Woodcraft or Chickenhawk?

[Hotbrakes]

Woodcraft warmers have a built in safety, you must unplug them in order to remove them from the tire. They also have a "DING! Tires are done" light to indicate they are up to temp.

[sobottka]

Originally Posted by some guy #2

Wouldn't you say warmers crapping our every year regardless of free replacements is not a very good testament to their quality?

well nothing in this world is perfect, not even chickenhawk warmers. woodcraft did reveal that most of their customers who were having problems were getting their power from generators, not from electricity supplied trackside. in my case they suspect that the eco throttle setting i would use on my generator was the culprit. i no longer use the eco throttle setting when my warmers are in use and so far so good.

[j_fuggin_t]

Originally Posted by sobottka

well nothing in this world is perfect, not even chickenhawk warmers. woodcraft did reveal that most of their customers who were having problems were getting their power from generators, not from electricity supplied trackside. in my case they suspect that the eco throttle setting i would use on my generator was the culprit. i no longer use the eco throttle setting when my warmers are in use and so far so good.

So I shouldn't use that setting while running warmers?

[sobottka]

Originally Posted by j_fuggin_t

So I shouldn't use that setting while running warmers?

probably not

[ERB68]

I must say, I really like the peace of mind I get from looking at the temp read out and knowing what temp they are at.

Vote for CH

I believe CH has even adopted some of the better woodcraft ideas like side skirts and circuit disconnect at the overlap on the blanket.

[Drtbkrdude]

Thanks for all the input, guys!
I ended up going through TJ at Wera and got the proline, ususlly $749 for $600.
Too much $ in my opinion, but the mid-level was $450 so what the Hell!
Cost becomes less of a matter when you're jones'n!

[geekmug]

Originally Posted by sobottka

well nothing in this world is perfect, not even chickenhawk warmers. woodcraft did reveal that most of their customers who were having problems were getting their power from generators, not from electricity supplied trackside. in my case they suspect that the eco throttle setting i would use on my generator was the culprit. i no longer use the eco throttle setting when my warmers are in use and so far so good.

Hmm, I'd believe that non-inverted generators could hurt the warmers because you could get an over-voltage situation causing the warmers to getting hotter than they were intended. But your eco throttle generator is inverted, so the line voltage should be better regulated. The only problem with eco-throttle is that it could have an under-voltage condition if it's idling and a large load turns on (like an A/C), which could cause the motor to fail to start. However, under-voltage would just mean your warmers don't get up to full-temp as quickly (small amount of lag while the generator speeds up).

I just got a set of Woodcrafts for this year, and I'm gonna keep using the eco-throttle. I'll let you know if they break.

[some guy #2]

Originally Posted by sobottka

well nothing in this world is perfect, not even chickenhawk warmers. woodcraft did reveal that most of their customers who were having problems were getting their power from generators, not from electricity supplied trackside. in my case they suspect that the eco throttle setting i would use on my generator was the culprit. i no longer use the eco throttle setting when my warmers are in use and so far so good.

Even with the ECO throttle doesn't the genny still get up to max output? I thought the ECO mode was like an auto throttle?

[geekmug]

Originally Posted by some guy #2

Even with the ECO throttle doesn't the genny still get up to max output? I thought the ECO mode was like an auto throttle?

Yah, it will, there is just a time lag where from it detecting the load and responding to it. For high in-rush devices (like an A/C's compressor) it can be a problem, but for a simple resistive load like a tire baker, I don't get how it could matter in the slightest.

[afinepoint]

I never contacted Woodcraft so I can't offer feedback there. I bought Chicken Hawks based on reputation and the personal service of their tech. He spent a lot of time with me on the telephone discussing tires and warmers. No pressure.

I felt I've made the right choice.