Freezer Modifications?

[Zagman]

I laminate the door........joking.

I have a chest freezer and standup freezer. The standup has shelves in it and it is generally just a pain in the butt compared to the chest-type. I had to unplug my standup to defrost it to get the last of the coyotes out, the ones crammed in between the shelves and frozen to the metal that the shelves are made of.

Anyone ever modifiy a standup for better/maximum fur storage?

I was think about removing the shelves and then somehow juryrigging a piece of plywood or something to create a bin of sorts.......

Ideas, if you have them.......would be welcomed.

Zagman

[rk660]

standups are a pain in ass for fur, bagging it helps to keep from sticking. maybe some thin sheet plastic would be the ticket.

[Wright Brothers]

How about those stackable plastic bins with lids.

I HAD a stand up freezer one time, pain in rear compared to chest.

I got barked at this year for too much animal stuff in there, she's gonna have to make adjustments next season. J/K haha. I did pick up another chest free. Folks say they like the stand up better, I don't argue.

I like the older ones that are NOT frost free, seems they freeze quicker and use less electric.

[thebeav2]

Most of the uprights I have seen and the 3 that I have all have the freezing coils In the shelves. So there Is no option to remove. Your's must be different.
It sounds like your not skinning just freezing In the round. Must be one heck of a large freezer or awfully small coyotes.LOL
If you can remove the shelves., just build some threaded rod spreaders. Take a piece of pipe cut It 3" short of the freezer opening get a piece of 3/8ths threaded rod and place a nut and a large washer on It Insert In pipe turn the nut to lengthen the rod and you have a spreader to lay your plywood behind. You will of coarse need two. One at the top an done at the bottom.
You could also get a couple of those expandable shower curtain rods or those car clothes hanger rods they might work but you would have to cut one end off to make them fit, just cut off the right end If you go this route.
Skin as you go and you won't have these problems. LOl

[trappnman]

just had a nice uprighht given to me this week- the shelves are exactly like any refridgerator.

plastic bags are the answer btw

[Zagman]

Beav, I DO skin as I go.....I dont have enough freezers for 10 whole coyotes, let alone the number I actually end up with.

Now that you say it, I think my racks DO have the freezing coils in them......crap.

So, looks like bags...................

I have been laying thin cardboard down, and that helps with the bottom of the coyote not sticking to the metal, but does not help with the top as I cram them in to maximize space.

I'd like to get rid of it and swap it out for another chest freezer, though I dont think I can sell this one to anyone else but a trapper, if you know what I mean.

Zagman

[trappnman]

you got me curious- yes, mine has the coils in the shelves also-

the one I had years ago, did not....

[thebeav2]

Lay thin sheets of plastic down on the shelf. Then fold the tail Inside the hide. Then just lay flat. You should be able to place two side by side. Fill all shelves up and when every thing Is frozen start the next layer. I don't like to roll up any fur and bag It I think hides will freeze better by letting them lay out flat.
Then you can use the Bob Wendt plywood and cement block compression method. But of coarse that will only work In the chest freezer. You should be able to freeze up at least 50 coyotes In a decent sized chest freezer.

[Zagman]

Actually, I get more than that in them using the BW cinder block and plywood method, not to mention the token fox that get thrown in with the daily coyotes.

At the end, I have to use the cinder blocks to hold the lid down and seal the lid.

MZ

[monstertom]

The best way I have found for storeing skinned hides is in the bags the newspaper carrier puts newspapers in when it wet. a coyote or coon hide fits perfect 2 beaver 2-3 fox. they stack well and can be written on. My 21 cf. upright freezer will hold near 100 full bags.

[jwr64]

Line the shelves with freezer paper, the kind you get at a butcher shop not wal-mart. tape it on the bottom side of the shelves with duct tape. I tape it on the back and sides also.

[bobwendt]

I took 54 cubic feet of chest freezers to ks and ran out of room. dang coons are big and fatty even skinned. many out there 10 lb just the skin without the body. the market going up on them really messed up my " oh I have plenty freezer room" idea. no such thing. the fur shed is never big enough, the gloves are all made for chinamen and you can NEVER have too much freezer room. I got mad and paid a sum of money so large I refuse to say how much for a whole covey of new freezers. luckily the local grocery store the lady that runs it likes me and I bumbed a good bit of freezer room off the big walk ins they had. it`s a mom and mom store and small town, ( 300 people)and often dead deer in it or whatever. I never took her any skunks tho, just cats/coons/coyotes. next year the flatbed will be a row of freezers all bolted down and solid from one end to the other.

[psb1011]

Go buy a new one every year.I got 5 now,just for fur.Got 1 just for glands,and skull,and misc stuff

[rk660]

tman, aint that something, I just got a upright given to me today too! What uprights are nice for, for me, is freezing gallons of glands, lure, etc. Zags, be careful how hard you pry/jerk around on the coils, once you bend/break/punture one the whole freon system will be dead. Like I said, plastic sheeting is the answear, zip tie a piece top and bottom.

[Bigfoot]

I want a small walk in so I can hang to freeze . missed a Nice woking 6x6 this summer .

[bobwendt]

I kept a 6 by 8 by 12 walk in forabout 15 years. dang thing about broke me. every fall when turned on was another $300 repair call. bought it at auction of a defunct ice cream store for $800 and $150 deliverey, then $250 to get power to it outside the barn. immediatly compresser goes out and another grand. the last year the repairman came he said sell it if you can as I can`t get parts for it anymore. finaly sold it to deer processor who`s brother was freezer/refrigeration man, for a grand. guy was tickled pink and me too. man, it was nice. took the grand and spent it all on 4 new chest freezers, got a bulk buy discount on them. since I`ve bought about 6 more chests. have one upright that was a freebee. do like rk and it`s in the shed and my gland and balogna sandwich freezer.

[thebeav2]

My problem Is most chest type freezers can't take the abuse of moving them 1000s of miles across country and then back again. They just can't stand the strain I lost 3 this winter.
Check Into cold storage locker plants. I can store a pallet sized load for$28.00 per month.I know it would be a pain but if there close enough It could work out for you.

[trappnman]

remember when every little town and cold storage?

I agree on moving them- the older ones seem very fragile. I've had a few that worked perfect when I got them, never worked again whwen I got them home.

[purity]

the best mod I could think of would be to post you upright freezer on your local swap and sell radio program. sell it and buy another chest freezer. I have 7 chest freezers and 1 upright that I use for overflow only. uprights also let all the cold out when you open them and chest freezers don't.

Just a thought.
P

[purity]

something else to think about freezers. When you unplug a freezer and let it set for a period of time without running. The refridgerant is corrosive to the coils. It will eat pin holes in the coils. Thats why people loos two or three when they plug them in a year later. They need to be kept plugged in and working to last. It seems older ones and I mean very old ones would last forever but not hese newer ones.
P