Box Truck Owners (Cold Climate)

[Goldenboy]

You guys who own box trucks in cold climate areas how do you keep them warm in the winter time? I have a heated garage but if I moved into a box truck my garage only has 8 foot doors. I dont know if I would feel safe leaving it out in the winter.

Golden Boy

 

[steve frasier]

I insulated my walls and ceiling and put a small heater in it when it gets below 30 but I would think you get much colder then I do

I would put in some wall mounted heaters, look at them on the AT web site

 

[B&BGaryC]

Deflate your tires every evening and drive in on the rims. Wake up an hour early and inflate your tires every morning. You will single-handedly dissolve our need for foreign oil by having perfect tire inflation every day.

On a serious note, PM MicahR. He works for an interlink supply affiliate known as Express Distributing in Billings MT. They are the most helpful disty anybody has seen or heard of. They do installs for the entire state of Montana and most of Wyoming, I imagine parts of Colorado. All cold climates, lots of small business owners that do not have garages to put their vans in. They will have most likely worked out a number of setups and configurations for ensuring your machine lasts through the winter.

PM MicahR, he will help you even if he knows it won't result in a sale.

 

[Al]

http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=116



We use the Big Buddy by Mr. Heater

 

[Guest]

Small portable heater always works fine; I was stationed in Alaska once; they had plugs everywhere!!

 

[Al]

Never been able to keep ours hot enough with electric heaters and we have tried several different models, plus if power shuts off your screwed. Also get a remote thermometer with alarm 8)

 

[Goldenboy]

Al where to you keep the propane tank at?


Golden Boy

 

[John Watson]

Where ya been sunshine???

Al has the ticket with that portable MR Heater, That should solve your freeze up problems
you might also get some monitor sensors with alarms so while in the house you can tell what the internal temp of the truck is.


Back in the early 80's when I ran the TMs in Anch. Alaska

We had all trks that had cleaning units in them sprayed with foam for insulation. cube vans we sprayed 2 inches to the floor from underneath. walls got about 1 1/2. For when a rig had to be left out or was we had multiple space heaters going. Never had a rig freeze up that was intensionaly left out in freezing temps.

The first TM I saw was a Steamway PowerMatic. They had mounted a propane catalic heater on one wall with a thermostat. They called this truck the bomb. Ran on gas, burner fired on kerosene and heated with gas. The poor truck was all tanks, 31 gal gas,24 gal kero and 15 gal propane underneath and the 105 SteamWay waste on top. It was sprayed with foam on the side walls, the ceiling,and on top the floor with plywood on top of that. Comming from the fishing industry and seeing what happened to boats with sprayed foam that caught fire this thing scared me especialy the first time I was in the rear working on a clapsed hose on the live reel and the heater lit off and caught my jacket on fire. I had my back to the heater and my jacket just got to close, Yes I was wearing the flippen jacket it was 20 below..

 

[Al]

I have it hooked up to 40# tank in the truck when It's at home ( just buy an adaptor at a gas grill place) I leave the big tank at home and carry the heater and a small propane bottle in case we break down and need heat on the road.
I also use the same model heater in my shop too. 8)

 

[Bob Foster]

http://www.northstarflameless.com/new/cargo-main.html

 

[Desk Jockey]

We garage them.

On the occasion that they have to be left out, we will put 2-heaters (3-in extreme cold) in them. One with the unit and one with the tools and hoses.

Can the the door track be raised and a panel be added? We've had to raise a couple and it wasn't that bad.

It's a pain with heaters, 2-separate circuits and wasting juice just to keep it warm. If you have room to raise the height, that might be cheaper and safer in the long run.