# Heater in Craftsman garden tractor



## Badgrandpa (Dec 13, 2016)

I have an '08 Craftsman Pro series with a 27 hp
Kohler engine .
I built a cab for it & wonder if I can use some kind of small heater in it. There is a 12v plug on the tractor.
Thankz. 
Rusty

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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I've read a few reviews on the 12 volt car heaters, and they seem to be pretty lame
https://gadgets-reviews.com/review/163-best-portable-car-heaters.html
But I never considered the heated seat cushion. That might be an option for you as well.
A few of the old aftermarket tractor winter cabs are set up to hoard in the engine compartment to hold on to the heat produced by the engine. If you go that route, in addition to your cab you may get some acceptable heat out of one of these car warmers.... just be careful that you don't inadvertently route the engine exhaust into your cab as well.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy Badgrandpa, welcome to the tractor forum.

One problem you may have with an electric heater is that you run the battery down because your charging system cannot keep up with the drainage. If you run it for an hour or two, your battery will no longer start the tractor. You will have to put a charger on it and recharge the battery. I use a 5 gpm electric sprayer pump with my little 18HP Kubota (diesel), and it runs the battery down after a couple of hours. If I'm out in the field, I have to jump/recharge it with my truck. Your 27 HP tractor probably has a bigger charging system. Running the battery down is not big problem, just an inconvenience. 

An alternative you might consider is a propane heater in your cab. I use a Coleman propane heater in my deer blind in cold weather. I know, I'm a 'wuss', but it keeps me fairly warm.


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## Badgrandpa (Dec 13, 2016)

pogobill said:


> I've read a few reviews on the 12 volt car heaters, and they seem to be pretty lame
> https://gadgets-reviews.com/review/163-best-portable-car-heaters.html
> But I never considered the heated seat cushion. That might be an option for you as well.
> A few of the old aftermarket tractor winter cabs are set up to hoard in the engine compartment to hold on to the heat produced by the engine. If you go that route, in addition to your cab you may get some acceptable heat out of one of these car warmers.... just be careful that you don't inadvertently route the engine exhaust into your cab as well.


Thank you for the reply 

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## Badgrandpa (Dec 13, 2016)

sixbales said:


> Howdy Badgrandpa, welcome to the tractor forum.
> 
> One problem you may have with an electric heater is that you run the battery down because your charging system cannot keep up with the drainage. If you run it for an hour or two, your battery will no longer start the tractor. You will have to put a charger on it and recharge the battery. I use a 5 gpm electric sprayer pump with my little 18HP Kubota (diesel), and it runs the battery down after a couple of hours. If I'm out in the field, I have to jump/recharge it with my truck. Your 27 HP tractor probably has a bigger charging system. Running the battery down is not big problem, just an inconvenience.
> 
> An alternative you might consider is a propane heater in your cab. I use a Coleman propane heater in my deer blind in cold weather. I know, I'm a 'wuss', but it keeps me fairly warm.


Guess I'll just be cold  

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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

Try running a 4" vent from the engine area,into the cab,with a small opening at the top,rear, for fresh air.
Unless you have an exhaust leak,you shouldn't get any in the cab.


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

Look up golf cart heater.. they run on small propane cylinders & aren't that expensive compared to being COLD..


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

My cab heater taps into the engine coolant and circulates up to a 2-speed fan and rad on the ceiling in my cab. It puts out some pretty decent heat.


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## RustyAllis (Nov 5, 2017)

they make small personal electric heaters, and you could get one of those 40.00 dollar 300 watt invertors to run it off the battery. as long as the engine is above idle there should be plenty of power to run the invertor......just a thought anyway.


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## Badgrandpa (Dec 13, 2016)

RustyAllis said:


> they make small personal electric heaters, and you could get one of those 40.00 dollar 300 watt invertors to run it off the battery. as long as the engine is above idle there should be plenty of power to run the invertor......just a thought anyway.


Sounds good ty

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## OldBuzzard (Jun 23, 2011)

Actually, you will be surprised at how much difference a cab makes in the winter.

Just keeping the wind off of you makes a huge difference, and if you dress like you normally would without a cab, you might find that you are too warm.


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