TriPack or Carrier APU?

BBBill shoots....HE SCORES!!!!

I have been reading and researching these APU's. From what I have found:

1) TriPack is the lowest headache and walletache. Carrier is a distant second.
2) DO NOT USE THE BATTERY ONLY VERSIONS!!!!
3) For most of us, paying the tickets for idling will cost less than the APU annually.
4) Anti-idle laws are unconstitutional.
5) Screw Commiefornia

 

I've got a Tri Pac on my 08 379 and is wonderful. A/C cold, heat will blister your hand if you put it near the outlet. Heater uses an Espar type of heater. In 0 degree weather here in Iowa the other night, was sleeping on top of bedding to keep from roasting.

Only problem I've had with the Tri Pac was the a/c compressor froze at 5,000 hours and was replaced under warranty. And an idler pulley made of plastic disintegrated, again, a warranty item

Wonderful product. And oh yeah, it comes with a kick ### 1800 watt heavy duty inverter as part of the package

 

I ran into a guy in springfield mo that has a bunch of used apu's for sale his name is (Removed as spam violation). I got a great deal on a comfort master it works great. lots of heat and air. he had some other units also like tripac and rigmaster. If you need a apu Im sure he can help you out and save you a fortune.

 

I can post my personal experience of the equipment I got from the person that was listed above and then removed.
Like anything used, you buy "as is". Didn't have but less than 20 hours on the unit and the crankshaft busted. Do the math...that's only 2-3 nights TOTAL. Called and asked for help as I felt shafted (pun intended). He only offered to sell me another motor. NO THANK YOU. Now all I had was a boat anchor that cost thousands attached to my truck. I went out and got another motor on Ebay, a new one and replaced it. Also had to replace motor mounts as they were shot. Missed a lot of work. End of story. Now when I need something, I deal directly with the owner of Comfort Master. Don't know about any of his "other" units that were also listed.
That was my experience, hopefully everyone else got a better unit and support.

I also find it suspect that the poster has an email name of "mobilepower" and that was his first post....

 

Gears, since getting your problems fixed, what do you think of the unit itself? You think it is better than the Thermo King? I had just about decided to go with TK until I found this thread, now wondering about Comfort Master.Any input you or any other CM users have would be appreciated. Is your new motor as noisy as the old motor?

 

The Comfort Master is bigger than the TK unit, it's also a bit louder. Along with that comes heating and cooling that TK can't match. I've heard of TK's not being able to keep up with hot summers, especially cooling down. Not this guy. It's never underperformed. I don't know all the features and specs of other units, but this one does everything I ask it to do.
I see now there's other manufacturers that are wising up and using a 3 cylinder Isuzu or Yanmar (same motor). It's a workhorse.
Visit their website and compare.

 

I have the Carrier and love it. Had it installed new in December. On the coldest nights at below zero I didn't even have the thing set past the bottom third of the heat range and had to turn it down. From a lot of reviews I was expecting it to be a lot louder than it is. Maybe that it is a newer unit.

They offer upto a 10k hour, deductable free warranty. And it is transferble so should help with resale value.

 

A lot of differences between the units we are talking about. Some of them have absolutely no 110V. Those that do are usually belt driven on a Markon Stator. Whereas an inverter, from the opinion of one who cooks in the truck not with a 600w microwave but a large 2500w convection/microwave and often an electric skillet for Ham & Eggs (the trick being able to make toast while the eggs are cooking), could never handle the load. With today's health concerns, not to mention the cost of roadside diner food, one is foolish not to cook for yourself as much as possible.

Fewer moving parts but also accessibility is key. There is a 40 year old company called Mechron and they were not new to APU's as they serve 7 different militia's around the world. They entered the market, guns a-blazing, with a 6.5kw direct driven Stator, electric heat, (no automotive coolant lines running into your bunk) and A/C compressor in the blower assembly under the bunk. Unlike the competition that misers fuel, most at 2800RPM, they run these at 3650RPM to generate a constant hum as opposed to whap-whap-whap, etc. They even had these branded with the flying J logo and you could finance them through that end of the "J" for a period. The industry wasn't good to them, or at least not as good as military contracting was. They designed a unit for Internationals and wanted to see 2000 units sold but, I think, made half those numbers and pulled the plug. They went back to militia's only.

Another thing about them was the case of the APU, itself, could be completely removed, panel by panel. So for even the most elaborate working you could get easy access to everything! My first truck had an Aux, long gone from the industry and it had 3 belts on it and absolutely no room in the case to get a hand in there. The poorest design you had ever seen.There are a lot of units out there like this and many cannot and will not weather the storm after a couple years. Every time you turn around there are APU companies falling victim to this industry. Kid ourselves not, they have failed the task.

I am just specing a new T660 ISX15 600 with the 86" Aero and am trying to figure my best option. I cannot find a direct drive for the life of me. I have found a unit made in Canada called the Patriot with lots of power, same as the Mechron, but it does not use electric heat. It is automotive style heat but I could use that to my advantage. I could use a block heater with the reserve and have a standalone rad on the APU and avoid tapping into the coolant lines. It is imperative that you pay careful attention to those lines if plumbed into the main engine. I have lost all coolant on two occasions this year in -20 weather!

My concern is they have only been around a couple years. By significant backing it is not hard to see the appeal of TK and the Carrier. They both have their flaws. With a lot of trucks coming with factory Subzero freeze packs and a separate battery bank, while using an Espar for heat, for 10 hours of comfort, this would be ideal if someone made a 4KW direct drive unit with 110V and 12V charging, autostart etc, but no heat or air. I was looking for just that type of system as KW has a new No-Idle system you can factory install but it deletes the main engine sleeper A/C system and the cab unit with that big bunk wouldn't suffice while driving through AZ in 110 heat

This is an industry niche, still lacking a proper and reliable solution and I think the best bet with Mechron, deserted us for greener pastures.

 

Eggs and ham are not healthy. The sodium and cholesterol will clog your heart. Microwaves are far from putting out culinary delights and used as a cooking device. I bet rubber eggs and leather ham is good. Their only useful purpose is reheating food and cooking TV dinners. We all have our ways to cook. I prefer a crock pot. I'm happy with a 2500 watt inverter.

Back to the OP, a TriPak is much better than a Carrier. Not only are they much quieter and need less repairs, a ThermoKing is about everywhere if you do need repairs.

 

On another thread I heard people having to pay into the $100's to service the TK. My last PM for my Carrier was $39 at the Petro and that was with synthetic (think they missed this on the bill). Also, like the idea of heating the engine block.