Does any driver out there recall when night-heaters were first introduced ?
At what date were they fitted as standard equipment to vehicles ?
When were they made compulsory (are they ?) in “sleeper cabs” ?
When I started on European work very few vehicles had night-heaters (no Brits I can think of) and I purchased my first night heater which was a Therm’x 66A catalystic heater in approx early 1970’s !! Anyone recall these great little heaters ■■
Hi,
First night heater I got was an Eberspacher, this was in a 1980 6wheeler Reiver tipper with a locomotors sleeper cab ! At the time they were not very common.
I still ain’t got one, well except for the big yellow 15litre one under the bonnet, asked the boss about one & he said they weren’t cost effective 
i hope you run the engine and heater all night mercman, then he’ll see whats cost effective as he’s lying in his warm bed. i wouldn’t put up with that. 
I turn the thing off once a day to check my oil & coolant & that’s it, I’m always nice n toasty 
newmercman:
I turn the thing off once a day to check my oil & coolant & that’s it, I’m always nice n toasty
is that the norm in canada and us
In Canada & the Northern States it is, it gets too cold in the winter to turn the thing off, some trucks have night heaters & an engine block heater but even those are no good when it gets below -20c, the batteries can’t take it.
Fuel has been so cheap over there until recently that nobody cared about it, it’s the same in the summer, everyone runs the truck with the A/C on to keep cool, you should hear the noise in a truckstop at night.
Big Leggy:
Does any driver out there recall when night-heaters were first introduced ?
At what date were they fitted as standard equipment to vehicles ?
When were they made compulsory (are they ?) in “sleeper cabs” ?When I started on European work very few vehicles had night-heaters (no Brits I can think of) and I purchased my first night heater which was a Therm’x 66A catalystic heater in approx early 1970’s !! Anyone recall these great little heaters ■■
I did Sweden with a bubble cab F.86 with no night heater, it’s amazing how soothing an 86 engine is on tickover all night, when we got M.A.Ns they had those catalystic heaters, Dartford Tunnel didn’t like it because we had the gas bottles mounted on the back of the cab, a couple of lads were made to wait and go through with the haz convoy, the other thing that weren’t so great about them was the condensation, at -20 they barely took the chill off and curtains froze to the windows…it’s amazing how soothing an MAN engine is on tickover all night 
Err,what’s a night heater?
It’s ok,I’m going…
Chris Webb:
Err,what’s a night heater?They come in different colours, most of mine have been blonde.
altitude:
Chris Webb:
Err,what’s a night heater?They come in different colours, most of mine have been blonde.
Never mind the colour of their hair.As long as they are big and cuddly is the most important factor.Regards Charlie.
Trev_H:
Hi,
First night heater I got was an Eberspacher, this was in a 1980 6wheeler Reiver tipper with a locomotors sleeper cab ! At the time they were not very common.
Hiya Trev we started putting night heaters in the 8LXB ERF C series sleepers as they were big frozen buggers !! then all the Scany’s and the odd volvos /mercs & Renaults came with them fitted !!I can also remember we had some LWB 81s that had night heaters in . Scania stopped fitting Eberspatcher and fitted the heater behind the bumper N/S and they were crap !! very vulnerable to damage ! then they reverted to back in the cab if I remember ! Cheers Bewick.
Therm’x 66A catalystic heater in approx early 1970’s !! Anyone recall these great little heaters ■■
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Were they the portable ones,bout the size of a shoe box that ran on a kind of meths ?
Had one in the early 80s .
H+S wouldnt allow them nowadays 
hey chris, they have long legs and ■■■■■■■■ and make you feel warm and safe and cuddly. but if the night heaters husband finds out youve got one in your cab…your fukced .in more ways than one 
When working for Collinson Bros( Chopwell) got a new F7 1981 & had night heater fitted couple months later then all the fleet were done. There weren`t many in the North East That had them & remember drivers saying we must have a good gaffer but I think we got them instead of a payrise 
I had one of those catalytic heaters and,as mentioned,they created an awful lot of condensation,needed windscreen wipers on the inside! But they kept the cab nice and warm,trouble was,with no way of regulating the heat,it was either on or off.Hot or cold.
First proper night heater I had was in a Scania 112 on Fred Archer’s in 1982.Scania started fitting them as standard in around 1985 when the blue cab came out.
newmercman:
In Fuel has been so cheap over there until recently that nobody cared about it, it’s the same in the summer, everyone runs the truck with the A/C on to keep cool, you should hear the noise in a truckstop at night.
■■■■ yor carbon footprint 
thats what i say mate …carbon footprint= tax tax tax
i got my thermex heater in france back in 1983 on the n59 the garage at the st marie tunnell put the six batterys in the tube the little funnell to put
the thermexine in the tank
before going to bed put your kettle on top and it would only need a quick go on the gas stove in the morning for youre tea and wash then i used it in my new life
after packing the driving in back in 1992 managed to buy a few boxes of thermex from a company in hemel hempstead called red cat heaters and the heater came back out and kept me warm
when sitting in the car all night doing security and prepping streets for film shoots i just wonder though was them fumes healthy
and just last week i fitted a eberspacher in my land cruiser to cut down the cost of idling engine to keep warm
charlie one:
altitude:
Chris Webb:
Err,what’s a night heater?They come in different colours, most of mine have been blonde.
Never mind the colour of their hair.As long as they are big and cuddly is the most important factor.Regards Charlie.
Your right there Charlie