Truck Topics
Winning expediter warms up
Art Smith of the Canton, OH-based P.J. Smith Delivery is a happy (and most importantly), warm camper. Art was the winner of the Expediter Pride Truck Beauty Show's "Cargo Van" class, this event being part of the Expedite Expo held in August.
Art's unique, 4-wheel drive Ford E-350 took the top prize of a free Espar Bunk Heater (w/installation) from Espar of Michigan.
Art says that he went with a 4-wheel drive vehicle because his expediting work takes him through many of the snow belt northern states and he enjoys the safety and traction that power to all wheels provides.
The truck is a 2002 model with 75,000 miles on the clock and equipped with a 5.4 Triton gas engine.
His previous truck was also equipped with the same engine and Art has put 400,000, nearly trouble-free miles on it. When it came time to spec the new truck, he knew what power plant he wanted.
Ray Lawrence of Espar of Michigan states, "We're excited to provide this unit to winner Art Smith. These types of products are actually going to save Art a lot of money - he won't use as much fuel and it will reduce the engine wear that comes from idling. He will also be able to comply with the anti-idling regulations that a number of states are bringing out."
The unit itself is an Espar Airtronic 2 fuel-operated bunk heater that provides from 2900 to 7500 BTU/hr. At 12" long and weighing just 6 lbs., it's designed for applications such as Cab and Sleeper heating. This air heater cycles quietly through four automatic heat levels to maintain a desired comfort setting without idling the engine.
The Airtronic 2 is extremely compact, but Art has a home-built bunk mounted crossways in front of a bulkhead, and he says that made it a little harder for Ray and his assistant. The front of the bunk is very close to the driver's seat, but there was enough room to mount the unit between the two and securely fasten it to the floor.
Art arrived at the Espar facilities in Romulus, MI around 8:00 am for the installation. The first order of business was, after bench-assembly of the unit, to run a fuel feed line from the fuel tank, and mount the unit's thermostat on the van wall. Connections to the dual truck batteries were made. (Ray Lawrence says that the heater uses no more electricity than a dome light bulb, so a complete discharge of the batteries is unlikely).
Art says that his installation took a little longer than is typical because of both the position of his bunk and, because of the 4WD setup, the van's gas tank was positioned differently than stock.
Ray Lawrence adds, "We had some challenges with the tank because of its non-EOM position, and that added some time to the installation. Fortunately, we were able to do some modifications and we got everything hooked up."
Ray says that the most common concern of buyers is, 'will I smell the fumes?' He tells us that putting the Airtronic unit in the truck includes installation of both a fresh air intake and exhaust venting through the floor of the van.
"This means that not only is air drawn from the outside and goes directly into the heat exchanger (the Airtronic unit), but the exhaust is vented directly outside as well. This is a totally sealed system that delivers only heated air into the truck's cab."
"Our parent company has been building auxiliary heaters for some 55 years now, so they have a good track record in quality and safety. We've been doing sales and installations of these types of units for 15 years, from cargo vans to tractors, and we have an unblemished safety record as well."
Art says he was curious how hot the outside of the heater became during operation and he says that it was warm, but that he could rest his hand on it without discomfort.
Our cargo van winner says that he didn't have to wait long before putting the heater through its paces: "I used it the next night when I spent the evening in the truck in Detroit and the temperature got down to the mid-30's. I wasn't familiar with the settings on the thermostat, so I put it on halfway."
"I woke up in the middle of the night and the truck was so hot that I had to open a door to cool it off! I adjusted the thermostat to around 25% power and I was comfortable for the rest of the night. It's just like the furnace at home - it kicks on when it needs to and shuts off when it's warm enough."
Art continues, "Funny thing is, when I got up in the morning, the cab was nice and dry, while the cargo area had condensation on it. Forced air is dry heat."
"This was a great prize and I'm grateful that I won. I don't use my air conditioning that often, but I love the heat. Ray and the crew were great people and I want to thank them for this useful gift!"
"I think that van owner-operators have felt for a long time that there just aren't as many no-idle options for them, but this Airtronic unit is just right for that size truck," says Ray Lawrence.
"Another option we have for the cargo vans is our auxiliary battery installations. We install one or two batteries (depending on the application or what the customer wants) in the truck hooked to an isolator relay. This extra reserve will not only power the heater, but all those accessories like a TV/VCR, laptop, inverter, etc. This eliminates any concern about drawing power from the starting battery."
He continues, "An isolated battery system is a very practical arrangement, particularly in the restricted space of a cargo van. It's clean, quiet and every time the truck is on the road, the alternator is recharging the system, so it's economical as well."
"At Espar of Michigan, we're trying to provide cargo vans with some of the comfort and environmental options that we've always offered to the larger truck sizes. There's more out there for the cargo van operator than ever before."
Espar of Michigan
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