haul more freezers and weight back.