Best APU

[gladman]

The dealer is recommending a Carrier APU. Anyone have any experience with this unit? Any other guys out there using APUs? Who/what would you recommend?

[Roadhog]

I'm only familiar with Rigmaster.
http://www.bigrigproducts.com/id15.html
This unit worked real well, although wasn't as quiet as others I've seen.

[TomB985]

Well, I'm but a lowly, heathen company driver but I've had two trucks with Thermoking Tripacs, and overall I've had very good luck with them...

About $8k installed, includes a diesel fired bunk heater, a 13,000 BTU a/c unit, and my company has had much better luck with these than the rigmaster...

[BanditsCousin]

I heard good things about the Carrier ComfortPro, but I don't know about it personally.

I'm an o/o, and pleased with my Tripac.

If you get a Rigmaster, you have to be cool and get a rooftop A/C (and wear a kick me sign on your back on CAD for a few months)

[NotSteve]

Dickhead.

[charged]

try to find a used one.

I found a nice used rigmaster for $1500 on nashville craigslist few months ago. My dad waited too long and someone else got it.

There is a tripac for sale near us on nashville craigslist.

There is a nice new powertech kubota diesel genset on nashville craigslist for $5300.

My dad just committed to a used 7500 watt rv onan diesel genset for $2500 which I found on craigslist. He's going to do a roof top a/c unit and a diesel heater for winter.

You have a lot of options. Not just going to a dealer and paying retail for a new apu.

Powertech and comfortmaster seemed to be good apus from what I read. When we walked around truck lots the rigmaster stuff was really loud and the tripac seemed quiet.

[TruckerChris]

I have a Tripac and I love it. Sometimes I set it too low and in the mornings it's so cold I don't want to get out of bed... On the other end, the heater is great and blows fire hot... It's all adjustable though.

I was talking to a driver today who has the NITE Battery system. He's sitting in the drivers lounge right now because he has ran out of battery charge. They last for 10 hours and then you need to idle but he can't idle for more than 5 minutes... He said it just blows around warm air during the day and keep the truck comfortable during the night, but not cold. He said he wishes he had a normal APU.

[Roadhog]

My biggest complaint with the rigmaster was how loud it ran. But as far as maintaining cabin temps, it was very efficient. I also really liked how it kept the batteries charged, and I would plug in the block heater. Up in the North, you have to keep those batteries up, and run a block heater, or you are not going anywhere some mornings.

The 110v outlets were great too. I felt safer running all my appliances off the generator vs. a battery inverter.

[Walking Eagle]

I have had both a Carrier and a Tripac and the Tripac is way better !!! With the Carrier if you want 110 volts, for TV or ??, you have to start it but with the Tripac it will run a low drain 110 appliance for a while then start it's self to re charge the batteries then shut off even though you are still useing the whatever. Found the Tripac cools a lot better to, when the Sun is boiling down and it's 115 outside. Lot quieter unit to.
Gave away my Carrier, after useing a friends truck that had a Tripac to compliet a contract, and had the Tripac installed on mine.
Just have them install the optional 3000 watt inverter, saves all the beeping when you try to run the fridge, micro, water heater, TV etc. at the same time Think it was $225 extra.

[TruckerChris]

I have had both a Carrier and a Tripac and the Tripac is way better !!! With the Carrier if you want 110 volts, for TV or ??, you have to start it but with the Tripac it will run a low drain 110 appliance for a while then start it's self to re charge the batteries then shut off even though you are still useing the whatever. Found the Tripac cools a lot better to, when the Sun is boiling down and it's 115 outside. Lot quieter unit to.
Gave away my Carrier, after useing a friends truck that had a Tripac to compliet a contract, and had the Tripac installed on mine.
Just have them install the optional 3000 watt inverter, saves all the beeping when you try to run the fridge, micro, water heater, TV etc. at the same time Think it was $225 extra.

$225? I was thinking about getting a TK 1800 watt inverter in Seattle and they said it was $800!

[Walking Eagle]

Was this just straight buying it or when they installed the unit ?? I had mine done in San Antonio, they told me the basic unit came with an 1800 but I could upgrade to the 3000.

[NotSteve]

My Rigmaster was loud but I went the Meineke muffler and they took the old muffler off, installed a pipe from the engine all the way to the back and put a real car muffler on. Very quiet. All for $135.

[Sammonman]

Look at the Pony Packs. Much more simple and over 20 years of experience.

[TomB985]

I parked next to a truck with that Pony Pack APU a few weeks ago...and I ended up moving in the middle of the night! That thing is LOUD!!!!

But, loud as it is, it may be cheaper than an $8k tripac.....

[JR OTR]

TriPac is my vote. I have one on my truck and I had one on the company truck was driving earlier. The one on my truck had a bug or two that had to be sorted out after it was installed but since then it has run like a champ. It is by far the quietest of the diesel-powered APUs I've seen and the fuel use is negligable.

Jim

[Rev.Vassago]

Honda. Preferably one that doesn't start on fire.

[mike3fan]

Honda. Preferably one that doesn't start on fire.

I had to buy a new generator for my 5th wheel this last weekend,so I went all in and bought a eu3000is Honda,any suggestions on mounting that on my truck? I have zero space on either frame rail and I also have a huge ass hose rack on the back much like a headache rack......any ideas? I would want to be able to take it off on occasion and take it in the RV.

And btw the way the damn thing is as quite as a mouse.Runs both the 13,500 AC and the microwave at the same time in the 5th wheel with the lights on.

[Rev.Vassago]

Honda. Preferably one that doesn't start on fire.

I had to buy a new generator for my 5th wheel this last weekend,so I went all in and bought a eu3000is Honda,any suggestions on mounting that on my truck? I have zero space on either frame rail and I also have a huge ass hose rack on the back much like a headache rack......any ideas? I would want to be able to take it off on occasion and take it in the RV.

And btw the way the damn thing is as quite as a mouse.Runs both the 13,500 AC and the microwave at the same time in the 5th wheel with the lights on.

Anywhere you can build a box to store it, then take it out when needed?

[charged]

Those eu3000is hondas looked pretty good, and you can get used ones for around $1000 off craigslist.

If you need a big genset look on craigslist. My dad just got a 7500watt diesel one for $2500.

[tweety bird]

We had a pony pack and I have NOTHING good to say about it. It hardly ever worked and it was the loudest generator I've ever heard (followed closely by rigmaster generators!). Now, this was lik 6 or 7 years ago so maybe they've changed. I don't know. You don't see very many of them, though (at least, I don't).

Our next on was an Onan. Definitely quiet and when it worked it was great. But we had a lot of repairs. In 5 years we had it rebuilt 3 times (twice under warranty- thank goodness). Man, once you get used to a generator you get spoiled and when that thing quit working, it's like life was on hold until it was fixed- lol! We kind of figured that Onan's are made for RVs and RVs tend to plug in rather than use the generators. I don't know if that's a reasonable explanation for how repair intensive it was (the 3 rebuilds weren't the only repairs fyi). Maybe, like most things, they're just cheaply made.