Slide In Owners in the north...

[Chris A]

How do you guys keep the rest of the stuff in the van from freezing when your cleaning with the side doors open?

 

[John Watson]

Our crews use to leave the engine running with the heater on, when in Alaska we had rear coolant heaters as well. On some rigs we had propane heaters in key areas. Also had canvas tarps with snaps that covered most of the open areas but still let the machine breathe. A real pain but we did it, we cleaned till 20 below..

 

[Greenie]

So...at what point is it, that leaving one door or a door partially open for the machine to breath, that the machine it's self is insufficent to keep stuff in the van from freezing?

I figure a small 18hp might not cut it, but what about these 31+hp and 68hp units?

 

[Blue Monarch]

I close one door and keep the other about a foot open. Keeps the van nice and toasty. 21 horses seems to be enough. When I open the back doors after the job, I get a wave of warm air.

 

[Dolly Llama]

my TM is mounted in the rear

never had a problem with anything in the van freezing in cold while running.
we run with side doors partially closed.
there's a lot of radiant heat that comes off a running slide in.
(one of the reasons I mount in the rear.. be damned if I want a HOT TM 10 inches behind my head in summer)

coldest I've ever worked in was minus 12

We start the mount in the morning and let it run for 20 minutes or so too before heading out when it's bitter cold like now.
My exhaust is run thru the floor, so if I'm not firing the burner, (like when warming up) I can run it with doors closed


..L.T.A.

 

[Able 1]

In the winter I keep all my wands and tools closer to the TM and load them from the side... I have only once had a problem with anything freezing... The only time I froze up was the fresh water line draped by the door and since then I have wrapped that hose with the gray foam pipe insulation.

Right now by the time the sol. hose touches the ground my TM is running in about 30 seconds. If I think I'll be screwing around moving things ect. I will have an open QC running right into the vac line.

 

[Ron Werner]

I have an xhaust fan and an intake fan in my cubevan, in this cold weather I've just been leaving the back door up about 7"-12", enough air to cool the engine. The 4ht keeps everything nice and toasty.

 

[Doug Cox]

Even in -16 degree temps last week, I had 1 side door open and 1 back door partially open. I always leave the van running with either heat or AC on depending on the weather.