Portable generator on truck??

pick ya up an electric skillet so you can start frying your bacon and eggs in the morning too.

 

The 2000 is an excellent unit, but I found it was at it's limit starting an a/c compressor. Even after opening the a/c up and installing a start capacitor. It runs ok, but cannot use eco mode on the gen when running a/c. If the gen was running at low rpm, the start surge would drop voltage enough to spike current and trip the breaker in the a/c unit. Then it would reset and endlessly try again but never start. Switch eco off and the a/c would go fine.

I think the a/c was a 12k btu unit, but I can't find the specs on it at the moment. Maybe a smaller unit would start ok in eco mode? This one got the job done, so didn't explore any further.

I guess my point is: be prepared and choose just enough a/c to get the job done. If I buy another Honda generator, I'll definitely go for the 3000 without a doubt.

 

Right - I looked up specs on the AC unit, figured the peak surge and guessed that an 8,000 BTU unit would be about right.

I went through a similar process when we installed a Generac 14kw standby generator plumbed into the propane tank for the house, figuring peak startup need for AC, dryer, pool motor etc.

 

Mine is 7500 btu and I have the same problems with my 2000. If I was doing it again I'd get the 3000 without hesitation.

 

Like having a lawn mower running wide open just outside your window...geeesh
Most have a 4-5 hr running ability when at full power.

But you can rig anything,,,,truckers are like a farmer with a welder....noo problem!

 

VS what,.. idling a 15 liter diesel engine all night with 8" pipes? Yes,.. that is so much quieter and friendlier to the environment. Or talk about sounding like a lawnmower,.. thats how most APU sound to me when I am parked next to one.

The Honda EU3000iS at full throttle is less quieter than a normal conversation. Much much quieter than any of the APU's on trucks today. Sounds nothing like a lawnmower.

As for run time,.. mine has a 3.75 gal tank,.. it will run a Frigidaire 8500btu window AC turned all the way to max cool and a Coleman oil bath radiator heater turned all the way up (I had both plugged in at same time on my back porch to test how long it would run) and powered both at the same time using just over 2 gals for 10 hours. Thats roughly $5 - $6 a night. EU3000Is is rated for 20hours at 50% load.

Plus I have plans to add a 10 gallon external tank to my set up to allow longer periods between refueling.

I mean what does the average APU service/repair cost? $1500 - $2500 is the average. For that I can replace the entire generator. My whole set up,.. Generator, AC, Heater and custom side box was $2700. Generator has a 3yr factory warranty,.. you can purchase up a 5yr warranty. I can replace the generator twice and still be ahead of the game compared to a commercial APU setup. Plus there is nothing complicated. Remote electric start, 4 way outlet in the sleeper, box, window AC,.. they either work or they dont. No need to lose money while the truck is in a service center just because the APU isnt working correctly.

That and I have been in 2 trucks with APU's and the AC cranked up. Both were condo's like mine and the AC didnt work all that well. It was cooler than outside,.. but still a little warm and humid. The upper bunk was miserable hot.

Hurst

 

Yes same problem here-- 1600 watt EU2000 Honda gen powering a 7000 BtU air conditioner. First issue 7000 BtU's is barely enough for a 100 degree day. Second issue is have to run at full idle for about 20 mnutes to 'prime' the A/C before switching to Eco mode. Only cools to about 85 degrees in full sun. Strip down to skivvies and a big fan to stay Marine comfortable. The unit really shines when the sun goes down.

The little Honda can't handle more than 7000 BtU's. My next incrnation will be the 3000 watt Honda and 12,000 BtU A/C.

 

Anyone run a 14,000btu underbunk ac unit? I know Dometic has one, I just wonder if something like that would keep a truck cool on a 100 degree day.

 

don't know, just run the 12k rooftop unit from a eu3000i
i ran it everynight from phoenix to houston and back over the last 8 night and it was never under 90 outside some days with high humidty and often over 100 and i slept under blankets

 

I drove an 08 T660 that had a battery APU under the bunk setup. It used this pinkish fluid for the AC system and used the vents in the sleeper unlike how other APU's have separate vents coming out under the lower bunk.

It ate up 80% of the storage space under the sleeper,.. but it did keep the sleeper pretty cool even on the hottest days. The only down side was that it would only last 6 - 8 hours and the low battery would kick in an shut it off. You then had to start the truck and it would be about an hour before you could run the APU again.

The alternator went out once, had to run jumper cables from the reefer to keep the lights going to limp the truck to a KW service center 250 miles away that had the specific Alternator for that set up. $900 Alternator.

Wish I knew how much BTU that thing pumped out,.. but it worked pretty well. The APU also had an inverter rated 3000 watt. Had two different household style outlets. One near the floor on the bottom bunk,.. the other was inside the cabinet on the passenger side. Control panel in the sleeper handled the heat and AC. Neat thing was you could run both the truck AC and the APU AC at the same time to really cool things off if it was really hot out. Once you got it cool enough,.. you could shut off the truck and the APU kept things nice and comfortable.

Also,. there was a plug outside on the back of the sleeper where the battery shut off was,.. you could plug in shore power for the APU.

Hurst