APU when buying a truck or not?

I have a Honda Generator thinking about Chaining it to the Catwalk.
Has anyone else thought of going the generator route ?
The cost of a Excellent generator is a 1/3 of a APU.


P.S. If you have not heard a Honda Generator before they are super quiet.

 

I installed a Rigmaster on my 99. It paid for itself the fisrt year I had it.
Yes it is loud..
There have been repair costs on it as well, but to do it all over again yes I would.
When I do break down and buy a new trk. I will put on an APU.
Most like a Tri Pac

 

You haven't said how old of a truck you plan to buy . An older , poorly maintained APU will cause problems and you'll have to pay the cost of having it removed to have a new one installed . A well maintained APU on a newer truck is fine . On an older truck buy one without an APU and get a new APU installed , especially if you run CA .

 

we have a gen-set with a kubota engine. roof air and we use a ceramic heater.

 

My thoughts. I've found a dealer with used apu's 8-10k hrs. Alternative is a generator with a ceramic heater(& a small A/C for summer). The truck I have is a lease/purchase,(I'm getting the truck for under $40k).
Thoughts and or comments anyone?
Thank you

 

Do not add a bolt to an L/P truck. Odds of a lease completing are very low. Also check the contract. None that I have heard of would allow for you to add an APU.

 

Oh, and regarding your APU question i general. Buy new, the idea is to save money and if you do the math the break-even on a new one is under 2 years and likely less.

 

As I said I am getting the truck on a short l/p (21 months). As to why not a new unit, ? Money or a lack there of. A new unit is 8-10k , and that is more than I have available. I can add the unit but it will be part of the truck. Agreement says this can be done with maint ok. I've already asked andbeen ok'd.

 

I would do the math & make sure the cost of the unit would be less expensive. I myself do not idle, but then I do not run otr. how much would be spent in idle cost compared to how long it would take to have investment pay for itself. for some it is not worth it. I see so many truckers idle for no apparent reason to me. if I don't need heat or a/c I do not idle.

 

I did the math on mine-I idled (for climate control) about 250 hours last year. At a gallon an hour, even at $4/gallon, it would take me four years to pay for even the cheapest apu. During the summer, I open the hood to let the engine cool off to the air instead of into the cab and open my vent windows while I excercise, shower and eat supper, and unless it's really hot outside, I don't have to idle. I use a catalytic propane tent heater during the winter, so I only idle if it gets so cold I'm afraid the truck won't start.