Hi Folks,

I was directed to this thread by cattlefeeder ( http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=186971&pos... ) so I thought I'd weigh in here as well. Please remember: I am the distributor for the VAL6 heaters for Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma - So, take everything I say with a grain of salt ;-). I DO prefer the VAL6, but I'm not afraid to give praise where it's due. You're all farmers, and I grew up a farmer. So, I know you're all clever enough to make up your minds with enough good information. That's what I'm trying to give you by weighing in...

First, on wheat fallow's questions regarding moisture condensation, I want to concur with iseedit. In fact, there is a device called the EconoDri which, evidently, only works with the VAL6. You hook it up to the ventilation fan on your grain bin and run the heat into it to dry your grain. The EconoDri isn't manufactured by the manufacturer of the VAL6, so it's 3rd-party, and you'll need to do your own research on that. However, on the moisture question, the EconoDri wouldn't work too well if it was pumping moisture-laden air into the bin.

Next, I want to address cattlefeeder's comments, as he brought me to this thread in the first place: He's got a Mi-T-M 125 ( http://bit.ly/rZD4WM ) as well as a VAL6 EPX ( http://bit.ly/vE3Mg4 ) or ( http://bit.ly/vGAQaw ) . He said that the Mi-T-M heater was about half that of the EPX, and that can't be disputed. The Mi-T-M/Pinnacle heaters are definitely made to be the lowest price diesel-fired, portable, radiant heaters. He quoted $929 for the Mi-T-M, and $2400 for the EPX (used). The problem there is that the Mi-T-M, just from looking at it, isn't made to compare with the EPX. I know cattlefeeder was giving his experience based upon what he had, but the Mi-T-M is more in the line of the VAL6 KBE5L (premium)  or KBE5S (economy)  models in the range, which are our mid-size units. The Mi-T-M is still going to be cheaper, but there won't be such a large difference when you compare them that way. It's a bit like comparing a Ford Ranger to a a Silverado, or a Colorado to a Super-Duty. They're not really made to compete with one another.

As for the noise disparity between the two, there isn't much, like cattlefeeder said, and thank God for that. I'm so glad to be nearly out of the torpedo/salamander era. I remember my old man out in the open-front, aluminum-panel wall and ceiling tractor shed in winter working with one of those trying to keep him warm. As a kid, the noise was incredible! But, I'm getting sidetracked, here...

The last point I want to touch on is the fumes. As for "telling the difference," like the VAL6 series, the Mi-T-M does pretty well with the smell factor, which also used to be a huge issue with the torpedo heaters. However, as for the poisonous carbon monoxide emissions, those you can't even tell if they're there. (The fumes mentioned are exhaust fumes, which cause the headaches, burning eyes, and nausea.) I haven't seen any documentation, so maybe cattlefeeder can help me out. Do they tell you what their CO ppm is? I know the VAL6 range is 0-2ppm right across the board, where a typical torpedo heater used to be 10-20ppm, which is why you had to keep a door or window cracked. I can't find the Mi-T-M rating on their site. Cattlefeeder, can you help out?

Thanks for letting me ramble guys. I had originally planned to do a fair and balanced (thank you, Fox News) comparison between the VAL6, the Pinnacle/Mi-T-M and the new entrant: The Italia V40, and this has given me a really good platform to kick around the pros and cons. If you check out those links above, one of them goes to our new website, which is where the final comparison will be posted. I'm still selling the VAL6, so unless I switch it up, you'll know my recommendation based upon quality.

Thanks!
Danny