Apu questions

The TriPac offers you options that most of the other s don't. The fuel fired Webasto bunk heater does a fine job, and the APU only comes on when the battery voltage falls and needs to be charged (and you can have them set that point, it is variable) and this unit can be isolated from the truck cooling system, or connected and it will run to heat the coolant.
Service around the country at any ThermoKing is good, but the extended warrranty is worth it.

 

Buy a RV generator used for about $1500. Buy a RV roof top A/C heat unit new (Carrier) makes one, 2 yr warranty for $525.00. Couple pieces of Angle iron and a afternoon and it's done. Start the generator, plug the block heater in and turn on the rooftop heater. It's about 1/2 gal per hour for a 4000Watt gas model under this load. Ran this setup for years before APUs were even thought of.
Or buy the generator, buy a small ceramic heater for winter and a small window A/C for summer from wall mart and have about $500 less into it.

 

Apu(s) are high dollar. About $10k when it is all said and done. Idling your engine for 10+ hours a day is alot of wear and tear on your motor. Here is what I did. Go buy a Honda 2k generator. They are super quiet and small. Bungie or 1" strap it down to your catwalk or headache rack. Then get an extension cord to run up to your block heater and permanently mount it with zip ties. Get a ceramic heater and a fan or two and there you go. You will never hear the generator and it is ultra reliable. The only downside is carrying extra gas and getting the gas back to the truck. It is a little headache, but a whole lot cheaper than an APU!

 

Something else to keep in mind. The Tri-pac also warms the block in winter for your truck engine. But hey if you like smokey cold starts, go for the cheaper one.

 

I sure hope you're talking about a diesel generator - the exhaust from a gas motor can easily make people sick (unlike diesel). Alot of comments from drivers are that generator users don't belong among other trucks, and I fully agree. I wonder if an RV generator could stand up to the jarring and vibration that our trucks take going down the road loaded.

This has probably been brought up before - but has anyone noticed how much extra fuel high-idling a truck takes? A friend and I were just talking the other night about this stuff, and he mentioned that his motor (N14) uses .46 gallons per hour idling - my ISX burns .7 because it has to be high-idled to avoid idle shutoff.

What purpose does that even serve? Do people really walk away and leave their trucks idling that "excessively"? Take the number of 2005 and newer trucks, and multiply that out - it burns a pile more fuel and doesn't change a thing - just the consumption. I spent last weekend in my truck in northern Indiana, and idled the whole 60 hours I was parked there. 60 hours times .7gph = 42 gallons, but 60 hours times .46gph is ummm - errrr - *eyes crossing* - well it's alot less than that!

 

isn't the idle shut off controlled by the ecu? if it is shouldn't the dealer be able to go in there and take it off just like they uprate the engines?

 

Keep in mind that most of these APU's and generators list their fuel consumption as very low making them look really good. In reality you need to look at the fuel usage at 3/4 load and more and they don't look so good anymore. A little 2000 watt Honda running a rooftop A/C is really going to be humping it's brains out.

I have a Rigmaster, Carrier rooftop A/C and an Espar heater. Gives me many options depending on the situation.

 

I'm just a broke ### O/O running a harbor freight gen, ceramic heater, battery charger from wally world and a portable A/C and have less than $1000.00 into everything. I really only use it in the extrem cold (20 or less ) or in the heat (80 or more ) and it will run 14 hours on 2.5 gallons of gas ( ok so I have to walk up to the pumps unless I'm bobtailing and fill my gas can) Have had several level 1 insp by differant states and no problums even got some comments about my set up from officers. Yeah I have to pull start it and I have to go get gas but for 8 grand savings I can do that all day long. When I bought the gen I paid $50 for a 2 year replacement warrantie and have had this gen for over a year with no problums. It has out lasted the yamaha gen I had befor this one. I do plan on putting either a roof A/C or possibly putting a window A/C in the back of the sleeper if I can do it with out it looking to bad before summer just for more room and better efficancy ( the portable has a hard time in the 100 degree plus days in Az.) I just don't like over paying for things when I can do something else alot cheaper. It amazes me how many truckers idle or run the apu's when its in the 50's and 60's. Fuel will never go down unless we stop burning so much. Think about how many trucks are burning fuel idleing every night. And for you company drivers that say you dont have to pay for that fuel you are correct but I bet you have a POV that you have to put gas in.