Would not be left on …only for drying a wet horse in stall or temporarily while they are inside during heat of the day…suggestions?
I can’t imagine any fan powerful enough to dry off a horse or keep their stall cool will run on a battery, especially one that’s safe to use in a barn.
I have this on my stall:
It’s really important to get one that’s rated for outdoor use with enclosed/sealed motor. Yes it’s more expensive than the box fans at Walmart, but a $100 fan is a lot less costly than a barn fire.
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I used a friend’s $25 Lasko fan for about 45 minutes and it dried my horse great! I was out there the whole time and then unplugged it. Just thought battery operated would be safe for longer term use…but I’ve only seen small ones.
Do you already have any battery operated tools? Most of the manufacturers also have fans.
We have Milwaukee stuff, so we have this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Jobsite-Fan-Tool-Only-0886-20/205846390
It can move plenty of air, but I haven’t used it for the horse.
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Similar to wsmoak’s suggestion, I use a jobsite fan for my guy who lives outside with a shedrow stall that does not have electric. I change the battery each day and he gets some air movement in his stall during the heat of the day. The barn staff turns it on about 1:30pm and it runs until dinner time around 5:30-6pm. Lasts about 4 hours if run on high. Totally works for those horrible days. I’ve stood in his stall with him with it on, and it makes a difference.
This might work for you. I have several Makita 18V tools and have been happy with the battery life.
Yea - my Makita chainsaw battery runs a whole heck of a lot longer than I want to chainsaw in one day.
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Whatever you use, please use a fan with a sealed motor (or mostly sealed) unless you will never step away from it. Some job site fans will be fully sealed, most are at least partially sealed. Fans can be a huge fire risk when the dust builds up, and having the motor sealed reduces that risk. I think the risk is a lot higher with corded fans but it can happen to battery operated ones as well.
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If you’re set on battery operated this may work. I have the smaller one and use it in the trailer and as a personal fan at shows. The battery lasts several hours and recharged quickly.
Ryobi air cannon is the most useful thing I have ever bought! I use it in the horse trailer while shipping, at the barn, at shows, in the tack room and I’ve even lugged it to my cooling area when coming off marathon if it’s a super hot day.
Please note: just because a fan is rated for outdoor use does not mean it is rated for use in animal housing facilities.
I worked for an organization that received 20 outdoor rated fans to be installed in barns. Grateful my hubby (for possibly the first time EVER) looked at the instructions before he started to install them because it very clearly stated in the instructions that these fans were not rated for use in animal housing facilities. (see attached image)
It was a bit of a conversation, but the donor graciously allowed the return of the fans, and we sourced ag-rated fans that ended up being less than the original fans. thanks to the generosity of the manufacturer.
PLEASE check before using outdoor rated fans in your barn!
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