jt, several guys here at mercer use the champions and they have gotten great service out of them, nothing wroong with them, quiet and dependable. northeren tool has a 4000 watt champion with remote start for 450.00
Well, actually, I would run a 500 watt oil pan heater. Heat rises and warm oil assists for a cold start. Of course, the AC would not be running in the dead of winter. Two 500 watt fuel tank heaters. The Batteries (which handle Espar and hotel loads) would be charged thru the inverter /charger unit already on board (aka shore power hookup). Most I would consume is 2Kw. Might have a spike a little higher for a few seconds. I would say a 3Kw would comfortably handle all I need done. I mentioned a tri-fuel Yamaha 2400 watt unit. There is also a tri-fuel Yamaha 3000w unit that is roughly the same price, size, and weight of the Honda Eu3000. But it also has 500w boost mode that the Honda does not have. http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/ef30iseb.htm And there is a cargo box with remote control starting for it. http://www.hayesequipment.com/hayes_products.htm
Have no real dog in the hunt regarding full blown APU's, but one that caught my attention recently was the Dynasys unit. Forest Lucas of Lucas Oil seems to like this one and has put it on a lot of his trucks, again, for what it is worth. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWZM2b_32yE[/ame] http://www.hodyon.com/auxiliarypower.aspx And for what it is worth, it has financing behind it. No credit check and $500 off or OOIDA members. Also can do a lease of the unit instead of purchase. Haven't done a side by side comparison to the other APU's. Just putting out some info for others to take a look at. The dealer network seems pretty good..... http://dealers.hodyon.com/
@$1k for a box.(!) @$2.5k for a Yamaha tri fuel generator. Then you still need heat and a/c? Then you still need an extra fuel tank? Getting up there huh? Martin
Yours may be different, but most inverters put on trucks to provide shore power, are NOT also charger units to replenish the batteries. This type of inverter is what is on most RVs so they are available, but more expensive than the standard inverters sold in truckstops. I just wish somebody made a generator set-up that could come on and off only when charging for the batteries, and AC was needed, combined with a fuel fired bunk heater. This is the biggest like I have of the TriPac unit, outweighing a bunch of other negatives.
He did say inverter/charger, so I would imagine that it is indeed the charger too. A lot more money than the run of the mill inverters, but if it came on the truck from new, it may have been pretty cost effective. Martin
I did want to research the dynasys and life force on Monday....i figure with the generator rooftop unit box I could come out somewhere between $4,000 and $4,500 still $5,500 cheaper than a new Tripac and i have warranty on the rooftop unit and honda (or Yamaha) warranty on the generator which is still better than taking a chance with a used unit....if I went with a cheaper generator I can cut that cost in half again, but I'm not too excited with the gas generator and think I would feel more comfortable with the tri-fuel yamaha (I think Honda 3000is offers it also) so I just want to speak to life force and dynasys get some pricing and make a decision from there
I emailed that US Carburetion place about the propane setups. Here is their reply to some questions I asked: Thank you for your interest in US Carburetion. Based on the information you provided I'm thinking you can use a Yamaha EF2800i or a Yamaha EF3000i. You can use the link below to see the application chart for the Yamaha Generators. http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/generator/application.aspx Propane runs gallon for gallon the same as gasoline. Our Yamaha Generators have a great duty cycle. We have had customers report that they have run them for thousand of hours and they are still going. If you have any additional questions, please let me know. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Sincerely, Lora Customer Service Representative US Carburetion, Inc. Martin
I think it really doesn't matter if it's diesel, gas,or propane fired. A full-on APU or a genset based system like we've been talking about. An O/O will still save between $3,500 & $7,000.00 per year on average, on his fuel bill! Do what ya can but do something....
