Transporting items in fridge door

[Tankersm]

Question: we have a Dometic model 2653RBX fridge in our Micro Minnie trailer. Is it safe to travel with drinks in the fridge door or could this “spring” the hinge? Should we unload all items in door of the fridge before traveling?

[AveryF]

I can't imagine traveling with drinks in the fridge door would be a problem nor have I ever heard of it being an issue but you could always place them on one of the shelves if that would make you more comfortable.

[creativepart]

It's a fridge. Mostly you just put stuff in and travel on. But, that doesn't mean it won't fly out at you when you stop and open the fridge. It's pretty much designed to be used normally.

[Bones2003]

There have been reports on the forum about broken hinges on some RV refrigerators so your question is a good one. As I recall, these hinges were plastic and now you can buy metal replacement hinges. Search for "refrigerator hinges" and I'm sure you will find those threads. This info may not even apply to your brand/model of refrigerator! As others have said, fill it up and drive normally. If things are not quite wedged in properly, they will move around as you drive and may spill out on the floor when you open the refrigerator door. Unless you have one of the troublesome refrigerators with the weak plastic hinges, I would not worry too much about it.

[akeagle]

In the last 2 years we've made 2 trips from Alaska to the Lower-48 and back via the Alaska Highway with a normally loaded fridge, including canned soft drinks and a half gallon jug of milk in the door shelves. No problems at all.

[Morich]

No problems over long term RV use but loading does need to be a bit different. At times we have had things happen--like the frig door popping open! Cabinet drawers are even more prone to doing it, so we stock with this in mind and find a couple things help keep a small nuisance from being big time trouble.
Our first RV "disaster" was a giant size bottle of syrup doing an air burst from the top cabinet to the top bar of a bike stored in the center aisle! You get great coverage that way, so we now travel with smaller bottles stored in lower places!
We learned to stock smaller items of things that get the most messy if they break and those go down lower and in more secure cabinets/spaces with other heavy items.
Corners are the problem for us as heavy items get more "push" and pop drawers, etc. open easier. Lower gets less lean on corners.
Secure the frig and assume things will come out on first opening after travel. Don't put the eggs and large jars on the top shelf!

[AveryF]

Originally Posted by Morich

No problems over long term RV use but loading does need to be a bit different. At times we have had things happen--like the frig door popping open! Cabinet drawers are even more prone to doing it, so we stock with this in mind and find a couple things help keep a small nuisance from being big time trouble.......

........Corners are the problem for us as heavy items get more "push" and pop drawers, etc. open easier. Lower gets less lean on corners.
Secure the frig and assume things will come out on first opening after travel. Don't put the eggs and large jars on the top shelf!

After our first trip in our "new to us" MH (don't ask! ), we quickly learned to use Camco Double RV Refrigerator Bars on every shelf while traveling to avoid such a disaster in the future. Not only do we use them in the fridge but use a similar item on just about every other cabinet as well, especially in the bathroom (yeah, same trip as above - I had no idea a bottle of shampoo could make such a mess!)!

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Camco...-p/72-8086.htm