If you got a dog in with ya, I think the generator is your best bet, and safest for your health...

 

IIRC F250 has a fleet brochure about idling and how to calculate the hours etc...The IDI will use something like 12oz of fuel an hour,Big rigs do it for hours no reason the IDI cant,It causes more wear shutting off and restarting a motor then anything else.

 

I have the generator and saw where you can insulate it and a tank of gas should do it per night. I think this will be the ticket and the sleeping bag on the not so cold nights. Bruno will have to wear a sweater and live with it. Thanks everyone. You never know what you'll read on this forum ha

 

One question for ya, how do you like RV hauling with an IDI?

Any mods to the truck?

 

I just did about 7000 miles in 10 days. It's straight idi with nothing. The injectors and pump are over 2 years old I got the TPs switch set really nice. I pulled a 27 foot trailer that weighed 4400 pounds and a 24 footer that was probably 35 1 went to Oregon from Indiana the other 1 went to Denver Colorado from Indiana there are definitely some hills in between it blew some black smoke on some of the bigger Hills but it kept chugging with no overheating and used very little oil I had to replace the fuel filter too I'm looking hard for a turbo to put on it and actually found 1 but have not seen it it's in Denver I'm hoping to get a load going back there it's a banks for 50 dollars and I take it off

 

I'd skip the generator and use Bruno as your heater.

 

I have a small Honda 350 watt generator left over from my drag racing days. Little 2 stroke gas engine and it is very quiet. Something like that would do fine providing you with good heat for cheap. Leave it outside blowing away from the truck, no exhaust issues and no noise.

 

Never understood what a '3 dog night' was until we got a dog in the big truck. 'Buddy' became our foot warmer.

 

Well between the 100 lb dog and the generator muffled under a plastic tote with holes I think ill be good.

 

Got this from another site....
If there's no turbo, I don't see why or what harm it would do, provided the temp stayed safe.

 

Funny how little is known about a diesel.
In diesel engines, conditions in the engine differ from the spark-ignition engine, since power is directly controlled by the fuel supply, rather than by controlling the air supply. Thus when the engine runs at low power, there is enough oxygen present to burn the fuel, and diesel engines only make significant amounts of carbon monoxide when running under a load.

Major advantages

Diesel engines have several advantages over other internal combustion engines:

They burn less fuel than a petrol engine performing the same work, due to the engine's higher temperature of combustion and greater expansion ratio.[1] Gasoline engines are typically 30 percent efficient while diesel engines can convert over 45 percent of the fuel energy into mechanical energy[26] (see Carnot cycle for further explanation).
They have no high voltage electrical ignition system, resulting in high reliability and easy adaptation to damp environments. The absence of coils, spark plug wires, etc., also eliminates a source of radio frequency emissions which can interfere with navigation and communication equipment, which is especially important in marine and aircraft applications.
The life of a diesel engine is generally about twice as long as that of a petrol engine[27] due to the increased strength of parts used. Diesel fuel has better lubrication properties than petrol as well.

Bus powered by biodiesel

Diesel fuel is distilled directly from petroleum. Distillation yields some gasoline, but the yield would be inadequate without catalytic reforming, which is a more costly process.
Diesel fuel is considered safer than petrol in many applications. Although diesel fuel will burn in open air using a wick, it will not explode and does not release a large amount of flammable vapor. The low vapor pressure of diesel is especially advantageous in marine applications, where the accumulation of explosive fuel-air mixtures is a particular hazard. For the same reason, diesel engines are immune to vapor lock.
For any given partial load the fuel efficiency (mass burned per energy produced) of a diesel engine remains nearly constant, as opposed to petrol and turbine engines which use proportionally more fuel with partial power outputs.[28][29][30][31]
They generate less waste heat in cooling and exhaust.[1]
Diesel engines can accept super- or turbo-charging pressure without any natural limit, constrained only by the strength of engine components. This is unlike petrol engines, which inevitably suffer detonation at higher pressure.
The carbon monoxide content of the exhaust is minimal, therefore diesel engines are used in underground mines.[32]
Biodiesel is an easily synthesized, non-petroleum-based fuel (through transesterification) which can run directly in many diesel engines, while gasoline engines either need adaptation to run synthetic fuels or else use them as an additive to gasoline (e.g., ethanol added to gasohol).

Diesel engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

That says a lot that's for sure but as far as my pee brain question ........I think I understood that idling won't create an issue with fumes correct and then is everyone in agreement that the idle should be about 1000 and that the fuel used is 20oz per hour. I would rather use my truck to heat if it makes sense

 

Yup. Honda gens are really quiet. Much more quiet and less vibrations then your IDI

 

I think you can answer your own question at a truck stop...Do the semi's raise there idol well sitting running at night? No they dont.

 

Yes we do. Otherwise the engine wouldn't produce enough heat to keep the cab warm.

Try walking through a truck stop sometime when it's cold.

HIGH IDLE...about 800 - 1100 rpms