Burch Heat Houser - Worth Restoring?

[Reicks]

I have a Heat Houser manufactured by Burch in Fort Dodge, Iowa. My Dad bought it used in the 1970s for his 1948 B. I remember the side panels being used in the late 1970s and early 1980s when we'd use the B to pull a trailer when cutting wood during the late fall and early winter. I don't ever remember using the cab top or windshield.

My Dad passed away in 2018, and I've been slowly sorting through some of his things. I ran across the Heat Houser in a garage attic. It has definitely seen better days. There is some rodent damage to the canvas, the plastic windows are broken, etc.

As someone who hates to junk anything that could be restored, my question for the forum is whether this Heat Houser is worth keeping. I don't know when or if I'd ever get around to restoring it. I can see that Birch sells new Heat Housers in the $430 range. I can imagine it would cost significantly more than that to replace the canvas and restore this Heat Houser. Is this something any sane person would actually take on? Or should I just scrap it?

 

[NY 986]

Somebody out there may be looking for such an item for a project. Advertise it as is for minimal money. If nobody comes looking
in a few months then don't feel guilty about throwing it out.

 

[ss55]

If you can use it on one of your tractors during the colder months, sure fix it up. One will keep you much warm than an open station tractor, even if it is just for pushing snow or late fall early spring and night field work.

If you don't have a use for it yourself, just try to sell it as-is for $5 to $50. Maybe someone else has seen them sell for more, most do not.