Diesel Heater Ducting & Power through 2017 Bed Cubby Holes?

I have been searching the forum but haven't been able to find an example. I really want to get a diesel heater for winter camping but the issue I have is with my bed, topper and tent. Once you close the tailgate, there are no openings where I could route a duct exhaust or power, unless I completely opened one of the windows (not partially zipped). My tent windows actually don't open and they're mesh, so that's not an option.

The only idea that I had to make a diesel heater work would be if I created one of those outdoor setups where I could mount it in a box so that way the exhaust and the diesel heater would be outside. To get the duct and the power on the inside, I am wondering if anyone has used either of the cubby holes on the driver side or passenger side, if they would be big enough or if I could drill a hole in them. I really don't want to drill a hole in my bed.

The option I was looking at was getting the Olympian wave 3 catalytic heater which I'm not opposed to if I get a gas and CO detector. However, I'm going to have limited space to have a propane tank in the back.

I also have a Max airflow fan but I don't think there would be any way to route a duct through it.

 

Don’t put an unvented heater in your camper! You’ll die if the carbon monoxide detector doesn’t work and the heater keeps going. Use a vented forced air heater like those diesel heaters instead. Also, burning propane produces other chemicals you will be breathing plus a lot of water, so the inside of your camper will be wet by morning.

You can temporarily remove the cubby door frame and remove the interior cubby box from inside the fender. Then make a plate to cover the hole and put a dryer vent hose flange on it to hold a heater vent hose routed in from outside of the truck. You will need a plate if you take out the box as the opening will let mud and dirt into the bed without it. Also consider getting an all-in-one heater that includes the heater and fuel tank in one unit. I would put that on the ground and route the heater into the camper through the cubby.

You really don’t want the heater unit inside the cab with you- it’s loud and the exhaust pipe gets hot and comes out of the bottom of the box so you can’t lay it down on anything that’ll melt, plus you will have to deal with venting it to the outside. Putting the heater outside on the ground is best then you can put a copper 45 elbow fitting (1/2” I think) on the exhaust outlet to route it out the side from underneath the heater box.

I don’t like how the exhaust comes out the bottom, and want to see if I can modify it to go to the side, but it works fine enough with the elbow and laying the unit on dirt without anything flammable underneath it.

 

I did this works great


Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

 

Looks like a nice camper, but why did the TW mods close the thread? Also, is Vagabond still open? Looks like build time is “longer than expected “…

 

You nailed it! This is exactly what I am going to do! Thank you for the idea, this seems like the easiest way for sure.

 

Bit expensive, but this is what you want.

https://www.tiglifabrications.com/

 

Thank you! This was the exact one that I was looking at. Unfortunately I think my set up will work better on the drivers side and I think that is the one that is sold out. I will have to keep checking back or maybe I can message him. I saw his videos, his set up is great. I won't be doing the in bed install of the fuel tank or wiring, going to keep it simple and just use the bracket for a duct hose instead and do an outside of the truck diesel heater in a box setup instead.

 

I put one in the bed, its kind of a pain in the ass. Ill be ordering one of his mounts soon enough though.

 

What camper is that ? Link

 

https://www.tuneoutdoor.com/

 

Made my mount from a street sign. It works, but it sits in the way of stuff in the bed.

 

The diesel heaters I install at work have an external exhaust and intake. The heater mounts to a panel of your choice. There are nipples that will go through this panel that the exhaust, intake, and fuel hook up to. The exhaust tubing is a 1" metal flex pipe, it even has a little muffler. Airtronic is one brand. It heats up a heatsink and passes air over that to heat up a space. There are others that have heat exchangers built into them. These are nice if you want to heat water or preheat an engine for easier starts in cold conditions. That said, i cant recall the brand of that one of the top of my head.

 

Man i love that M1 camper, i have a gfc but this has me wanting more

 

Thanks! I really like it alot, having the short bed it really maximizes the space because it flares out instead of in.

 

Im thinking of selling my gfc and buying a full pop up, i like the FWC project M but when i saw runnin4tacos video on the M1 i was a little envious, this thing is nice.