APU Info

Thanks! I do like the TriPak WAYYY over that boat anchor Rigmaster! I went through 3 generations of RM and they were all to maintenance heavy and trouble intensive! I've had very few problems with the TriPak, it's the heater (Esbar?) that I had the most trouble with as the sensor kept dying and that caused a few "chilly" nights in the truck! I just had the guys at Thermo King give me an extra and I just replaced it when it went! The only draw back is the lost space and holes drilled into your truck!

I've been looking at the Willis system but I did not know about the deal if it went out. Is it a "big" problem? I really need to look into it further as my only option in getting a job now is to do a L/P (fleece) plan to get hired and because of where I KNOW I'll want to drive a APU is a necessity! NYC at $350 for the FIRST offense in idling is a check killer! And with everyone else falling on the no idle band wagon and the costs of idling anyway why would anyone fight it?
I do know that the esbar heater was having a problem with the new ULSD and started to smoke heavily because of the carbon build up. A story:My favorite place to park in NYC ,I'd get awaken up by either people walking by thinking my truck was on fire or by the fire department being called out to the truck! I became friends with the guys at the 160 there in Williamsburg! Even donated about 80 pounds of refused chicken to them! Those guys after that kept an eye out for me and kept me safe!
All in all I really want the Willis but if it's a bad problem or one that can't be worked around I guess I'll have to settle on the TriPak. I guess I should go down and talk with the guys here in Springfield in the main office!

 

Rollover
I am an agent for Willis apu's and I have installed lots of them mostly on car haulers (would you believe) where space is tight.
The 3 cyl Kubota Willis APU is spec'd to Tier 2 only so always take this into account when considering a purchase. I spoke to Eldon Willis this week in fact about Tier three and four compliance (CARB) and they are still laboring with it! For them its away off unfortunately and I have lost sales because the potential customers had to have CARB compliant APUs for their 2007 onward rigs!

On quietness of operation it's the best and we have improved it even more by changing the exhaust muffler, so that you only sense vibs when in the cab/sleeper. The plus sides are that whatever your truck pushes out in A/C performance & heat so will the Willis APU! On that score it has to be the best in the industry. The down side is that if the A/C on the Willis goes "Phut" it can affect your truck's A/C system.The same goes for the cooling system. I can envision on a new truck having a warranty issue if the engine defect was traced to an APU fault so another factor to take into account!
Overall a nice APU but a bit on the spendy side especially if you opt for the air compressor option.
That was the good news, now some bad news --maybe.
The most troublesome side of the Willis has to be the A/C system and its electronics.
Since it is connected to the truck's A/C system, refrigerant oil has a habit of settling inside the a/c compressor. So if your truck movement operation calls for less A/C operation in the wintertime then when you DO go for A/C the compressor will be full of oil and it will "slug" the cylinders that can cause damage!----I have even seen the safety valve blown out the back cover on occasions resulting in ALL the refrigerant being lost. Great especially if you are in So Cal in July!
For that reason we have an "in house" anti slugging modification emulating what Ford cars introduced with their Taurus range to eliminate that problem. The same goes for the A/C control. Having had some a/c clutch "short downs" the plant (when in Sparks Nevada) introduced a line fuse to protect the A/C micro relay in the APU ECM. This was successful but we again (in house mod) followed the general automotive practice of installing a 30amp A/C relay outside the ECM to protect the micro circuits. We have found this to be very successful in reducing expensive failure rates!
Overall if installed ok it will perform well!
Nice APU, but remember no A/C power so you will need an inverter!

On the Espar heaters coking of the combustion chamber is commonplace if it is run for too short a time cycling period. For some reason Espars seem to be worse than Webastos for this problem. The Webasto has self regulating fuel metering depending upon altitude etc; whereas Espars have different metering size pumps to regulate fuel flow. Again we are agents for Webasto and I find their customer/dealer support to be superior. So is the parts availability. I got tired of dealing with Espar and "wishy washy" support!

As for Rigmaster well a bit crude and noisy perhaps but for the money it does deliver!
Marred in my opinion by quality issues the unit has a habit of breaking a/c condenser lines and cooling fan seizure. The seizure results in blown fuses and relays. The funky panels surrounding the radiator unit tend to collect dirt so cooling gets affected, In my opinion an APU that could have been made much better with some build quality. I always have parts on hand and we like working on them.
Actros

 

what about the Frigette brand?

 

sandman1976
Ah Frigette or Alliance they are the same!--just the badge on the case and a whole set of different part numbers to suit Freightliner. The alliance version WAS a standard factory install a while back until the two companies fell out!

Essentially a single cylinder Kubota unit running at about 1700r/m and coupled to a 110/115, 60 htz 29 amps (could be 220 if connected that way) generator.
Their sales hype says "Hybrid" but its far from that!
By virtue of the fact that its a single cylinder unit you are going to hear alot of noise when running and "massage vibes" through the truck frame. The unit make a "bop, bop bop" racket when going full chat and I have heard of other truckers complaining about it like it was a reefer unit!
The factory did issue a silencing kit to alter the induction sound (source of the noise) but it was a marginal fix.
It is about the simplest unit out there and about the lightest of the internal combustion engine apu's. For that reason when "APU--ing" a car hauler, it may be your only choice! I have fitted a lot of them both new, used take off's and recon units from an associate down in Fort Worth.
The unit produces a claimed 14,000 btu of a/c output and around 13000btu of heating. On some trucks in the heat of summer it may not cool too well due to the plastic duct cooling towers they supply in the kit to cool the top bunk. Again the installer and his skills dictate the performance and reliability of most APU's.
Product support is good with a service hotline in Fort Worth, and they can answer the phone so you do get a live person in most cases!
Problems---Well yes they are not devoid of that!

Common failures are, the coolant water valve sticks on cool or heat so that when you switch you don't get one service! The part was up modified a while back but I still find some defective units out there!
The electric water pump fails on older units and causes unit shut down through overheat protection.
There's blank plug on the engine case that blows out for some reason --easily fixed by using a rubber freeze plug from a parts store
Common faults are drive belt fell off or shredded!
Then there's the 110/115 no electrical generation issue if the belt is good.
On the top of the generator is a circuit breaker that has a red button. The cover hides a poor wiring connector that breaks under tension/vibration and you loose the power!
The other is that the engine revolutions have dropped and it won't charge sufficiently. Then there's the internal capacitor found if you remove the round end cover on the gen unit. The original capacitor was made in Italy and like Fiats it has questionable reliability, the later gen sets use a Wilspec capacitor made in Oklahoma. To be fair the thing that blows out these capacitors is current surge caused by not switching the power consumption off when starting or shutting down the unit. So bear that in mind.
Overall a cheap and reliable unit that somewhat delivers the goods!
the last time I looked it wasn't tier 3 Carb compliant
I am not too enamored with their factory warranty coverage--p$$ poor. But a good unit and as an installer I can make a fair profit on the sale and install which is more than I can say for some--so overall it gets a two thumbs up from me!
Cheers Actros

 

Guys and Gals
Firstly many thanks for the "Thanks" to my APU posts, but the real thanks might some from some background info on warranties and APU product support.
Just as all APU's are NOT created equal, so are warranties and product support across North America.
First and foremost don't rely on what the salesman (MR Smoothy) is telling you, ask questions and don't assume because your rig/new car came with a warranty that the APU slung on the frame has the same coverage --In most cases NO! So get specific coverage from the agent, in writing, on the presented APU sales contract.

Generally speaking APU comes with 2000hrs or 2 years coverage. BUT then there's the escape clauses/the small print AND the last minute get out clauses/hidden policies, which change according to the size of the fleet that has the apu. Unfortunately O/O's with one truck have no voice so the lowest warranty response, whereas the fleet owner who is buddy buddy with the APU manufacturer/agent might enjoy years of coverage through the old boy network!
1) Most state that it must be installed by an authorized agent for you to "enjoy" the coverage. OK most would agree with that!
2) Some parts of the APU only have one year blanket coverage like the A/C compressor! Any coverage after that dictates that the defective parts be returned to them for manufacture analysis and IF THEY consider it defective then they will re-imburse. This in fact covers their rear end for the terms/interpretation of the warranty but is little comfort if you have to shell out $1000 for an A/C repair when its essentially "Don't call us --we'll call you!--Never happens!
3) Check into service support. Now this can be a minefield especially where big truck dealerships are supporting APU sales and service. Remember the big truck dealer's repair shop focus is on truck service problems not that APU "thing" hanging on the frame! Service experience, actual "wrench activities" might have a long wait time to get something fixed. I have known O/O's wait 9 hours to get someone to look at an APU problem. Then if they need parts do they have to item on the shelf? Or is it a "come back next week" scenario! In short what is their parts holding value/fast mover items etc!
Are the service staff certified to work on the equipment? OK most use R134a automotive refrigerant so no problem, its not that regulated; but some like the Dometic use industrial gases which require a 601 license!
4)Ask the dealer some searching questions about warranty---Like "Does the APU company re-imburse the dealer for the warranty repair within 90 days? Ask for evidence!
If they are "slow payers" or "No payers" the chances are that you might be presented a bill for the warranty repair and you told to submit the claim yourself! Yes it happens! AND I had to recently ask the O/O for payment up front because the APU supplier/manufacturer wouldn't respond or commit in a timely fashion on authorization. To be fair the bill was around 100 bucks but it could have been $2000. Situations like this can result in some terse conversations as you might imagine! Repair shops like to eat too!
5) In these stressed times, there are alot of APU take off's out there with low hours, I install lots of them. One thing though----APU warranties are NOT transferable or portable even if it was still under coverage prior to take off!
6) If you have settled upon a brand of APU ask for some references of O/O's who have had APU's installed at the shop where you want to do business. Get phone numbers and call a fellow trucker for the "skinny" on his buying/using experience. Don't buy blind!
I have a list of O/O customers who will give you the low down on the units I have installed. Some have lurid tales to tell, but I believe in being honest and truthfull about the products I install. See if the dealer you are negotiating with will do the same!
Here are some of the manufactuers and their warranty responses.
Willis--2000hrs/2years one year on A/C component/repairs!Slowpayers!
Not the worst but up there!
Frigette/Alliance, submit the parts for analysis--I have never been able to extract re-imbursement for repairs--I charge the customer at point of delivery.
Powertech/Dometic CHEB 2000hrs/2 years -rigid policy but good warranty support/dealer reimbursement.
Centramatic/Dometic--same as Powertech.
Webasto-- No quibble warranty.

Experiences--Tripack supported by local agents--parts holding low generally speaking!
Proheat same as Tripack
Blackrock--same as above.
Mechron CCS lightening--as above!

As a footnote, I will share the conversation I had a while back with the CEO of one APU manufacturer. Quote:-
We in this industry made a big mistake by signing up big truck dealerships to sell/service/and support our products. Our marketing studies indicated that this was the way to go! In fact it turned out that it was a poor decision. Dealerships focus on the truck but they neglect or won't train APU mechanics so the unit becomes unreliable and the end user loses confidence in the product. We should have concentrated on specialist support within the industry. In short we shot ourselves in the foot!
Stay safe out there
Actros

 

I have got to ask after these great posts....who would you recommend? I'm still leaning to the Tripack with the Willis in second!

 

Rollover the original.
Sorry but I am going to have to ask you some questions to your question!
From that I can hopefully help you to make your mind up!
1) How much clear rail from space do you have on your truck? For a Willis you will need 32" plus another 24" to mount the "Con Rad" unless you mount it behind the cab on a gantry frame. Does your rig have fairings? The Willis does not like being mounted behind a fairing with a "con rad" beside it. In short limited air flow will make it overheat in the southern Texas/Arizona climate in summer.

2)Is your truck a car hauler?

3) The Tripac is basically a cube about 28" wide x 28"--again do you have rail space to accomodate the APU?
(The Tripac has its own integral Con Rad so no extra space is needed for the unit.)

4) Are you comfortable with an integrated unit like the Willis, because you can have the whole truck downed for an APU fault?

5) If the idea of a stand alone unit that doesn't interfere with the truck is prefered then the Tripack is the ONLY choice!

6) If an air compressor for the brakes is a "must" then the Willis is the only unit to offer this as an option!

7) Are you comfortable having a fuel fired bunk heater under the lower bunk area. The Tripac uses an Espar for the cab heat function whereas the Willis uses the truck's heater circuits!

8) Are you comfortable having the ign switch in the "ON" position when the APU is running on A/C? The Willis must be in this mode to have "in cab A/C" operational . Some O/O's have a big objection to this where truck theft is concerned. I have had a few O/O's reject a Willis due to security issues and $1.5 million of Mercedes cars on car hauler!

9) Lastly do you have some contact tel numbers of O/O's with either APU?
If you don't! I can supply "one truck owners" tel numbers (read confidential)_--- Real folk to talk to for the actual experiences of running these units on their trucks. Call me on 7203441877 for details of private numbers to call on!
Cheers Actros

 

Brickman
Yes I like the Ponypack for its simple concept and innovation.
Again installation is the key to a good experience with APU's and competent maintenance.
Actros

 

After reading, the Willis is out! I'll go with the TriPack as I know it works better and requires less maintenance than the Rigmaster! I've used them both for over 2 years each and know TriPack doesn't struggle cooling in 100* heat as Rigmaster does. Now the Espar heater as I said earlier is prone to quitting, due to the sensor but if an O/O or L/P you have the option of having the idle set to stay on in case it decides to quit on the coldest night of the year! My last shut down was at 15* and that is just a tad bit to nippley for me! And I do keep extra blankets in the truck just in case of something like that! I just wish Thermo King would reconfig the heat exchanger to something less space consuming. the engineer in me can't understand why they have a 15 x 10 (guestmaite) opening cut in the front of the bunk when there is only a 6" return air vent tube! All those holes makes it hard to trade a truck or sell it unless you let the unit go also!