Has anyone here installed a diesel heater for their truck bed topper?

[JakeInVegas]

My hunting rig is a 2001 Dodge Ram with a 24 valve Cummins turbodiesel. Her name is Bertha. She has an 8' bed with an ARE truck bed topper. I have a king sized memory foam mattress in the back. This is our basecamp. We park at the trailhead on the border of wilderness areas and then hike in to hunt each day. I have been using a Mr. Buddy heater to warm up the sleeping area before bed and then turn it off. In really cold weather I find myself waking up several times each night to fire up the heater and warm up the sleeping area and then I go back to bed. Of course the kids sleep through the whole night. The propane heater causes a lot of condensation and is a potential fire and carbon monoxide hazard.

I have been considering installing a diesel heater with a thermostat that would operate off my main fuel tank and keep things above freezing all night long without someone (me) having to wake up several times each night. Does anyone here have any experience with this type of heater and if so was it a worthwhile investment of time and money? I have been considering a 2kw version and mounting it under a sleeping platform in the back of the truck. Something like the pictures below.

 

[skyler_2010]

The webasto brand heaters are amazing. We use them in the sleepers of the semi trucks and have had amazing luck with them! And are super easy to install

 

[JakeInVegas]

The webasto brand heaters are amazing. We use them in the sleepers of the semi trucks and have had amazing luck with them! And are super easy to install

Any problems with them at altitude? We typically park at 6-7k feet of elevation and I've noticed that the Mr. Buddy starts to struggle if we park higher than that.

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[rayporter]

i have one setting here to install in my horse trailer. it does look easy enough but i have to make a tank for the diesel because the trailer has only gasoline and propane. it the mud was not so bad i would have already installed it.

 

[skyler_2010]

I hadn't heard anything. They do have an internal fan for the intake air so I'm sure it just ramps that up if it's needed

 

[JakeInVegas]

i have one setting here to install in my horse trailer. it does look easy enough but i have to make a tank for the diesel because the trailer has only gasoline and propane. it the mud was not so bad i would have already installed it.

From what I have read. If you are using an external tank and operating at higher altitude you may be better served by using kerosene. It burns cleaner than diesel and will cause less caking/soot build up in the burn chamber.

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[fmyth]

I hadn't heard anything. They do have an internal fan for the intake air so I'm sure it just ramps that up if it's needed

Most have an adjustment for altitude in the menu that basically reduces the fuel flow to adjust for the lower oxygen levels at altitude. There are a few FB groups dedicated to Chinese diesel air heaters, their operation and installation.

 

[come2elmo]

These things are all over YouTube by all accounts most people like them and have gotten pretty creative installing them. Once you figure out how to change the default language setting on the control panel from traditional Chinese...

 

[JakeInVegas]

These things are all over YouTube by all accounts most people like them and have gotten pretty creative installing them. Once you figure out how to change the default language setting on the control panel from traditional Chinese...

My father in law is a Chinese electrical engineer so it looks like this project is a go.

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[rayporter]

i plan on a 2 gallon tank so it will be easy to add k-1.