Generator for the tractor

LOL,..

My wife was horrified when I first suggested putting a window AC out the driver side window. She scoffed and said we may as well put a 12x60 on our property so we can match the redneck profile I would be advertising.

Truthfully,.. it does get looks and stairs. Mostly from other drivers. They come take pics of it. I'm sure they are on another trucker forum somewhere. Its a great conversation topic with other O/O's.

How ever,.. truth be told,.. I am tired of lugging the darn thing from my top bunk to the window and back every day. I'd much rather have a permanent solution with less manual labor involved.

Only 3 options to resolve that. Either cut a hole in the back of the sleeper for a window unit (Aint never gonna happen on any truck I own).

Option 2 is to do an upright. My experience with the uprights is that they are not as efficient as the window units. Being that I like to sleep wrapped up in a blanket,.. if I go with an upright I'll buy the largest most expensive one they have.

Option 3,.. and the one I am personally leaning toward, is installing a roof mount RV style 12,000 BTU ac unit. Thats not an option for a Columbia with a condo roof. But I have already seen it done on many 379 and W9 trucks,. so that will probably be the route I go with. Keeps the wife happy,.. I still get to sleep comfortably,.. win win.

Hurst

 

Option 4: What about mounting the window AC unit under the truck and running a duct into the sleeper? I was going to try it but things changed and I'm barely out overnight anymore.

 

If you have that much flexibility, you might want to have a look at split systems

 

I got ETQ diesel generator for $300.00 6.5 kW wanna try split system. looks like much easier to install. Not sure condenser/compressor will last long.

 

I dont know. It could be done,.. but the way I'm thinking to get it done, it would cost as much in time and labor as it would to just get a roof mount. Putting it under the sleeper just seems like an over complicated way to do something that should be really simple.

Hurst

 

Hurst, I'm sure you explained this elsewhere and I missed it, but may I ask why?

 

Because I have yet to ever look at someone who put a window AC in the back of their sleeper and think wow,.. that looks like a professional. No offense to those who have done this,.. but to me it screams hill billy back woods redneck with babies running around the yard of a trailer home with patchy grass and dog poop all over the yard while in diapers and no clothes. Thats the mental image I see when I see a window unit sticking out of the back of pretty much any vehicle. I have a difficult time with my own redneck window set up.

Also there is the potential problem where if you need to replace the AC unit with another,.. unless its replaced with the same exact model,.. there may be a problem with a different model fitting into the same hole.

The other reason is that if you ever wanted to sell the truck,. you would have to either repair the hole you cut in the back of the sleeper,.. or include the AC and generator in the sale price for the truck. I'm a pretty selfish person when it comes to selling a vehicle. I'll strip off everything I added and return it to stock before I give away free modifications that a buyer is not willing to pay extra for. I can then re-use them on something else or sell them separately.

Hurst

 

I know I just can't bring myself to butcher a hole in the back of the sleeper. #1 problem is looks and stability #2 problem is I'd have to lose my handle that holds my airlines spring deal. #3 problem is heat from the regens might defeat or destroy the system

 

I saw this, this might work on a Peteribilt 379?

 

I have thought about this and considered installing a slightly larger RV window in the back of the cab, which would allow for some room for different models, and could simply be "closed" when the AC was no longer needed.

Can't help the other issues however.

Since I don't have a use for my upper bunk (for sleeping anyway), I have considered cutting the top of the condo and recessing a roof mount in there (yes, requires major fiberglass work).

Everything is on hold though since I saw that http://www.noriahome.com deal, which might allow for under-bunk.