Yeah, we like it so far. Starts up without issue and works well at altitude we’ve found. Not a huge fan of the connectors used for both the power and controller, so have been debating about swapping those out for something else. I did install APP connectors instead of the ring connectors it came with.
Thats what im doing too. Just need a few more pieces. And im going to put it on a tire step
Test fitting here. Ive made a little more progress, but not much
I found after the first year of using the heater with the exhaust connection inside the same case; I couldn’t stand that initial start up smell. It would leak exhaust no matter what I did, then get pulled in by the fan. It’s fine once it’s going, but just make sure that connection to the heater is bombproof.
I ended up installing the heater on its side so I could pipe the exhaust out the side. You can mount the Chinese ones on their side as long as the fuel inlet is on the top.
So in that configuration, i think the fuel inlet is on the bottom?
I already drilled the hole for the air inlet, so hopefully i dont have to redo
Moved mine into an Amazon aluminum truck box. Works great so far and I just keep it on a hitch mounted cargo rack. Can still open the tailgate. I have a 3" blast gate getting delivered tomorrow. Thinking I’m gonna take the plunge and drill a hole in the GFC side door instead of through the truck bed.
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Similar to my set up, dig it. The thing I like about this is that you can store the hose inside the case. May take a little jiggery pokery in your case, but you be able to pull that off.
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I built mine out of a Harbor Freight 4800 case using an Amazon 5kw air heater kit. I bolted the included 10l diesel tank to the side of the case so it stores/carries similiar to a jerry can. It puts out amazing heat, keeps the camper cozy and I was able to run it nonstop for 3 nights off an 100ah lifepo4 battery bank.
I think my total cost was around $200. I didn’t use the included muffler because they are junk and not really necessary. Bought a boat hull style exhaust fitting so it is flush on the side of the case. I also bought better fuel lines and hose clamps since the ones in the Amazon kit are trash.
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@badger.ridge that looks great. I have the same case, but I haven’t sifted through all the heater options available. Would you share more info, photos, or links for your heater build?
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I purchased this heater from amazon. I think the 5kw is the ideal size for the GFC where it is strong enough to warm the entire space but not run on low constantly which is bad for these diesel air heaters.
Below are some pics of how I mounted it in the case. The exhaust fitting is a boat style one that lets it be flush against the case making it a lot more portable. It also comes with gaskets to prevent the case around it from melting. An excellent design.
Still need to get the remote paired with the controller box so I have one less set of cables to run into the camper every night.
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Nice! Did you make the plate/bracket at the bottom of the case? It looks like it holds everything together.
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The black bracket was just scavenged from a scrap pile. Not sure where it came from originally.
Had to drill a bunch of holts and cut it to fit with an angle grinder. Crude, but it works. The main heater housing is rather heavy so the bracket had to be fairly durable.
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Ok, one more plea. Anyone who has drilled into a the BED of a Tundra for a 3" hot air in. Where? I have my blast gate. Supposed to leave this evening for a hunting trip. Just can’t bare to drill into the GFC side door and want the heat coming in down lower in the bed anyway.
I think some guys have done it in the storage cubby if yours has it. Check out my heater build, that’s the simplest way to do it, all it takes is 1/2” sheet of ply, a hinge if you want a door and a hole saw. Essentially, you build a false tailgate, it works great!
That looks like a viable option @Dignon. I’m thinking of ways to minimize the setup time specifically if its’s dumping snow in a ski area parking lot at 10pm on a strike mission. I have a 2012 Tundra so no storage cubby I don’t believe. Next warmish day I may crawl under the truck and see if there is any place that makes sense to drill through the bed.
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And this is why I went with the port out the bed of the truck for exhaust and fresh air… that said lots of people don’t like that idea but I have had no issues and all I have to do is plug in and turn on…
If I never needed an empty truck bed and could have mine setup for camping full time I would set mine up like that.
Oh mine comes out I need the bed quite often… scroll way up and my setup is there.
Ok sweet. So you used a marine style pass through? Link to that? The exhaust pipe under the truck bed is just permanently mounted there and then you have an additional one from the heater to the pass through?
Yup, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09H2RY6BT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Added another just for air intake as well.
It’s kinda fiddly getting the ports lined up but not bad then I strap it down so it doesn’t move and I am good to go. If I am alone I just leave a square out so the hot air travels up. Otherwise I use my passthroughs I made
Hey all. Like many of you I was looking for a way to bring the hot air from down below into the bedding area. Here is what I came up with.
I added two of these to the camper, its’ built in the overhanging panel. Each one uses two 4 inch ducting pieces and a 92mm fan.
To install this I cut a hole through the panel and through all of the mattress pieces and sheets. I connected the two ducting pieces using rods; acorn nuts at the top and regular nylocs on the bottom. The fans are connected to a switch. This works great highly recommend it to anyone trying to do the same! My heater runs on the second lowest setting down below and brings 90 degree heat up into the bedding area. My coldest night was 10 degrees and it was 70 in the bedding area.
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