Kenworth Idle Management system

Are those of you who run it satisfied with it? I’m trying to decide which Tech I will buy for my truck.

-The diesel APUs from what little I learned online searching tended to perform better in extreme heat situations , which would be of interest for me when I roll through hometown Phoenix. Also they can run for any length of time without recharging like the Kenworth.

-OTOH, the Kenworth system is cheaper with little to no maintenance (supposedly). Article claims both systems have similar longevity.

- I’m not sure but I don’t think the Kenworth does anything to warm the engine block

- I don’t know where a fuel fired bunk heater fits into the equation

 

Do you have access to "normal" 110v when parked for longer time?

 

All we had in our day is a engine block heater. Just look for a 110v outlet and plug it in. Even in -30 she has some temperature enough to fire naturally on air start. I would not shut down ever at -30 without plugging that in. Its a rule of mine.

Phoenix, Death Valley and some other places when it's hot, I don't shut down either.

 

I would say I wouldn’t? I don’t have my own house yet. The most I would be able to do is plug in at the company terminal where I lease on to.

 

The few people who I have talked to with actual experience with the battery type APU's have not had good things to say about them. I have been told they don't keep a cab cool on really hot days and the battery only lasts 8 or 10 hours.
I have a diesel powered APU, and it also won't keep the truck very cool in Phoenix in the summer. In fact, it is just bearable if I close off the bunk, but not at all cool imho. The main air-con will, but that means running the big engine.
All in all, I prefer to have a diesel powered unit. The bunk heater will heat you right out of the cab, and it will run (along with the APU engine) for weeks on just a little fuel, keeping the batteries up and truck warm. It will keep it cool also, but not in the southern Arizona desert. Hope that helps.

 

Espar bunk heater for cold, idle the truck for AC, I can do an inframe for the cost of an apu to save .3 gal of fuel an hour, they will be junk by the time you break even

 

Kenworth has two types of idle management system. One has the battery only fuel fired heater and battery powered AC, and the other has that same system with automatic engine starting for recharging the batteries. My 2019 T680 has the first one without the auto engine start. Bought the truck new in October 2018 and have been using the system non-stop since then with absolutely no problems. You have to clean the air filters on the furnace and AC every 2,000 hours of use, but other than that I've done nothing to them. The AC works great for me, but I don't spend a lot of time in the southwest. I have done resets in Phoenix with trucks running an APU, and so far I haven't found anything that can keep the inside cool when it's pushing 120 outside other than idling the engine and running the in-dash AC. But if you live in Phoenix you probably won't be staying in the truck down there, so why bother with the extra expense of an APU?

As somebody else mentioned, the furnace works too good. I keep the temp set at 63 or 65 at night, even when it's below zero outside. Any higher and you'll wake up in a pool of sweat. If you'll be doing a 34 hour reset, you may need to start the engine and idle a while to charge things back up, especially with the AC on since the blower for it seems to use a lot more juice than the furnace blower.

There is no engine block heater that I'm aware of on my truck. When it gets down around zero, I get the engine good and warm until I'm ready to sleep, and then fire it up again as soon as I wake 7 or so hours later. Haven't had a problem yet on any truck I've driven.

 

I have the same system @SteveScott has on a 2019 T680 with the same experience. The only issue was a faulty switch that took the dealer 25 hours to find (warranty).

Driver absolutely loves it, but we never do 34’s on the road.

 

Not good to Idle emissions trucks. Before long start having problems.