Author Topic: Golf cart heater  (Read 1331 times)

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Golf cart heater
« on: December 25, 2017, 02:56:02 AM »
    I recently posted my experience with a soft side cab enclosure for my 450i, it certainly is better for plowing snow!!  I also tried an item by a company called "Mr Heater" they make a variety of small propane heaters. Been thinking of adding a heater to my UTV but from what I have read, they can take awhile to get warm. I wanted something faster so my research led me to this small propane heater used for enclosed golf carts. It would normally sit in a cup holder on the dash of most golf carts, but of course I would need to make a secure base to hold this unit on the floor. It is fairly tall and skinny so it will tip easily so I made a base from a coffee can full of cement that I used for a portable canopy, it is heavy enough to keep it from tipping and keeps it in its place. This afternoon we received around 3-4" of snow so I had the opportunity to try this heater out. It is self lighting with a pizzo ignition system and puts out a non adjustable 4000 btu of heat. Best of all it runs 5 hrs plus on a 16.4 oz propane tank and it takes me about 45 min to clean my 300 ft drive and parking area so it will be fairly cheap to operate. With the Pacific Eagle enclosure I have installed it works great!  Within 5-10 minutes it is warm enough to remove gloves and stocking hat and is so much more comfortable not having ice cold wind blowing in your face.  Very pleased so far with this little heater, it does have an oxygen depletion safety and a tip shut off safety feature so with the small areas gapped open by the soft enclosure no worrys for getting gased out, in fact it burns extremely clean. I hate the smell of propane even while burning and I can smell nothing with this little heater going. If your looking for a little heat in your cab enclosure look into this little dynamo, mine works great.

CROSSBOLT

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7705
  • West Tennessee, USA
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #1 on: December 25, 2017, 02:37:39 PM »
Great report! I wanna see pictures!

Karl
Karl

Three motorcycles 1960-1977 (restored a 1955 BSA)
Agility 50
Yager 200i
Downtown 300i
Navy tech, Ships Engineer, pilot and aircraft mechanic

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2018, 09:51:09 PM »
    Ok finally got around to getting some pics of the golf cart heater I added to my machine. Now keep in mind the mount I made was a simple and quick way for me to get plowing. Looking at what I already had led me to the cement filled coffee cans I have already made for my portable shelter. The weights help keep it in place when the wind is blowing. I simply used one of the coffee cans and added a plywood top with a hole the size of the propane tank and this top bolted to the bolt sticking from the bottom of the coffee can. It just needs some weight or other means of supporting that small diameter propane cylinder so it doesn't tip over. The cup holder fixture it comes with is fairly useless so you will need to fabricate your own mounting system. With the weight of the coffee can it does not move, it just sits on the floor and the heater/propane tank can rotate in place to aim the heat where needed. I sit it on the passenger side aimed at my feet but the majority of the heat moves up, which helps keep the windshield clear of frost and ice. Your not gonna want to plow in your underware but it does a nice job of taking the extreme chill away. I normally find myself plowing without my gloves and find I need to remove my stocking hat as it gets to warm with them on. Nice part is it runs 5hrs+ on one tank of propane and I can refill the tanks myself for less then a buck each....hope the pics come out OK

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2018, 09:52:10 PM »
    Once again have to add pics one at a time

CROSSBOLT

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7705
  • West Tennessee, USA
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2018, 10:03:38 PM »
Hey! That's like the cat heaters we used on the boat! Nice adaptation with the concrete coffee cans and plywood!

Karl
Karl

Three motorcycles 1960-1977 (restored a 1955 BSA)
Agility 50
Yager 200i
Downtown 300i
Navy tech, Ships Engineer, pilot and aircraft mechanic

GillesR

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 6
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2018, 12:02:38 PM »
I built a wooden enclosure for the heater , it can be fastened with the seatbelt to keep it secured.
I installed a computer fan on top with Velcro and now the heat goes all over, the power comes from the 12 volt plugin ,thaws out windows quickly. Definitely a great heater, make sure to get the models for golf carts any other will keep going out when moving.
Cheers
Gilles   8)
« Last Edit: January 10, 2018, 12:05:02 PM by GillesR »

GillesR

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 6
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2018, 12:08:59 PM »
Ps. Is refilling the 1 lb tanks worth it, do they only fill half or close to full, what equipment are you using, I would greatly appreciate some help on this.
Thanks.

jew8201

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2018, 08:47:32 PM »
Not a bad idea looks good. But I can’t imagine needing a heater in one with an enclosed cab. I would of thought with proper attire on an the cab enclosed the heat from the engine would do just fine. I think they’re fairly warm in the summer but tolerable.

Airshot do you have Kurt’s off-road body armor doors? Couldn’t remember if you do or not. Was just curious if you did if they have to come off with the soft cab?

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2018, 01:08:36 AM »
Ps. Is refilling the 1 lb tanks worth it, do they only fill half or close to full, what equipment are you using, I would greatly appreciate some help on this.
Thanks.

I got an adapter at Walmart in the camping section, it connects to a 20 lb bottle off a grill. You then attach the small 16 oz bottle the turn the big tank over so the liquid comes out into the small tank. There is a good youtube vid that explains the easy way to fill these. You need to position the pressure valve at 10 or 2 o'clock so you get an 80% fill. You release the excess pressure with the relief valve until you get the desired fill. New tanks are almost 4 bucks around here but I can refill one for less than one dollar, I do about 6 at a time and keep them on hand.  Word of caution is be very carefull and do this outside, never inside!!

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2018, 01:23:37 AM »
Not a bad idea looks good. But I can’t imagine needing a heater in one with an enclosed cab. I would of thought with proper attire on an the cab enclosed the heat from the engine would do just fine. I think they’re fairly warm in the summer but tolerable.

Airshot do you have Kurt’s off-road body armor doors? Couldn’t remember if you do or not. Was just curious if you did if they have to come off with the soft cab?

Winter around here can get quite cold it was -10 the other day when I plowed. The soft enclosures are not airtite by any means, there are plenty of places where cold air can get in when your moving. Areas around the tilt steering column allow lots of cold air in when your moving so the engine temp has very little effect inside the cab with the enclosure on. When plowing your not moving fast and the engine temps on these machines are very low in the winter. Ask those that install engine coolant heaters on their machines, very little actual heat unless your moving at a good clip and the electric heaters produce little heat for the amount of battery power they consume.  No I don't have Kurts doors, but they would need to be removed if you installed a soft enclosure.  I use my machine a lot in the winter and needed a way to keep me from freezing, it took me longer to get dressed for the cold than the job would take to complete sometimes. The soft enclosure is a lot of work on the initial install, but after that removal and replacement is quite easy. That little propane heater is just enough to take the chill off, great place to warm up your hands, instant heat, and cheap and simple to operate. Your not gonna plow snow in your underware but warms it up enough to be comfortable and keeps that cold blast of air from giving you frostbite if your running at any speed. I used to wear a snowmobile suit and helmet when plowing, but now just a heavy jacket is all I need.

jew8201

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2018, 04:20:55 AM »
That’s all that matter then. I am glad you’re able to stay warm. I wish the Kymco had more cab options though. A poly enclosure would be nice. I’m not a fan of the hard enclosure from Kymco. Though I’m sure it works well. All in all nice setup airshot. I’ve really been eyeing these new 2018 model UXV’s. Love the hunter and prime additions.

airshot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1164
    • View Profile
Re: Golf cart heater
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2018, 04:52:55 PM »
    Those hard side enclosures are really expensive !!  Then you have to remove them in the nice weather or they get to warm inside. For the difference in cost between a soft and a hard enclosure I can afford to go to a lot more riding places.
Besides the soft sides I can install and remove by myself, where as the hard sides add a lot of weight to your machine and can be a real chore to remove and install. Now that initial install is complete, I can probably remove or install the enclosure in 30 minutes or less.  Heck I even go for a ride now in the cold, don't have that bone chilling cold slapping you in the kisser, nor do I have to dress up like the abominable snowman!!

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function split()