That’s odd - We had a big chest freezer in the garage when I was growing up, and I know of at least 3 people with modern freezers in uninsulated sheds, and I’ve never heard of anyone having a problem with them not working between 32 and 40 until now.
It depends on the model. There is some oil inside the compressor. If that gets too jelled, bye-bye freezer. You need to check the manufacturer’s spec.
As to defrosting, it also varies. My fridge’s freezer compartment has an actual heater coil. You can see the orange reflection of the coil in the back when it is running.
Note that defrosting a well maintained freezer shouldn’t be that common. I can go years without defrosting my standard freezer. It’s kept in a garage and we have quite a humid environment. I keep the door seals clean and we keep the door opening to a minimum.
Here’s a link:
Apparently “cold winter months” means temps in the 50s-60s. Must be a tropical manufacturer/dealer.
In case anyone is interested, I found a site that shows how to add a heater to a freezer to prevent this problem. Apparently it only comes on when the compressor needs to start running and outside temp is <45F.
http://www.fridgedoctor.com/fridge-doctor-book/fitting-a-system-to-operate-in-an-unheated-space.html
Like the others have said here. Some manufacturers offer fridge/freezers that are designed to work in cold garages. You pay a premium for them, but they’re there.
Mine is primarily a summer beer fridge. In winter when I need beer stored cold in bulk, I just leave it in an open cooler on the garage floor.