Packing Heat

Introduced last year, the ProHeat I.C.E. Gen2 auxiliary power unit from Teleflex Canada of Richmond, B.C., is a small, diesel-engine driven generator that provides 110v AC power for the air conditioner, heater, and on-board appliances, and 40-amp DC to keep the truck’s batteries charged. The unit has a two-cycle, 13.9-hp Kubota diesel engine, weighs about 400 pounds, and needs 19 inches of frame space for installation.

Big-bore diesels aren’t the only engines that need pre-start heat. Webasto’s TSL 17 engine pre-heater is designed for class 3-7 trucks and tractors with engines under nine liters. The diesel-fired unit provides one to two hours of independent pre-heat, eliminating cold starts. Company officials say with 5000 watts compared to the typical 1000 of a plug-in block heater, the system can heat the engine typically in half an hour. Available with a seven-day timer.

Mississauga, Ont.-based Espar Heater Systems makes a range of auxiliary heaters, and has for the past several years marketed separate cab and coolant heaters in a specially priced “combo” package. A typical combo mates Espar’s Hydronic 4 or Hydronic 5 coolant heater with its D1LC or D3LC compact cab heater.

The ZeroStart family of products from Phillips and Temro includes a 22,500-BTU/hour combined engine and cab heater optimized for vocational equipment.

The AUX Power System from Mississauga, Ont.-based Aux Generators is a diesel-fired HVAC system and engine heater that also provides DC power for main battery charging, lights, and accessories (another model, the GENAUX 2000, can provide 110v AC power). It weighs 265 pounds installed.