Honest opinions on heat

[Snort]

Hi guys,

We are looking at upgrading our sled trailer. We currently are running a Wells Cargo Deck over that has spray foamed ceiling and walls but no heater. It has worked good up to this point but someone seems to have shrunk it on us when we weren't looking. It was a 4 place but now is better suited as a 3 place.

I think that we have decided on a combo trailer so that we can have heavier axles and lower deck height while still getting a higher ceiling height.

The biggest question at this point is heat or no heat? We are not the sit in the parking lot and drink beer all evening types so we don't need the kicking stereo, big screen tv and couches. Just something to haul the toys around in a comfortable manner.

If we get a trailer with the forced air furnace at the front with no ducting, are we going to come out in the morning to the sleds melted off but any gear left in the trailer soaking wet? Does a person need the ducting with all of the tubes to accommodate helmets, gloves, boots, etc? Do we continue as we are with taking all of our gear into the hotel and just give up on the whole heat scenario?

I have never traveled with someone that has had heat so looking for first hand info from those that have.

After all of that, does anyone know of any trailers for sale that may fit the bill?

 

[catman1]

My trailer doesn't have it , wish i had it for those real cold days. It does add a whole new level of problems though , killing batteries , killing truck batteries , wiring issues , furnace issues , freeze/thaw issues . Do have to use it sparingly. My good buddy has the full load set up , it is nice in the mornings when you pull into the staging area and all the ice is melted off the sleds. So many times in my non heated trailer have to pick up the ass ends of the sleds and slam them down to bust off the ice. Depends on your budjet.

 

[Bnorth]

Why don't more guys run the espar/webasto/pro heat style heaters?

 

[Summitric]

I've run the little mr.buddy portable propane heaters in my sled trailers for years... They work pretty good, to at least take the chill off... Run 2 of them and really make it nice inside. Might be a cheap option for you.
Got mine at princess auto for a little over $100. Can get the adaptors to run a 20lb propane tank(or bigger) too, rather than the little green propane bottles

 

[scully]

I have had 3 enclosed trailers, my current is all aluminum heated and would not go back to steel or no heat. Weather your heating the trailer to get dressed or thawing out sleds, there is lots of different tricks to evacuate the water and humidity. We dry all our gear in the trailer,gloves, helmets,boots,bibs, and jackets. If you plan on heating it all nite be sure to get a 30-35,000btu furnace and make sure the trailer is insulated, including the floor.

 

[52weekbreak]

Well I am sure there are a number of good sponsors for this site that would love to sell you their top of the line trailer. I am a fan of aluminum for weight purposes and resistance to rust but this does add a significant cost. It sounds like you are looking to move to a full insulated with the F/A furnace to me. From there it depends on your budget. Suggest you start here: Legend Trailers | The Best, Most Durable and Affordable Aluminum Trailers

 

[TylerG]

Well I am sure there are a number of good sponsors for this site that would love to sell you their top of the line trailer. I am a fan of aluminum for weight purposes and resistance to rust but this does add a significant cost. It sounds like you are looking to move to a full insulated with the F/A furnace to me. From there it depends on your budget. Suggest you start here: Legend Trailers | The Best, Most Durable and Affordable Aluminum Trailers

If you're going to look at a Legend Trailer I suggest contacting Ron with Paradis Motorsports

 

[Puba]

If you're going to look at a Legend Trailer I suggest contacting Ron with Paradis Motorsports

X2

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[52weekbreak]

Sh*t! Thought I had done that.

X2

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[iceman5689]

I run both propane 40k BTU in my 28' mirage along with electrical plug in heaters while hooked up at hotel. Does the trick, but insulating the floor would really help. This is where most of the heat loss occurs. Haven't got around to spray the belly but was quoted $750-950 to have it done. As for draining batteries, I have progressive dynamics 9100 inteli-power charger to keep battery up.

 

[tbaysledder]

I have a 45000 btu heater in my trailer and it comes in extreamly handy have added some ducting it definetly helps to dry some of the gear i hooked it up to run off of a generator or batteries its nice to not have to wear your gear in the truck on the way to the hill or on the way back you dont have to drink a case in there but it is nice to have one where its warm

 

[-lenny-]

Heat is one of those things; You don't miss it until you don't have it. I would not be without it. My enclosed has a 40k Suburban and no issues.

 

[174mcx]

I've had a couple trailers and to me heat is worth it for sure, I dry all my gear in the trailer as well, so no lugging the gear bag into a hotel and spreading it all over to dry. In fact I havent used my gear bag for years, everything stays in the trailer hanging up year around. My first trailer I just put a 110v overhead furnace in from princess auto, I think it was a mr.heater and about 100 000btu. It worked amazing, you need to plug in or run a generator but it got hot in there! like the floor was dry type hot. My current trailer has 40k 12v furnace, ducting as well as insulated but in all reality the $400 overhead furnace was better at drying stuff in that old trailer.

 

[Snort]

Thanks for the input everybody. Due to our budget i think that we will be looking at buying a used trailer that someone else has already set up so it comes down to finding the one that gives us the best bang for our buck.

 

[TylerG]

when we go with our friends and their enclosed he packs an old square floor fan that we put in the v of the trailer and let run along with the furnace all night, having that extra air movement really helps to make sure everything is dry. The downside to this is when you park at the hotel you need to be close to an outdoor plug in, or carry a generator and lock it down tight in the box of your pickup.

 

[vodoo103]

I had heat in my first enclosed, no heat in the second and now back to a basic forced air furnace in my current enclosed. Really missed the heat when I didn't have it anymore. No ducting in my trailer & we don't worry about leaving our stuff in the trailer overnight to dry out. Basic heat is enough to enjoy while changing, relaxing after a ride or fixing sleds. For the price of the larger furnace, ducting, floor insulation and the hassle of dragging cords around to plug in overnight, happy to keep carrying a bag of gear & a drying rack into my motel room.

A few horror stories out there about trailers getting unplugged overnight and the guys waking up to wet and frozen clothes in the trailer.

 

[Snort]

Voodoo

That whole coming out to wet clothes scenario scares me quite a bit. It would take a while before I would feel confident doing it.

 

[vodoo103]

Voodoo

That whole coming out to wet clothes scenario scares me quite a bit. It would take a while before I would feel confident doing it.

Same here. Could ruin a good day really fast. Now if I had a generator built into the trailer, that would be a different story.
We also use a sled deck lots, so dragging a gear bag up to the room is just part of the routine.