UTV heater

   / UTV heater #1  

LouNY

Super Star Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
10,602
Location
Greenwich, NY
Tractor
Branson 8050, IH 574, Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility (traded in on Branson) NH 8160. Kioti CK2620SECH
I've got an unusual UTV, a Warrior 800. Like any open vehicle it gets cold trying to use it in the winter.
I got a soft cab for it which helps a bit, but it has lots of air leaks while traveling at any speed and even when parked.
So I added one of these inexpensive chinese diesel air heaters, what a turn around for cold weather.
This Saturday I was up in the woods with my nephew while he was dropping some trees, it was in the low 20's outside in the cab it was around 50.

My UTV,
warrior 3.jpg


with the soft cab on her,
cab 2.jpg


inside the cab,
cab inside 2.jpg


The heater, from outside,
cab heater 1.jpg


the outside ducts bring the heated air in,
cab heat ducts outside.jpg


and the ducts in the cab, I have longer ducts ordered to get better heat distribution, they just reach inside now between the middle and passenger seats,
cab inside heater ducts 1.jpg



This is an interesting heater and they also have one for a water heater that is marketed for keeping cabs and engines warm when trucks are shut down instead of idleing. Might be an interesting addition for winter preheating with no outside AC power required just a low current draw DC power for the fuel pump and a couple of blower fans.
 
   / UTV heater #2  
Those diesel heaters are great little units. I've seen people heat their garage with one, and have a relative who heats his 40' camper with two, one in front and one in back. He can keep the camper at 70 even in 0 degree temps in NY. I'm thinking of getting two to heat my garage once I get it insulated. Amazon sells them for $150-$200.
 
   / UTV heater #3  
I agree that diesel heaters are a cool thing! And the Warrior 800 looks both outside and inside just fine!
 
   / UTV heater #4  
I used one of those diesel heaters for the first time this weekend to heat my rooftop tent. It worked AMAZINGLY well. It ran for 8 hours on 1 tank of fuel and kept our tent and annex in the 60's in mid 20 degree weather.

The only issue I see for your application is the enclosures of these things are made out of super cheap lightweight materials. I don't see it lasting very long on the back of a UTV bouncing down bumpy, dusty, muddy roads. Is there any dry storage areas on that machine? IF so I would install it there without the cheap enclosure. Just my opinion, I hope I am wrong and it works well for you.
 
   / UTV heater
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I'm wondering how well it will hold up also. It is well secured, so I guess it's a wait and see issue.
No good dry storage areas to mount it in. It will not see much dust in the winter up here, it will be interesting to see
how it holds up in snow and freezing rain.
It can easily be removed with two bolts and an electrical disconnect for summer time as will the enclosure.
 
   / UTV heater #6  
Yeah, I didn't think about the fact it will only be used in winter. No dust only snow and cold. Why not make a little enclosure for it to keep it dry?

I was very impressed by the performance of the one I used this past weekend. It was a cheap one too. My only real concern with these is longevity. Ideally for my application in my camping trailer it would be mounted permanently. These things are not built to be flopping around in a truck bed. I think the more you handle them the more likely for one of the cheap components to break.
 
 
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