Military Issue Heater/Stove

[Diesel]

You guys might want to check this out

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=490240

Sturdy Heater / Stove burns wood or coal. It'll burn 1/4-ton of fuel in a week with a normal heat output of 35,000 BTUs, and a max. of 45,000 BTUs. The chimney is 4 1/2" in diameter in six 2' sections. Main body is 16 1/2" diam. x 18"h. and weighs in at 80 lbs.

Stored in cosmoline. Be sure to clean with a commercial de-greaser before using. Note: Stove base gets extremely hot... do not place directly on canvas, wood or other flammable surfaces. Condition: brand new, never issued. May have some rust from long-term storage.

[kenno]

I used one of these in the Army, it had an adapter that hooked-up to a 5 gallon Jerry can full of diesel fuel, not the most plesant aroma but it worked. In general I think this is a good item, it could use a damper on the ash door and top loaders seem to smoke alot when you load in the wood. Putting sand in the bottom protecs it from burn-out.

[Diesel]

awesome, just the kind of feedback i was hoping for, anything else you can recall? How the heck did u burn diesel fuel in that, how does that work

[kenno]

There was a diesel adaptor kit that screwed into the opening on the jerry can with
1/8th-3/16th fuel hose metal fuel line in the can as well as a small vent pipe. The line ran to the back of the stove with a rubber section in between to flex as needed. I think there was a petcock valve controling fuel flow which was essentialy a syphon operation, there was no pump, we might have elevated the jerry can.
The fuel flowed through the metal fuel-line into the stove where it dripped onto a elevated burner plate maybe 4-8 inches diameter, maybe larger. Using the ash door for access the plate was heated with burning paper/cardboard/wood to a point where the dripping deisel would combust on impact. When this occured it sounded like a V-1 Buzz Bomb, it was very loud. The stove heated a 12 man tent to above freezing but the noise and smell were not the stuff of dreams. I was told that there was a coal fire adapter as well but that really stank.

[methusaleh]

I've also seen one used, well actually two units, to heat a GP medium. I don't know what the fuel was, but the lines ran outside the tent to the fuel sources.

I also saw a waste-oil burner insert for these once, I think at a friend's cabin, it was like a double-boiler looking insert that he explained to me...I would have to ask him again for info...I tend to always have waste oil on hand...

[GOVT1911]

I've used the "potbelly stoves" for years in the Army. I like them, but prefer the smaller, square "Yukon" stoves. Both can burn wood or coal (using an adapter grate) or diesel/gasoline. Gasoline is not safe at all and diesel is preferred, but we used to run a 70/30 mix of D/G and they would get cherry red and have no problem heating a GP Meduim tent (about 18x40'??) to comfortable temps when it was 0 outside.

To burn liquid fuel, there is an adapter that threads into US Mil fuel cans and has 2 rubber fuel lines with brass fittings. One line runs from the inverted and elevated can to the "carb", which is just a valve that controls gravity fed fuel to the burner. The burner is just a dinnerplate size "donut" with small holes in the top. (kinda looks like one of those donut shaped lawn sprinklers). To light the stove, you dump about 1/4 cup diesel into the bottom and turn the carb up to the "light" setting. Light a piece of paper/cardboard and drop it in. The burning paper will get the stove drafting right and heat up the fuel enough to start the burner going. The other line is just a vent line that runs from the carb outside the tent to "vent" any excess fuel.

At full bore, they can sound like a jet engine, but when turned down they're not loud at all. Simple maintence as it's all just stamped sheet metal except for the carb, and that's pretty simple to fix if need be.

Hope this helps....

[voodoo]

Those are the exact stoves I have for my earthbag buildings. They do put out plenty of heat. Have not tried coal, just wood. There is a diesal/kerosene adapter available as well. Good item for the price. Find them on Gunbroker and Ebay from time to time a little cheaper than Sportsmans.