2013 cascadia . Isx 450 hp. 10spd. Apu. Reefer . Weight all over the map . Run Omaha to so cal or Omaha to the northeast . Like to run 65 mph , 68 if in a hurry , 70 to get around somone. 75 if they want to race . Weekly averages the last 6 months have been 6.8 to 7.1 ...butttttt...with the change over to blended fuel and howling winds the last few weeks I've dropped into 6.5 range . Never idle anymore than to warm up and cool down .
If my truck came with an APU,.. I would have stuck with it. But out here and loathing when someone with a loud fart cannon APU that putt putts,.. starting and stopping all night,.. just really gets under my skin. I have pulled out and parked on the ramp to get away from them. I went with the generator primarily for cost savings. A diesel APU would have been a lot more convenient,.. I mean diesel truck,.. Diesel APU,.. whats not to understand right? Out of curiosity I looked at some generators. First I looked at the cheap ones you see in the hardware stores,.. the ones that most contractors would us on job sites. Most did not run for more than 6 - 8 hours. Many did not have a built in inverter for my electronics. I was torn. Then came across a guy who had the Honda EU3000 in an RV. 15 - 20 hour run time. Quiet as a church mouse. Expensive,.. but I looked at the potential money I would save in fuel,.. so I pulled the plug. Average APU will run you $6000 - $10,000 for install. Then there is the maintenance and costs associated with repairs. It costs as much,.. or more to repair an APU than it does to replace my generator. I've had the one in my Columbia for almost 3 yrs now. Its been everywhere. I've changed the spark plug in it twice. Filters are done every spring. Change the oil in it maybe twice a year,.. If I feel like it. Never a problem,.. 100% reliability so far. I bought another and set it up the same way in my W9. The only real inconvenience is when its raining/snow/cold out and going to fill up the gas cans for the generator. I need the exercise,.. so I put up with it. I use a 8500 BTU window AC on a rack for summer time. Cools the condo in my Columbia even on the hottest triple digit days. When temps drop below 40,.. I have a 1500 watt Ceramic space heater. Mini Fridge with freezer, forman grill, hot plate, Coffee maker, 1000 watt microwave, laptop, printer, 32inch LCD TV, Dish Satellite TV. I'm all about the creature comforts while out on the road. As stated,.. the EU3000 saves me approx $10,000 - $12,000 annually from not idling. Before and after math. At $2000 From Northern Tools,.. 3 yr warranty,.. and thousands of Honda and RV centers to service it if you ever have a problem ( I never have) It was a no brainer to me vs installing an APU. . Hurst
Thank you Hurst! You have definitely assisted. Did you have the box built for the generator? I'm now very curious to your set up here. I've seen people using generators just never really thought much cause I've always had an apu. However purchasing a new truck, the likely hood it'll have an apu on it unless we custom build our truck isn't likely.
Have good friend in the welding business. He custom made everything from scratch. Boxes and the mounting rack cost me $700 to have made. His welds are meticulous. He's the kind of guy that will grind out the whole weld and start over if he thinks it doesnt look right. A perfectionist. He is currently welding up an NHRA certified cage my my race car. He's done custom sheet metal intakes for me. Custom relocating brackets, machined custom pieces for me,.. I wont use anyone else. . I personally wont ever go new. I have nothing against guys who do. My experience with emissions on these trucks just hasnt been well. That and I do not like dealing with dealer shops and how they treat me,.. particularly if something is under warranty. 5 - 7 days wait time before they even started 3 days of diagnostics before they even started the repair. They are nothing but time robbing parts changers any more. I prefer old school and using old school mechanics. Not sure which way is more cost effective. But I do know,.. when my trucks are running right,.. I have very little problems. They can go months with out ever seeing a shop. Expensive when repairs are needed. But I'm usually on top of things and its been over 2 yrs since I've had one go down on me out on the road and needed to be towed. I'd rather put the money into an older truck and know what I have and whats been done to it than to rely on a dealer for warranty work and be at their mercy for time and repairs. All the while still incurring fixed expenses that dont go away. I do not like being in debt. I prefer to put money away,.. and then when I have it,.. pay cash. Hurst
Thanks again Hurst. You have been more then informative and ultimately guided me towards an answer I was trying to figure out. I'll definitely be looking into this route as an option. Thankfully once the south starts heating up we go back up north so I shouldn't need to worry about the AC part right away.
Not a problem. Happy to be of some assistance. This is just me,.. my way,.. my path of least resistance for the trial and error that I have discovered. Your mileage may vary. Hurst
You need to get an oil sample. It sounds like you're making a lot of soot and the oil sample would indicate why. A dealer is just going to throw parts at it. A compression test should be done as well. If you're using a lot of oil, the rings are probably bad resulting in poor compression and high soot, leading to higher DEF consumption. You may not like the aero style trucks but you'll get much better economy than a classic and at the speeds you're wanting to drive a classic would cost a lot of money. You said you pull van and want an X15 performance and 18 speed? That's overkill for that application. I think the 13l motors are perfect for weight 80k and less. One of the best engines built and has a great reputation is the Detroit S60 12.7 liter, you do t need big displacement. If you must get the the 15l then go for the X15 efficiency. I prefer the 10spd direct and a fast ratio. These new motors make a lot of torque at low rpm so you don't need all those gears to climb a hill and a direct drive saves fuel. If you have to have an OD transmission, just get the 13; for 80k and less an 18 is not needed. If you like something a little old school Western Star has the 5700 but you won't be able to get Cummins in it. The DD15 is a good product. You need an oil sample on yours to find the problem or dealers are just going to keep taking your money and not fixing it.
We have had quit a few test done I'm not sure if they've done an oil sample I'll bring that up to the boss. I've explained to a lot of old school drivers and they've stated it sounds like it's just tired and aging. It's currently just shy of 550k miles, but as I said it's a previous fleet runner. Not taken care of in the best way. We are looking at going to skateboard or even a step. I'd like to go lowboy but he's fairly new to the trucking industry. He told me he didn't really listen to the people he asked questions to before starting this adventure. Mind you this isn't the only bread maker he has, it's more of a retirement plan for him I think. But pre-buying an 18 with the potential to get heavier is a wiser option. You can operate an 18 like a 13 and have the advantage of being able to split the low gears if needed. We do go up to Washington state during the summer fairly flat til the West end of Idaho. That's where the benefits come into play. Absolutely required no, but nice to have when you need it.
