APU when frame space is at a premium

Nebraska big rig Gretna Nebraska 888763 4833 call and talk to them about it

 

I've run the bergstrom nite in various versions, on Cascadia's, Volvo's, Internationals. I've also run the Park Smart systems on Freightliners. I also ran Tri-pak on Volvo and KW680's. The Battery ones are good for 8 hours in the winter, 4-6 in the summer, then they either go into low voltage disconnect; or the truck fires up (if autostart is equipped). The Tri-pack can be setup to monitor the batteries, fire up, charge them and shut off. The Carrier Comfort Pro I have now, can be programmed to do pretty much everything you can think of. I would never go back to a battery system, even the TK and Carrier ones. I'm space limited also, and I had the driver side tank shortened, and the APU is mounted between the fuel tank/def tank on the driver side away from the DPF/Exhaust (pass side). Noise isn't an issue.

 

FWIW, our 2019 Kenworth has the EPU package, and during the summer after a 10 in Boise (from 6 to 4, typically, so 100 plus to 75 or so) it has 2/3rd of the battery charge left. So far, it's performed well above our expectations.

 

Park for a night next to a reefer then park between 2 apus the next night.
Then you will know if it's going to work for you .

 

Here's how We Mount them in Australia..

 

I think I have seen some APUs mounted right behind the cab, but it’s rare. Most are mounted next to the frame with 4 claw mounts (like mine), or perhaps bolted to the frame. If you do end up mounting it behind the cab, you can place some soundproofing material on the window.

By the way, I don’t think the APU is safe to be mounted on a catwalk behind the cab. The center catwalk behind my cab can hold weight well, but does not have enough stability to hold anything heavy in place. There are only two bars holding the catwalk down. It’s not even bolted. I can remove it by pushing the two bars under the catwalk.

 

I would recommend you go with a Thermo King diesel APU. They are hands down the leaders, and have locations all over the nation. You can also find some YouTube videos on how to do a PM or repair because just about everyone has a TK APU. The only drawback is that it’s very pricey to repair them. So, it’s best that you learn how to do the PMs and repairs yourself.

 

If I'm reading this right there's 2 reasons for apu:
-keep fridge in truck going all weekend when you're away
-air conditioning for sleeping during summer

I assume the fridge works on just the truck batteries while you're working. Or do you idle the truck at night while working? If you idle it at night you don't need apu for a.c.. just to keep batteries charged. If this is the case would an outside generator set be cheaper and easier and just plug fridge directly into that? Do you just sweat it out in summer, but have had enough of that?

I'm also short on frame space but home daily for August Sept oct so I only suffer for a while. I don't go too far south either.