I use the front left corner for storage and now, the heater. But it's seasonal and all removable because in the summer, I have two motorcycle chocks in the front. This gives me many options. I can carry one or two dirtbikes in the front and an ATV in the back. Or two ATVs in a row. Chocks work for MTB as well. The in-floor channels and low wall channels (wall channels are an option) are great for mounting superclamp mounts, chocks, tie down rings, etc. and move them as needed seasonally.
For sled superclamps, I have two hooks spaced a few inches apart. That way, when a sled is loaded, odds are that one of the two can be used without playing the "3 inches further" or "three inches back" game. Ha. I use the channel tie downs for running large ratchet tie down straps over the ATV tires. I've found strapping down and ATV by the tires/wheels works much better than by the tow hitch, frame or racks which require compressing the suspension. True that on the 7x16 trailer the floor channels are spaced narrower which only allows one side of the wheels to line up with the channel and be tied down, but if you align it carefully, you can have another on the opposite side or use alternative tie down points on that side (I have an L-track on the other side that was needed for snowbike tie down so I hook to that). I also have two 4' section of L track in the front passenger side of the trailer because for snowbikes, I use the
https://www.bikebinderz.com/ tie down system. Similar to superclamps for sleds, a bit pricey, but just a pleasure to use compared to ties downs to bars/triple clamp, don't put pressure on ski tip nosing it into anything, and very secure.
For heater, I used a cheapo chinese version of the diesel parking heater. It runs off a 12v battery for the glow plug and fan and a little diesel tank. Typically, they are in diesel trucks and use a pickup directly in the trucks/campers fuel tank, but if you have a gas vehicle or are using in trailer, shop, etc. you just use a little fuel tank. Exhaust must be vented outside through the exhaust pipe. Combustion intake is typically also routed to fresh air but trailers have enough venting that my intake is inside. There are expensive name brand versions of this type of heater as well, but I've been running this one without issues so far this season. And in this application, it's not critical if it breaks like it would be if one was using it in a camper/van with sleeping area.
I bought the all inclusive (which just means all the components are mounted in a little cabinet about the size of a computer tower) for about $180. They draw about 10amps of 12v for while the glow plugs are on (for the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes the heater is on), otherwise 2 or 3 amps of 12v for the fan and fuel pump. Mine is 5kW which equates to about 17,000 btu. They make them in 2, 3, 5 and 8 kW.
The little pulsing fuel pump clicks with each pump (1 - 3 times per second) and might annoy some, but I don't care because...warmth. Ha. In camper/van applications, that fuel pump is typically mounted under the vehicle where it won't be heard. It uses so little diesel that I typically start it when at the gas station and let it run the 30 - 45 minutes while driving to the trailhead.
My trailer isn't insulated, so it doesn't really keep up at highway speed, but as soon as I slow down and am driving to the trailhead and pull in and park, it's making ground and blowing full heat. It takes about 10 minutes for it to blow full heat so one could also start it the second you pull into the parking lot or right before, then it would be blowing full heat by the time you parked and unloaded the sleds and started to change. It's best to run them for 30+ minutes at a time to keep them clean. If you do run them for shorter periods, just fire it up every couple weeks and let it run for an hour to clean them out.
Many tips and trips to set them up and things to look for are online (possible change fuel lines to a different material as some come with larger diameter, softer hose rather than the hard vinyl, small diameter that are proper, etc.) but do an internet search for "diesel parking heater" and you'll have a months worth of videos (tests, setup, sources, fuel line, fuel tank, etc.). Besides price, the main reason I went with this is diesel I can get at any gas station and can self server. I dislike going and getting propane filled).
The little 2 gallon fuel tank mine came with I've only filled twice and I have a lot of hours on it so far this season. I'd guess it burns 1/4 gallon in 45 minutes on high (you can adjust the pulse tempo of the fuel pump which changes btu output). There are videos out there with tests to measure fuel burn which would give you a better idea than my eyeball estimate. It takes them 5 - 10 minutes to shut down once you click off (glow plug comes back on, fan revs, fuel stops, fan runs until combustion chamber and heat exchanger fins cool a bit, then fan shuts off).
Attached is a picture of an example of an all-in-one. All the components (heater, fuel pump, and fuel tank) are within the cabinet. You drill a hole in the floor for the exhaust pipe to exit (needs clearance and shields as they run 400 - 500 degrees F. ).
The second picture is of the heater itself (turned upside down to show the combustion intake and combustion exhaust). The fan pulls cabin air in one end of the heater and out the other end. So it is truly vented and cabin air is separate from combustion air, so no condensation like ventless propane heat (like buddy heaters, etc.) which I found frustratingly wet.
If I think of it, when we are out riding this weekend, I'll try to click a few pics of my trailer and setup.
Polaris
Klim
509
BCA
