Cheers Bill. We are at $2800 right now, and it is removed from the truck already. He said the only thing I would need to install is the T fitting on the fuel line for the generator and heater. Everything else is there with it and working, according to the owner! Next will be finding and installation and user manual for the specific Tripac I guess, although I doubt it can be that hard if the parts swappers at dealers can do it Martin
My 2006 Columbia mate. Will be a tight squeeze, as I have 300 gallon tanks, and a toolbox on either frame rail! I have the plasma cutter, welder, and so on to make it work though.....I hope! Martin
Gotcha...ya got the twin 150 on your truck i take it ...and im assuming you have the tool boxes towards the rear ...
A picture is worth a thousand words etc... I will have to lose the steps on the passenger side to mount the APU for sure. Martin
I measured a Schneider drivers Tripac in a rest area a few weeks ago...after asking of course I just have enough room if I lose the step and it's stupid hook bolts. If I space it away from the frame a little, I will have a few more inches due to the suspension brackets etc. Martin
I re-read both (there were 2) threads on this generator thing & thought,,,if I had read all this, I still wouldn't know what works and what doesn't. What's best for me and how do I accomplish this? Heres what I think is best for a DIY apu system... It ain't the only way, but it works. Generators: MY absolute favorite "stand-alone" gensets are the eu-2000i & eu-3000is Hondas IF you just want SIMPLE! Mount it behind the cab on the framerails, run an extension cord into the sleeper and run any 120 vac appliance you want! (both have a fuelpump so could be plumbed to a remote tank LEGALLY) MY absolute favorite for a "box-mounted" genset is the Northstar 2700. (had a Honda ep-2500 on awhile & it was fine, but it kept breaking it's motor mounts. It was replaced with a new Northstar 2700 yesterday) The Northstar 2700 has a Honda 160cc. ohc 5 hp engine & the gen-head is made by Northstar. www.northerntool.com (Parts & service are available 24/7) What I like about this genset is that its SIMPLE. Easy to modify for use in a frame mounted box, change oil, replace motor mounts when needed etc. A brand new Honda engine for this is 300 bucks. The gen/alt "head" complete is less than 250. The whole set NEW is $570.00 It weighs 84 lbs, has a fuel pump, & Is EPA & CARB approved.(You MUST run a remote tank for this tho as it comes with a 2 qt. tank only.) NorthernTool also has a good sellection of plastic & aluminum fuel tanks, steel & aluminum boxes, etc, so check that out too! For the A/C check www.compactappliance.com & see the stand-alone room a/c's & choose whats best for your application. Typically they run about 400 bucks +/-. These are "inverter-based" & stand up well to vibration. For heat a $20.00 walmart "cube-heater" will do ya fine. TOTAL price for my set is... Genset...................$560.00 Sidebox..................$200.00 Alum. tank..............$200.00 A/C........................$450.00 Heater....................$20.00 Misc. (cords etc).......$50.00 Total......................$1480.00 True,,,I have an 18 gal. alu. tank on mine but for the record,,,I only put 8 gal. in. but IF,,, I was to full it full, (which would be illegal ) 72 hours later I'd have to drop my trailer & B/T across the parkin-lot to a gas pump. Hope this helps others,,, & NO,,, I won't argue with some meatball that couldn't find his ##### with a flashlight, & a 6-man search party. EDIT & NOTE, You must vent the box! I cut the whole back side outa the box, and vent the door & both ends. (get vents at H/Depot) In the winter I run it with the door closed but in the summer I run it with the door open. Also ya need to get exhaust outa the box & out from under the sleeper! I use the 90deg. tube material cut to fit off the "cradle" that the gen came mounted in originally, & weld it to the muffler to route it out the bottom of the box.) Do what works for you. C-ya! R
Using a gasoline generator such as this, I would definitely recommend plumbing the exhaust up one of the stacks so that it exits above the top of the sleeper compartment. CO is a big problem with gasoline engines, not so much with diesel. Barring that, definitely a CO detector in the sleeper compartment.
Then, of course, you can buy the Honda or similar Yamaha generators in a tri-fuel version.... gasoline, propane, natural gas. A propane tank mounted on the rail running that generator would be cleaner, last longer, and be easy to refill the propane tank at a lot of places. Yamaha tri-fuel link: http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/ Custom made truck boxes for various generators: http://www.hayesequipment.com/hayes_products.htm
