Best new APU for the money?

I don't know. I've never heard a loud tri-pak. They're the quietest apu there is.

 

read the link... @ under 60 db. From 30 ft you can't even hear it... diesel apu's STINK.

 

No they don't...

 

I have a Dynasys. I paid nearly $10k cash for mine. I wouldn't purchase any other brand of APU when this one needs to be replaced I will be purchasing another Dynasys.

It has a built in heater no secondary heater needed. Keeps me nice and toasty in the coldest of conditions.

Keeps me nice and cool in the summer.

The main thing with newer trucks is obviously to limit idle time if you want it to last long, so with that being said the fuel consumption of the APU isn't a real big issue its saving the actual truck motor from expensive repairs.

I purchased mine from Boomer Diesel in Oklahoma City, OK.

Call and talk with the owner Jim he will answer any questions

Comes with a 2 year no questions asked warranty.

 

Dynasys must have improved dramatically because Poly had some of those on a few of their truck. They had so many problems with them that they just stopped fixing them.

Unless you're gonna keep your truck until you junk it, I wouldn't redneck it up with a gas generator and a rigged walmart a/c unit because you'll never be able to trade it in if you decide you want a newer truck.

Right about the time I was leaving Big G, they were putting rebuilt Tripacs on their new trucks coming in, so TK must sell refurbished units as well as new. I mean, it's a diesel engine, so even if it had high hours, the motor itself isn't gonna be worn out since there is no real load being put on the engine. If they put new a/c components, a new alternator and injectors, basically you have a new unit at a used price.

One thing to consider between idling your truck or getting an APU is the cost of things like a DPF service. Idling a DPF engine reduces the lifespan of the DPF. I know the price of servicing a DPF isn't as high as it use to be, but it's still more expensive than doing a few oil changes on an APU, especially if you do the APU oil changes yourself.

 

I buy apus, as mentioned maintained is far less than $1000 a year, the savings for many of them exceeds both the purchase/install price and the maintaince by 2.5.

There is something about a generator and that set up is how do you charge your batteries and if it craps out and you are in weather like this then what?

I get apus also crap out, but many places will work on them to see if they can get it going.

And in a disaster, the local harbor freight pulled their entire stock of generators off their shelves to ship them where the disaster happened, so if yours craps out, then what?

Charging your batteries is a back up thing when you have an engine problem, this is how I've gotten by a few times in the past.

I've seen some rinky dink setups with a low amperage chargers and generators where it barely charges one battery, let alone four.

So $12k can be a good but expensive investment, but which way to go is up to you.

 

@Tug Toy and @Cowpie1 I believe both are running gas generators with the ability to charge batteries.

 

I had TK on a 2013 truck. It was still their first generation APU. It was expensive to fix. They had trouble with small alternators going out. They we're only 65amps or something. Just junk and like $350 to replace at TK. They had trouble with the belts. They could not tightig the belts enough to stop them from slipping. Their was an upgrade to fix that problem I paid for it was like $300. When they get lots of hours on them the glow plugs can go bad. The stater for the engine go bad and they are not cheap.

Today they have the new second generation TK. I hope they impoved all the little problems. I liked having it. I could sit in Arizona at 107 in the sun and cab was cool. That was using the air duct system they have vs hooking it in to the sleep vents. I point that out because the box they use blows a huge amount of air and I think that was the reason it worked so good in the summer heat.

They are nice but mine was no so cheap with the repairs. Mine was also used it had like 2,000 hour on it when I got the truck. TK charges like $300 to change the oil and filter and the special air filter you needed for the box under the sleeper. So I never went to TK again for oil change.

 

If you're in bad weather and the generator goes out, that just means you have to idle for a bit until you get it fixed. There are stores like Harbor Freight across the country where you can probably replace the whole unit for the price it would cost to repair a diesel APU. Gas also won't gel in cold weather like diesel does.

I've got a charger that I use that keeps the batteries between 12.6 and 13.1.
https://www.amazon.com/Viking-Automatic-Microprocessor-Controlled-Battery/dp/B078RW2M34

Now as far as resale value goes, that's only true if you hack giant holes in the cab. You could easily fabricate a piece of ducting to one of the windows. The cord for the generator could be routed through the bunk or front doors.

You can make a clean, quiet, non invasive APU setup for less than $1000. You can save money on fuel compared to diesel APUs. You can spend less maintaining the units, or even just replace them for what looks like the same price every year.

You might have to get out of your truck to put fuel in the unit, run an extension cord, and turn it on. You might have to take out some screws or bolts to replace an air filter, replace the spark plug, and change the oil. It might get messy. If you can't handle these tasks and have money to burn, then it makes sense to get a diesel APU.

 

Ok your batteries are weak, it gets cold and you have problems starting the truck and wear them down. You need at least an alternator with a 50 amp capacity to charge that bank of batteries.