Small RV furnace for cab heat.........

[linrick1]

Hi all. We've got a Steiner 430 with a cab and a 27 horse air cooled Kohler. The cab is a huge improvement over blowing snow without one, but has no heat. I've looked for a reverse rotation fan, and have considered shrouding the grill, then ducting the warmed air back to the cab but recently have been thinking that the most effective solution might be a modified RV furnace. They are compact, 12 volt, can be found for around $20, and can be ducted. I'm thinking I could build an enclosure and some ductwork for the unit, and mount it below the rear window along the back of the cab. Weld up a tank bracket and a 20 lb. propane tank would sit nicely between the rear weights on the hitch plate........I would like to hear some thoughts on this if anyone is so inclined. Thanks, Rick

By the way, there are soft doors - just not on in these pictures.....

 

[Sprinklerman]

I have a travel trailer , I think its way too much heat for a cab . What about making some type of heat exchanger , in conjunction with the muffler , like a heat exchanger off a boat . Then get a heater core and fan

 

[CNC Dan]

Get some baseboard heater core, and plumb it into the cooling system.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Get some baseboard heater core, and plumb it into the cooling system.

I thought that too , but its air cooled

 

[murphy1244]

Does your machine have a trans cooler fan? On mine I can reverse that fan and get a little bit of heat inside my poor mans cab.

 

[pappy60]

Buy a small propane heater made for tents... cost is minimum and they should work excellent in your cab...
do a search on "propane heaters for camping"
sample..
Amazon.com: Texsport Propane Heater: Sports & Outdoors

this style and others similar are used in covered golf carts all the time... check what your local golf course uses..

 

[PILOON]

Propane creates lots of water vapor. The windows would rapidly steam over.
Also open flame near gas is not a smart idea, just asking for trouble IMHO.

One thing that might just work is 12 volt computer (muffin) fan(s) to draw engine heat into the cab.
Available in about 4" diameter and they move lots of air with less than 1 amp draw.

 

[chim]

Propane creates lots of water vapor. The windows would rapidly steam over.
Also open flame near gas is not a smart idea, just asking for trouble IMHO..............

When I was building my cab I did a huge amount of Googling for ideas and heating was one area of interest. SOMEWHERE there was a DIY heater that used a small propane tank and a heat exchanger to get around the moisture problem. My tractor has a liquid cooled engine, so it was easier to plumb in a heater box with a fan. A heated cab for snow removal is a real pleasure.

 

[JimRB]

I did a Google search for 12v heater and found a lot. No specs though on many. It would be hard to get many watts out of a tiny tractor with a tiny alternator. I did see one big heater but it is rated at 50 amps. I know my alternator does not put out that many amps. Cab Heater, Skid Steer Heater

 

[linrick1]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. The articulation of the Steiner and how the cab, which is mounted on the rear frame, interacts with the cowl and dash of the front frame is problematic when trying to duct forced hot air from the front. As far as electric heat, I don't have the alternator capacity. I have tried several different sizes of the small tent heaters, the problem with these is the moisture they generate, the limited space of the cab and the lack of any real effective place to mount them without one body part or another spontaneously combusting.
An RV furnace is a heat exchanger. The type I am considering were installed in small tent trailers and rated at around 10 to 12 thousand BTU. They are plate type exchangers, with three exchangers in the small units. The plan is to disable one plate by capping that gas orifice, which should diminish the output by one third and hopefully more closely match the BTU output I'm looking for. The modified furnace, which has a 12 volt squirrel cage fan, would be mounted in a metal enclosure externally, at the back of the cab with the ductwork running into the cab. Ducting is unobtrusive, compact, and the output can be placed accurately, such as for defrosting the windows or keeping my feet toasty warm. In addition, all of this would be mounted to the cab, so when the cab comes off for the summer the whole shooting match would go with it leaving nothing on the machine itself. I'm going to give it a shot, I'll let you all know how it plays out, thanks, Rick