Will a portable A/C unit work inside my truck?

few years back the A/C unit that came with my APU quit,,a new one was about $1800,,the gen on the apu worked fine so I bought a portable tower A/C unit and it worked fine , stuck the hot air duct out the pass window and the drain thru a bolt hole in the floor for the pass seat,,

 

A friend of mine has this one. He runs it with a Honda EU2000 generator.


He says it cools 30 degrees below ambient temp, which is about as good as you can expect. It requires a 6" vent hole, and he said although it claims to have "evaporative technology" it works better if you run a small drain line.

 

Paging @RedForeman -- I believe he has some experience with one.

 

I was thinking about the same thing. Get a dremel, ply wood, duct tape.

 

IIRC RedForeman did not match his amp draw to his generator so it didn't work right.

 

My buddy uses the LG portable a/c @dannythetrucker mentioned. He uses a cheap predator generator from harbor freight to power it. He likes it, but has to set it up ever time. He runs the vent out his passenger window up front, and has the hose wrapped in thick insulation.

If I went the portable route, I'd get a two hose setup and install it in a way that I didn't have to set up and take down every break. I'd probably use the rear sleeper windows or put a hole in the floor of the sleeper.

 

I have a 12k btu unit that the EU2000 cannot start only when in "eco" mode, even after installing a start capacitor. Turn eco off and it works fine. Albeit, right at it's limit. So don't go running a big a/c and think you're gonna be running a hot plate or a coffee pot at the same time with the little suitcase gen. That a/c will keep a Century condo comfortable. If you can, buy the bigger gen for more flexibility.

 

Has anyone tried one of those Swampy MK units? I am curious about them as an alternative to IdleAire.

http://swampy.net/mk3.html

 

I run an 8000 btu portable with my Honda 2000i. Works great and keeps the cab rather cool. I have an xl classic so there is a good amount t of space to cool. Like some other guys said it will not cycle on economic mode but turn it off and it will do great all night.