Diesel tent heater install

That’s a great idea! I was looking to do something similar but never found the right fittings. I might do that when I reinstall my heater next month.

 

Excellent installation idea for a permanent truck mount. I've only seen a couple done and they gave me safety fears.

What size heater are you fitting into that space?

As you explained the bracket could be used on either side of the bed, wouldn't the bracket need to be mirrored (a left & right version)?

Are you doing anything to keep mud, water and other debris away from the heater and other components? On the trail it can get a bit messy in that area of the truck, and there's no protective sealing on these heaters.

 

constructive criticism: one of the irritating things i keep running across is all these store fronts looking to ask for many-hundreds, sometimes thousands of my money, and all they have is a picture of the single component they're selling. some places are posting a 3d render of a non-painted metal bumper for $4k, with a 3-6 month lead time. no installation pics, no further specifications of what works or what doesn't, just a "send us big money for a widget, you get only the widget, figure it the heck out yourself."

i'm a details kinda guy. details on screw hole spacing dimensional drawings, finish material durability/quality, picture-intense detailed installation instructions i can pre-read, descriptions with model numbers of what works, and completed/finished product pictures, just to name a few things, are items i'm looking for that justify me spending money, or even more money than a functionally similar, but less-detailed competing product from a different storefront, or me building my own variation of the product.

you want $200 for a piece of flat metal with a bracket attached to the back, and some holes cut in it. fair enough. i've got a dremel, a bunch of cut-off wheels, some 1/16" steel plate, and a spray can of bedliner. the reality is that on the surface, i can easily undercut your design in raw material costs for my own use. what makes your iteration unique/special/better, and/or saves me money? that's the question i and most people tend to pose when introduced to a new product, and something i feel many product pages fail to adequately address.

the big names in any industry rarely got there by only building great products. most of the time they got there by appropriately marketing their existing products, fulfilling specific needs that no one else address in innovative ways.

i wish you the best in your endeavor, and while i don't have a need for it right away, i think there's ample opportunity in area you're utilizing for the heater for a number of other options that don't currently exist on the market.

 

Yes, I've ran into many of these products lately while researching how I want to do Rear Camera relocation for my Spare Tire Swing.

I'm a 45 year Mechanical Design Engineer and I agree with your constructive criticism.

Well said too.

 

I hear you, there is a lot of over priced stuff on the market. I like to build stuff myself and have the means to do it. I love to see people’s creativity and skills displayed in functional ways. This is one of my examples of creativity. I’m not looking to get rich, just recoup some expenses and provide a functional and cool product. My marketing/website could use some guidance and I’ll try to improve it to the best of my ability. Thank you for the feedback, sincerely. For my income I’m an ICU registered nurse. Working in the garage and recreating are my outlet.
If I can answer any product information or make some helpful changes to the website please let me know. DM or public forum. All good
For what it’s worth. I plan to release an instructional video soon and some better install pics. I got a little ahead of myself! I’ll try to update with better dimensions and specific info as well. Thanks again for the feedback, it’s helpful.
Nick

 

I initially used a Chinese knock off diesel heater but have recently gone to the Espar/Eberspacher 2.2KW diesel heater. The Chinese knock off was a low consequence of things didn’t go well. I’ve found that place to be really well protected from road debris and water. I did install a small plastic piece to close up a small gap. A detailed explanation of that modification will be added to the website soon. Like I told another member here, I got ahead of myself‍♂️.
Unfortunately, placement on the drivers side is not an option with the current bracket. There's interference. Maybe a future project for me. For now it looks like passenger side only. Great question. I hope that helps.
Thank you for the questions!

 

So personally for me, I would like to see pictures of it installed without a heater, what the backside looks like with the heater showing clearances on all sides. If possible I would also like to see with the 3 sizes of heaters that are sold (3k, 5k, 8k). A option for controller mounts on the face, along with switch cutouts and a fuse block mount. A hanger for the exhaust of the heater would be a bonus too.
I know this is a tough ask, but a picture with the quarter panel removed so we can see everything going on back there would be very helpful for people to see what kind of space constraints there are in terms of mounting our fuel tanks behind the panel too.
Also as others have said, a splash shield would be a top item I would like to see. Doesnt need to be made of metal, simple HDPE would work. Im in MN, so half the year slush, salt, and water gets sprayed up into the rear fender areas. I cant imagine that these heaters are going to last more than a month in that condition. But this item would be great for me ice fishing, or just as a simple "warming house" for the kids when we go sledding.

I have one of those heaters, I use it for ice fishing and it is great for that.

But what @soundman98 is spot on, you have a great product, but a high price for what your showing. Add some more features, some better pictures and you will get more sales. I have your page book marked as I would love to get one before the snow hits.

 

These are all really great suggestions. I'll be taking photo's in the next couple days and adding them to the website. I'll be sure to link something or post something here as well!
Thanks again

 

You can use these on the fuel line, but I also found a through tank male hose fitting at NAPA that I used on my 1 gallon fuel can by drilling a hole in the cap and attaching the through fitting to it. On the reverse side is a short hose that reaches to the bottom of the can as a fuel uptake. You have to vent the can when using it so slightly loosen the cap to do that.

Fuel Gas Line Quick Connect Disconnect 5/16" Motorcycle Atv Dual Shut Off Black https://a.co/d/497Dv0B

 

I was just looking at boat fuel fittings and another item that would be useful is a fuel line with a priming bulb pump on it like this- both ends have self closing quick connects- one for the tank side the other for the engine. You could easily mod these with the right male fittings for a diesel heater and could even use a standard boat fuel tank with the connector built in - the smallest ones I’ve seen are 3 gallons though- that’s weeks of run time on a heater!

 

I think those fuel lines are going to be way too big, and the primer bulb is not needed as these heaters will self prime since they have a fuel pump.
Just get a semi rigid line (white line) as it wont collapse when the fuel pump is trying to suck fuel through it.

 

Thats genius. I kicked the quick-disconnect idea around in my head last year when I was building my new setup. But didn't find any decent fittings so gave up on it as it was a 'nice to have' not a necessity. But the outboard fittings are perfect

 

The heater pump takes forever to self-prime when there’s air in the line, and when you disconnect the line it leaks the fuel and air gets in. Having self- sealing fittings on it works very well on my setup.

 

Yeah, mine takes some time to prime when there is air in the line. But mine is a all in one unit so I never have to take off the fuel tank.

If I put one in the tacoma, the fuel tank will be mounted right above the unit inside the quarter panel.

 

The

A gravity setup works well. I used to put my tank up high and the heater on the ground- I mounted it inside a HF metal toolbox.

 

Right now I have a "side by side" setup. Fuel tank is mounted right next to the heater. But its a portable for ice fishing.

I will be buying a whole new unit for the truck, and probably another unit for my other ice shack

 

That the Vevor unit?

 

Yep, vevor 5k. If you buy one, get it from vevors website and not Amazon. Its cheaper, they have coupons, and still has free shipping.

 

Nice. Been considering that or the vertical style one...

 

I looked at both the short one and the tall ones, the tall was nice because it fit better in my ice fishing sleds, but it was too easy to tip over. So I got the short wide one, takes up a little more space, but I dont have to worry about fuel spills as its much harder to tip.