Aircraft deicing, compared for the FBO ramp
19 deicer models from 9 makers, smallest first; 11 fluid sources with their plants, packaging and minimums; and 6 preheat and ramp-heat lines. Every cell is the maker’s own published statement — a dot means the maker doesn’t say, never that we guessed.
19 deicer models11 fluid sources6 heat lineschecked 2026-10-03
Read the Form column first. The table runs from a 2.5-gallon handheld to a 2,200-gallon single-operator truck; an FBO’s answer is usually in the middle — a 200- to 500-gallon trailer an airport pickup can tow, or a 600- to 1,200-gallon truck if regional jets are the customers. Only the cart and kit sellers publish prices; every trailer and truck is a quote, and Polar and Snowy Owl state leasing or rent-to-own.
Deicers, smallest first
Capacities and reach as the maker states them · dot: not published.
| Maker · model | Form | Type I | Anti-ice | Heat | Reach | Chassis | Pricing | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tronair Hand-carried deicer | Handheld | 2.5 gal (9 L) | · | · | · | Carried | Quote | Frost on a piston or light turboprop |
| Aircraft Deicing Inc. Starter / Professional kits | Handheld, cart, skid | 3 · 25 · 60 · 200 gal carts; 60 · 110 gal skids | Separate anti-icing kits | Immersion heaters 120–140 °F | 25 ft vertical (claimed) | Cart / skid | From $1,415 | Small FBO, flight school, medevac |
| Tronair 55-gal dolly / mobile cart | Cart | 55 gal (208 L), Type I only | · | · | · | Dolly / cart | Quote | Light jets, turboprops |
| Tronair 275-gal stationary deicer | Dolly-mount | 275 gal | · | Electric — 208 / 240 (1Ø, 3Ø) / 415 / 480 VAC | · | Dolly | Quote | Hangar-side station |
| Wing Armor JETstream | Towable (tow-bar cart) | 200 gal | Separate 60-gal anti-icing cart (Type II/III/IV) | 400,000 BTU, pre-heats to 40 °C | Spray gun on 100-ft hose (no basket) | Wheeled cart, fits in a Dash 8 | Quote | Corporate flight departments, remote fields |
| Ground Support Specialists Falcon 320 | Towable trailer | 300 gal (Type II / anti-ice configurable) | Configurable | 12-V Mini-Max heater, 15-min pre-heat | 11.5 ft working height (14.7 ft optional) | Trailer, 13.5 ft; Kohler diesel | Call | FBOs and regional jets |
| Polar Aircraft Deicer Arctic Cub GA | Pickup-mounted or trailer | 264 gal (1,000 L) | · | 12-V diesel burner | 16 ft working height incl. truck | Pickup / trailer; John Bean spray gun | Quote · rental · rent-to-own | King Air 350, PC-12, Citation, Learjet 60 |
| Snowy Owl Aircraft De-icing SO-207-TW / SO-207-GN | Towable / gooseneck trailer | 2,000 L insulated | 750 L Type III/IV | Beckett burner, 120 °F standby / 180 °F | 34 ft working height, 360° | Trailer; 15-kW generator; any pickup | Quote · leasing | Small regional airports, FBOs, charter |
| Polar Aircraft Deicer Arctic Fox | Towable trailer | 500 gal (1,900 L) | 160 gal (600 L) Type III/IV | Diesel burner to 180 °F; optional electric tank heat | 34 ft working height, 27 ft side reach | 18-ft trailer; 15-kW generator; 30 gpm | Quote · rental · rent-to-own | 737, CRJ, Dash 8, ATR 42, King Air |
| Polar Aircraft Deicer Arctic Wolf | Truck | 660 gal (2,500 L) | 264 gal (1,000 L) | Diesel | 36 ft (42 ft optional), 27 ft side | Ford F-550; 15-kW generator; 30 gpm | Quote · rental · rent-to-own | A320, 737, Dash 8 and smaller |
| Ground Support Specialists Hawk 800 | Truck (custom chassis) | 600 gal | 200 gal | 800,000–980,000 BTU (page gives both) | 32 ft working height | Perkins diesel, hydrostatic; enclosed basket & forced air optional | Call | Narrow-body & regional jets, FBOs |
| Polar Aircraft Deicer Caribou | Self-propelled, single operator | 528 gal (2,000 L) | 264 gal (1,000 L) | Two Beckett burners, 2M BTU, to 180 °F | 34 ft working height, 360° turret | Hatz 75-hp diesel, 2x4/4x4 | Quote · rental · rent-to-own | Regional operators |
| Snowy Owl Aircraft De-icing SO-2512-SP | Self-propelled, single operator | 2,500 L insulated | 1,200 L Type III/IV | Two Beckett burners, 120 °F standby / 180 °F | 34 or 38 ft working height (RHL 37/41), 360° | Hatz 75-hp Tier IV diesel, 4x4; PLC remote diagnostics | Quote · leasing | FBOs, airports of all sizes, handlers |
| Global Ground Support G-1200 Regional | Truck | 1,000 gal insulated | 200 gal | 0 → 180 °F in under 15 min | 32–37 ft working height (page/PDF differ), 24.5 ft reach, 370° | Ford F650 or Freightliner M2 106; Deutz auxiliary | Quote · in stock | FBOs and commuter airlines, up to 737 MAX 8 |
| Ground Support Specialists Osprey 1400 | Truck | 1,200 gal | 200 gal | 980,000 BTU | 34.5–35 ft, enclosed basket | 400-CFM forced air | Call | Regional jets |
| Vestergaard Company Elephant e-Mini MY Lite | Truck, fully electric | 4,000 L total, separate Type I and II/IV tanks | Separate tank | Electric or diesel heater | · | 12-ton Vestergaard electric chassis | Quote · off-the-shelf, rapid delivery | Smaller/medium aircraft up to 757/767; US service from McHenry, IL |
| Vestergaard Company Elephant MY Lite / e-MY Lite | Truck, open basket (electric option) | 7,600 L, separate Type I and II/IV tanks | Separate tank | 40-kW electric or 230-kW diesel (e-MY Lite) | · | Truck; 70 or 140 kWh battery on e-MY Lite | Quote · off-the-shelf | Regional, FBO, business aviation |
| Global Ground Support G-2200 Ultimate | Truck (single-operator option) | 1,900 gal | 300 gal | 0 → 180 °F in under 6 min | 47 ft (58 ft XR), 40.75 ft horizontal | Freightliner M2; Air Plus! forced air; Pro-Mix | Quote · in stock | Airline / large FBO |
| Textron GSE (Premier & Safeaero deicers) Safeaero 220 | Truck, single operator | Up to 2,232 gal | · | · | 65.6 ft nozzle height | Diesel or lithium; CE | Quote | Airline / hub |
Fluids: who makes it, where, and how you buy it
Type I (AMS1424) removes; Type IV (AMS1428) protects. Plants and packaging are the maker’s own statements — several US sellers carry another maker’s product under its name.
| Source | Type I | Type IV | Type II | Glycol | Plant / role | Packaging | How you buy | TKS | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryotech Deicing Technology | Polar Plus LT — AMS1424/1, PG ≥88%, LOUT −27 °F @ 63/37 | Polar Guard Advance (LOUT −23 °F) · Polar Guard Xtend (LOUT −20 °F) — AMS1428/1 | · | Propylene | Fort Madison, IA (since 2010) | 55-gal drums (4 min) · 265-gal totes · bulk from 5,000 gal | Direct · Avfuel network · GSA Advantage | · | E36, LC17, NAAC, QS50 |
| Clariant (Safewing) | Safewing MP I LFD 88 (LOUT −27 °F) · LFD 80 · LFD PLUS 88 — AMS1424 | MP IV LAUNCH · LAUNCH PLUS — AMS1428 | MP II FLIGHT | Propylene | Uddevalla, Sweden named; no US plant stated | · | Quote/sample on clariant.com; in the US via D.W. Davies and Aircraft Deicing Inc. pails/drums/totes | · | Safeway KA HOT, KF, SF |
| Kilfrost | DF Plus — AMS1424 | ABC-S Plus — AMS1428 | ABC-K Plus — AMS1428 | · | Haltwhistle, UK | · | Distributor network (unnamed) | TKS 406B (1/5/25/205 L) · TKS 80 · RDF light-aircraft fluid | Clearway F1, SF3, 6S |
| Dow (UCAR aircraft deicing fluids) | UCAR ADF (EG) · UCAR PG ADF (PG) | UCAR ENDURANCE EG106 (EG, AMS1428) · ULTRA+ (EG) · FLIGHTGUARD AD-49 (PG, AMS1428/1) | · | Ethylene and propylene | · | Drums & 230-gal totes at AERO Specialties | Via distributors (AERO Specialties) | · | · |
| HOC Industries (SafeTemp) | SafeTemp ES Plus — AMS1424M, 100% or 55/45 | SafeTemp Type IV | · | · | Wichita, KS | Drums · totes · bulk | Direct (800-999-9645) · Aviation Laboratories · retailers | · | · |
| LNT Solutions | P180 — AMS1424 | P450 — AMS1428 (labelled Type IV / Type II on the same page) | P250 — AMS1428 | Propylene, triazole/NPE-free | UK; Canadian entity (Ontario) | 1,000-L IBCs · drums · bulk | No US channel stated | · | Eco-Gen, GEN0, GEN2, GEN2T, Airside Solid |
| D.W. Davies & Co. | Safewing MP I LFD 88 — concentrate $191.25 / 5 gal; 55:45 RTU $112.45 | Safewing MP4 Launch — $158.50 / 5 gal | · | Propylene | Blender/reseller, Racine WI | 5-gal pails · drums on call | Direct — store.dwdavies.com | TKS fluid (DTD 406-B): 1-gal cases, 2×2.5 gal, 5-gal pail ($67–$142) | Safe-Melt Granular (AMS1431) · Liquid (AMS1435) |
| Aircraft Deicing Inc. | Safewing MP I LFD 88 — concentrate or 55/45 RTU, freeze −30 °F | Safewing MP4 Launch — ≥85 kt aircraft, not below −20 °F | · | Propylene | Reseller (location not stated) | 5-gal pail · 55-gal drum · 250-gal tote · truckload | Direct (1-833-DEICING) | · | · |
| AERO Specialties | Dow UCAR PG Type I — 55-gal drum, 230-gal tote (quote) | Dow UCAR AD-49 — 230-gal tote (quote) | · | Propylene (Dow) | Distributor, Boise ID | Drums · totes | Direct online · Sourcewell · GSA | · | · |
| CAV Ice Protection | · | · | · | · | TKS OEM — Consett, UK; N. American ops New Century, KS | 2×2.5 gal · 55-gal drum | Direct online, $128–$784, worldwide shipping | TKS 406B — DTD 406-B, freezing below −76 °F | · |
| Aviation Laboratories | SafeTemp Type I (HOC) | SafeTemp Type IV (HOC) | · | · | Distributor + lab, Houston TX | TKS 1–55 gal | Direct (713-864-6677) | TKS fluid (DTD 406B), 1–55 gal | · |
Preheat and ramp heat
What keeps the airplane from needing the tables above.
| Maker · line | What it is | Engines / use | Approval | Power | Remote | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartzell Preheat Tanis | Multi-point engine, cabin & battery preheat kits | Piston (Continental, Lycoming, Rotax, Austro…), turbine (PC-12, King Air, TBM, Kodiak, ATR), rotor-wing | STC + PMA | 115 V / 230 V | SwitcheOn LTE-M app switch ($323 + $50/yr) | Published per kit |
| Hartzell Preheat Reiff | Cylinder band + sump pad systems (Standard 50/100 W, XP 100/200 W), HotStrip | Piston | FAA PMA PQ2040CE — no STC/337 (per Reiff FAQ) | 115 V / 230 V | SwitcheOn | Published |
| E-Z Heat Inc. E-Z Heat pads | Flexible adhesive oil-sump pads, 300 W, <9 oz, thermostat 120–165 °F | Continental, Lycoming, Rotax 912/914, Franklin, Jabiru, others | FAA-accepted — logbook entry | 120 V (220-V versions) | · | $119–$220 |
| Aircraft Heaters (Hornet) Hornet | Plug-in cowl & cockpit heaters (Twin Hornet 22, Hornet 45, Hornet 67), 12/24-V in-flight units | Any piston cowl — no installation | None needed (portable) | 120 V; 12/24 V in-flight | · | $289–$379 |
| Aerotech Herman Nelson BT-400 NEX | Portable ramp heaters — NEX-D diesel 400,000 BTU/h, 1,500 CFM, 14 h; NEX-G gasoline; HPL 600D7 588,000 BTU/h | Turbine / business-jet ramps | Military NSN versions | Diesel / gasoline | · | Quote (3.5% increase 2026-01-01) |
| Therm Dynamics TD500-GSE | Flameless heater cart, 575,000 BTU, 5,000 CFM, 78-gal tank; TD500-GSE IDF | Turbine / business-jet ramps | UL / CSA | Diesel (flameless) | · | Quote |
What sits around the deicer
- Ground Support Equipment — the tugs, GPUs and carts from the same makers
- Fuel Suppliers — Avfuel distributes Cryotech; World Fuel bundles deicing glycol and equipment with supply
- Training & Safety — winter-ops and line-service courses
- Line Service Supplies — refractometers, nozzles, sprayers
Quick answers
- Which fluids are made in the United States?
- Cryotech Deicing Technology and HOC Industries (SafeTemp) and CAV Ice Protection state US plants (Fort Madison, Iowa and Wichita, Kansas); Dow produces the UCAR range. Clariant, Kilfrost and LNT name only European plants on their aviation pages.
- Who sells TKS fluid?
- Kilfrost, D.W. Davies & Co., CAV Ice Protection, Aviation Laboratories. CAV Ice Protection is the system OEM; Tronair makes the reservoir service unit, not the fluid.
- Why isn’t Oshkosh AeroTech (ex-JBT Tempest) or Inland Technologies here?
- Both are hub-scale: the smallest Tempest is a 1,200-gallon, 43-ft truck with no GA positioning, and Inland is a glycol-recovery and deicing-services contractor for commercial airports. They are noted in the category’s research log, not listed.
- How is this table maintained?
- Every cell comes from the maker’s own site on the date shown above. Makers can claim their listing to correct or add a cell; we ask for a page on their site that states it.
Make or sell deicing gear?
25 companies are listed in Deicing Fluids & Equipment. If yours isn’t, add it free; if it is, claim it and send us the page that fills in a dot.