UPDATE: Here’s a post of a Ypsilanti Machine and Tool Company Hand Crank Heater
UPDATE: I’ve posted pics of Dennis’ hand crank heater here. Here’s another from Nathalie.
UPDATE: Here’s a video of a Stewart Warner Heater in action.
ORIGINAL POST: I was at Josh’s when I spotted an odd device I didn’t recognize. When I asked what it was used for, he explained it and then offered to send images of similar heaters along with a couple brochure images. Cool stuff!
Pics of actual heaters on full post page ….
====================
IMAGES of J.R.’s Hand Crank Heater:
was the sw 796-a-1 heater used in ww2? Korea?
How rare is rare? What year span would the heater be, I noticed repaired in 1951
Mine is in transit home, because it seems to be very cold 7 months of the year
trucks and uniforms are all winterized
dennis
Hi Dennis,
I’ve forwarded your question to Joshua who knows more about this than I. He did say it was used during WW2, however it became more frequently used in planes rather than jeeps.
How rare is rare? Well, I had never seen one nor heard of one before. My searches to find information about in on the net were unsuccessful. My sense is that if you wanted to purchase one of these it would be very difficult to find for sale.
Thanks,
– Dave
I got additional information from Joshua.
He writes, “They were issued from WW2 thru Korea, mainly to aviation units. As far as rare goes all I know is that Dennis has the third one including mine that I know about. The third one is in the Warhawk Museum in Nampa (Idaho). Next time I stop there I plan to ask if they have a manual (would really like to find one) or any other info. Dennis, can you send Dave some pics when you get it? Do you have any history on his? I did try searching the history of my heater since it has the markings down to the soldiers names. I tried here http://www.koreanwar.org/html/units/usaf/feamcom.htm but didn’t get a response. I’m curious about the trip my little heater and many of my historical projects have taken.”
– Dave
Yes I will send pictures, I also posted for info on MLU. Will share any new info I find.
It is being mailed from Colfax wa, postage paid and a gift, A first for me.
dennis
Hi Dave, trouble loading pictures, I can e-mail if you e-mail address
mine is dgelean@xplornet.com
OK to put on site, only history was bought at estate auction
dennis
I have one that i have had working. i was going to sell, how much is it worth? yhanks
I paid around $100 for mine including shipping from PA. Personally think I got a great conversation piece to display with my willys mb and a good deal. Maybe Dennis can help you out more with what he paid. A good test would to be to put it on ebay with or with out a reserve.
Let me know if you do sell. I have a couple of friends that have seen mine and would be interested. Do you have the tube with yours? If it has the tube I would certainly be interested myself.
-Josh
no sorry dont have tube. but it is in good cond. and works
i have a 796 a hand crank heater that I found at the local land fill about ten years ago,and was wondering where it came from? and also what its worth. I live in a small town of Glasgow Mt.and the only thing I can think of it coming from is the old airbase.So any information on this neat relic of yesteryear would be much appreciateed.
Hi Brent,
All of what I know about these heater is contained in the post and in these comments. As I have learned from Joshua, these were used in old planes, so the airbase connection would make sense.
So far, there are four that we know of:
Dennis has one
Joshua has one
Brent has one
And the Airhawk museum in Nampa has one.
– Dave
Hi Randy and Brent, that makes 5, For now I have made a tube from metal flex hose and the adaptor
was made by OK tire muffler shop.(free I am a good customer) where do you light the heater? the handles (grips) will be from 2 old tea kettles.
Mine was from a friend, he actually bought it back and sent it to me as a gift. No $ value known
I sent a collectable salmon plug to the bob that sold it back to my friend.
Oh yeah, and Randy has one .. time for some remedial math for me .. lol
– Dave
Hi Guys, I also have one, I would say that mine came from USAF base @ Burtonwood, England. I am still playing about with it to get it going
If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask … if you’d like to send some pics, you can send them to d@ewillys.com and I’ll post them here.
– Dave
Hi Jim Now we have 6 Mine is now working and can be used this winter, I dumped the old residual from the tank. put some gas in the tank. turned the gas on. when you crank the handle this feeds the gas. light it and the faster you crank the more gas is pumped, without the hose it is a neat flame thrower. I was thinking too complicated not much to go wrong, Dennis
Hi my name is Joe been trying to find out about this heater since i got it off a guy that i work with. finnly got it working. If any body knows the real value or any more info. of this heater please email , d88wins@att.net , Joe
I’m happy to see these heaters are continuing to slowly pop up. Would it be helpful to anyone to create a short video about how these work? I think I’d need to borrow Joshua and his heater to do it … Just a thought.
– Dave
joe
Helo every body I took my heater to the antique roadshow that came to town last week to see if i could find out a little bit more about it or a value . and they took pictures and sent them to their buyers data base. and got no respones on it.
I think that means they are priceless, right 🙂
– Dave
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Hi Besides display, my heater will be used, burned up one air cleaner already.
The Antlers on the shed are Mountain Caribou (Artsey M37 picture)
Add Canada to the list. I live just below Hudson Bay Glacier near Smithers British Columbia
US of A, UK, Cdn. I enjoy this site, Thanks
Hi. I have one of these in working condition that came from a friend of mine. Another friend of mine saw it and knew what it was. He was in the Army Air Force in England in WWII. He said they had used them to heat all sorts of Equipment in WWII and had also used them to take the chill out of hangers and large tents (and probably a dozen other places a open flame heater should not have been used). Mine has a ORD number on the operating instruction plate that dates the instructions to 1942, so they must have been around since the early part of the war.
Hi Craig,
Welcome to the club. We’d love to see some pics.
– Dave
Wanted, hand crank stewart warner heater , e-mail bonanzaparts@gmail.com , also have stewart warner military 978 nos heater for sale
978 picture and price would be good
Hi Joe,
If you’d like to send pics and information to d@ewillys.com, I can post the info for you.
– Dave
Hey I was looken on the internet to see what it was I had and I found this info. Its been in our building for years. thanks for the info.
Dan
Hi Dan,
That’s great news. I do believe this thread is the center of the universe for Stewart Heaters. If you have any pics, we’d love to see them. You can send them to me at d@ewilly.com and I can add them to this thread.
Thanks,
– Dave
Just purchased a working SW 796-A for my HT display .. plan on making a hose and was wondering what that adaptor looked like that was made by the muffler shop .. Picture copy of that adaptor possible? Appreciate the publication in the thread as it’s the only data I’ve found on these very interesting heaters. The Army went to an immersion heater that was inserted into a tube next to the radiator on certain Arctic vehicles in the 70s and 80’s to preheat them for duty… That heater had a glow plug system that used gas and a spark plug
Hi Mark just click on the update art the top of this page. the picture of the flex hose was from NAPA
parts supplier,I believe they are in the US of A as well as here in Canada, the adaptor was a standard muffler part, any muffler shop can provide, see picture. Next to make is a better locking devise rather than a press fit. hope this helps..Dennis
I have had one of those heaters for a number of years now. I recently came across wile cleaning out my barn. I have never tried to light it as I didn’t know its use untill now. I will be getting a hose made soon. Thanks all.
Brad
Excellent. I’m happy to hear this post was useful for you Brad!
– Dave
hi, i have in my possession a model …796-A hand crank heater, serial number 31.. weight 16 lbs,40,000btu at 120rpm,,manufactured by stewart warner, heater division, chicago ill. u.s.a. …… also stamped is i believe to be year of manufacture number… 472456-10-42.. it is in excellent condition with org paint and all parts org . i aquired it when i was cleaning out mydeceased Dad’s barn..he was in WW2 ..i have no use for it, and would hope like i read here that a ”willys jeep aficado would like for a collection or working ?? please contact me at …. larryv@vianet.ca i am in ontario canada.. the color is a sort of green,and or grey mix ?? but is org
hi again. i may have the hose set up for this unit also, and will look within a few days at the cottage..i do think he was using it for a ventiliation duct of some kind ??? remember it sort of looks like in the picture here, with attaching to jeep …. this heater unit has no rust or dust to it either, it was in a wooden box, along which looks like a ”service book” for a vehicle that data was keep on…. God bless Canada, and America..our men keeps us safe, our hearts alway’s remember
hi again. i may have the hose set up for this unit also, and will look within a few days at the cottage..i do think he was using it for a ventiliation duct of some kind ??? remember it sort of looks like in the picture here, with attaching to jeep …. this heater unit has no rust or dust to it either, it was in a wooden box, along which looks like a ”service book” for a vehicle that data was keep on…. God bless Canada, and America..our men and women troops keeps us safe, our hearts alway’s remember
HI Larry,
Thanks for the note. I’m sorry to hear about your father.
I’ll let some other readers know you have it and that you hope it finds the right home.
Warmest Regards,
– Dave
Larry, sorry to hear about your loss, God Bless you, and Thank You and your family for your Fathers Service. I had the opportunity of serving with a Canadian Army Stryker Unit when I was in Afghanistan. The Canadians and the US have served together thru many conflicts and have stood side by side as allies. God bless the USA and Canada.
//Vr//
COL Mark Koloc
USAR
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Can someone with a working / complete heater shoot a close up pic of the business end of the heater? Trying to figure out where the wick sits .. got my heater for my display, want to go thru it and would like to see if I can fire it up.
Hi Mark,
I’ve just emailed you a few larger versions of images I have collected (I don’t have a heater myself).
– Dave
Hi Dave.. hope all is well with you, have been away, and also haved looked at the cottage and the farm for the ”hose kit” for this heater..it seems i remember it, andi think my dad used the hose for a ventilation duct from a saw ??.. i do hope this heater brings itself to one who appreciates it’s reverance to WW2… maybe you know a good home for it, and will sell reasonable..i do think shipping into the u.s.a. may be substantial but ?? will consider this into the selling price… all i see with this heater ((as by your pics))is a wick like item is missing from it, all the rest is in tack and org.. please email me at larryv@vianet.ca ….. have a great weekend, oh yes the fish are be very co-operative also here
Hi Dave, could you please email me, i can not put a comment on here, it just will not work what so ever
Dave ..hahaha it just took ”now” ….very sorry….read comment please dated june 26th
Sorry about that Larry .. for some reason, the site is hiccuping a bit. I don’t know the exact cause, but you aren’t alone in having a problem loading a comment. I’ll respond to your comment a little later.
– Davae
From the sounds of things, I am pretty lucky to own one. I bought mine 20 years ago at an auction in Boise, Idaho for $1.00. It is all original (without flex hose) and is in working condition. I have looked everywhere trying to get a value, but I have had no luck. I thought it was a trench warmer, but now I know its a engine warmer. I have used it hunting, but I think I might not do that anymore. The serial# is 2544. If anyone has anymore information, please let me know.
Brian Chadwell
208-866-2317
Hi Brian,
Welcome to the club! Josh is in Boise as well and knows about as much as anyone about these (I’m in Eagle). As you’ve learned the hard way, there isn’t much info about these so we can all relate to your frustration at learning more about them.
It’s good to hear you’ve gotten some actual, practical use out of yours. Given the BTU output, I suppose it will warm just about anything!
– Dave
I too have and Stewart-Warner Model 796a Hand Crank Heater. Thanks for the website I was wondering what they used these for I’ve had this thing for about 20yrs.s/n3839
Hi J.R.
Welcome to the club! Is it in original condition and/or good condition? Does it appear complete? Does it still work? If you’d like, you can send pics to d@ewilllys.com.
Thanks!
– Dave
It seems to be in original condition,complete except for hose attachment,I do not know if it works kind of scared to fire it off. I’ll send you some pics.I got it when I bought a shop from a man who had died.
It was in the stuff at the shop.Iwas going to donate it to the Military Museum in Green Cove Srings,Fla.Now that I know it was used by the armed forces.
Thanks,
J.R.