Who makes the best APU.

[Sammonman]

Looking at buying but I want to get people who own them to give me opinions.

[RJParker]

I am thinking about buying a gas powered generator from Harbor Freight . com, They have some good rebuilt gas jobs on the cheap, and I figure with an air conditioner from walmart, a power strip, and some misc. nuts and bolts, I would have an apu for under a $1,000.

[Doghouse]

I can tell you NOT to buy an ATrans unit, it's a decent unit if you like high maintinance, but the company went belly up so,....not under warranty anymore.

You should put this question on the regular forum,...it will be seen more. Only gearheads come to this section.


As for the Harbor Freight unit,..it will be very loud. A 2000watt honda and a small AC unit will work for about the same price.

[pdm]

I like the sytems that use an inverter rather than a generator. If you run where its hot & muggy with a bigger sleeper try to get more a/c capacity & how the system is installed can affect the cooling performance.

I've mostly seen the RigMaster & see quite a few belt problems, alternators & a few generators too & i understand the a/c isn't
adequate in hot weather

The thermoking tripac & Comfortmaster seem like decent units i think but i don't have a lot of history with them. An espar or webasto heater makes a lot of sense to me for staying warm even with an apu. (Tripac includes an espar)

Hope this helps a bit

[Sammonman]

Thank you.
Question #2
Do you suggest the one that ties into the trucks current systems or stand alone?

[Doghouse]

I use a 3,600watt diesel generator with a roof mount AC unit, today I had the sleeper down to 55 degrees to test it out for the summer. The generator uses 1/10th gallon of fuel per hour (2400rpm constant). It's also tied into the truck cooling system and fuel tanks.
For heat I used a catalytic propane heater for the winter. I used around $100.00 for propane in 5 months and only idled the main engine 5 nights during that time. I used the generator during the winter only once to pre-heat my engine on a brisk Missoula morning.. The sleeper was kept between 65 and 75 degrees. It's a 100" sleeper with a 75" roof height.

[pdm]

There's nothing wrong with tieing into the cooling system imho. some people refer not too. As long as the hoses are routed properly & secured there shouldn't be any more risk than the bunk heater hoses. Make sure there are shutoff taps installed though to be able to isolate the apu in case of a coolant leak.

I wouldn't want a system that ties into the trucks a/c system though........

[mudawg]

Here's what I did before I bought one,walk around a truck stop lot and listen to them run.This will without a doubt convince you not to buy a rig master.Another thing is look for what the big fleets are running,they have more money to spend on R&D and are not going to buy junk.They have tried all there is on the market and it seems most of them go with the Thermo-King.These things are quiet,dependable and service is availble all over North America.

[Rev.Vassago]

I use a 3,600watt diesel generator with a roof mount AC unit, today I had the sleeper down to 55 degrees to test it out for the summer. The generator uses 1/10th gallon of fuel per hour (2400rpm constant). It's also tied into the truck cooling system and fuel tanks.

I have finally decided to go this route. I just purchased a 6000 watt diesel generator from Eastern Tool & Equipment ($809 with shipping), and am purchasing a used RV AC unit locally. The generator will supply me with power to run the AC, 120V shore power, plus 12V to charge the batteries. I'll be building an enclosure for the generator, and mounting it to the frame rail. For heat, I have my Webasto diesel bunk heater already installed in the truck. I think you'll beat me a bit on the fuel usage, because I'm running more wattage (the generator is rated at about 0.3 GPH at full load). The bunk heater uses 0.01 per hour (that means I can sleep an entire night on about $0.50 worth of diesel). The major difference is that my system is air cooled, so I will be adding a small 12V radiator fan to the enclosure to allow plenty of air flow to the generator. Plus, at current fuel prices, this system will pay for itself in about a month and a half.

The reason I went this route is that I just can't justify the markup that the APU manufacturers are putting on those units, especially for the BTU (or lack thereof) that their systems provide. If I were to purchase an APU, however, it would be a Comfort Master. While Thermo King, Rigmaster, etc. provide 13,000 - 15,000 BTU of AC, the Comfort Master provides 33,000 BTU. Plus, it is more self contained than the competition. No ugly condenser fan on the back of the sleeper.

The odd thing I found was that the 3 cyl APU systems were rated at around 62 dB at 21 feet, and this 1 cyl open sided generator is rated at 70 dB at 21 feet. I would have thought that 2 extra cyl, plus closed sides would provide better sound insulation than that.

[TK THE TRUCKER]

Another thing to consider is getting the unit serviced. If you get a Thermo-king or Carrier there are service centers all over the country. You may be able to service it yourself but will need to take it to a dealer for warranty work. 8) 8)

[pdm]

Seems to me i've head that decibels are on a logarithimic scale, where 70 dba would be twice as loud as 60 dba.

[Doghouse]

Rev,
I can't stress enough that the unit you are looking at buying will be way too loud and the sound will come through the floor and shake you out of your bunk.
I went the same route you are and tried everything you are trying. The unit I have now is on its way out, the company went belly up so I'm looking for a better unit now also. I am looking at a unit built in jacksonville, right now and the have a 2 cyl kubota that puts out 5,000 watts. It goes for 3.100$ without cooling system (tied into your truck system) and $3,600 if you need the radiator system.
It uses 1/10-2/10's gal of fuel per hour.
There is no way the unit you are looking at only burns the amount they say. Air cooled gensets are screamers. Find out what rpm it runs at and then do more research. Your truck is way too nice looking to throw a POS unit on there just because it's cheaper than the other units.

[Rev.Vassago]

Your truck is way too nice looking to throw a POS unit on there just because it's cheaper than the other units.

It has nothing to do with the way the truck looks, and everything to do with what I can and cannot afford to do right now.

Even if this ends up being a temporary solution, it is the only solution that works for me at this time.

[Doghouse]

Just FYI, wanted to give you heads up if you had any info you were looking for, and did'nt want to see you get taken by a generator sales person. I sure understand that money situation.

[Rev.Vassago]

Just FYI, wanted to give you heads up if you had any info you were looking for, and did'nt want to see you get taken by a generator sales person. I sure understand that money situation.

I never talked to a salesperson. Should I have?

[merrick4]

The thermoking tripac & Comfortmaster seem like decent units i think but i don't have a lot of history with them. An espar or webasto heater makes a lot of sense to me for staying warm even with an apu. (Tripac includes an espar)

I bought a ComfortPro last year and it worked OK but it didn't keep the truck warm enough. I am having a Tripac installed right now on the other truck and the big selling point was that it came with the espar heater.

[TK THE TRUCKER]

I have a Tri-Pac on my company truck and don't think I put 100 hours on it from November to March. The only hours on it were from the batteries getting low from the microwave and all my other power needs. The Espar keeps the engine from wearing out and the service intervals down when it's cold out. I've put about 700 hours on it though since March from using the air conditioning. I've been running in the heat a lot and it's nice not to come back to a 130 degree truck after taking a shower. 8) 8)

[pdm]

For the systems that use a generator the generator must turn at 3600rpm. This is to get the frequency correct. North American hydro uses a 60 hertz frequency. You can see this on the tag on electric motors, 60hz. Belt driven generators can be sped up by the pulley size & allow the engine to be slowed down a bit, With an inverter the engine rpm isn't critical.

[merrick4]

Just picked up the truck with the TriPac. Was very impressed with it. Seems to have much more than the ComfortPro I have. One thing I liked was that when it was in normal mode (there is a switch by the steering wheel) and you start the truck it shuts off. I kept forgetting to turn the other one off when I started going and I kept blowing a fuse.

Also not having to run the engine when the heat is on is a huge plus. Took up less space under the bed too.

Good warranty too. It was $500 or so and it gives you 5 years and 2000 hours per year.

[jonp]

I have a ThermoKing providing power plus heat and a/c. It seems pretty reliable and isnt that loud. anyways, much quieter than a reefer. I thought it coming on and going off would wake me up but it dosnt seem to. With the price of diesel I cant see why anyone would not get one and if I were buying a truck I would make sure it had one right from the start. another plus is up here in the Northeast where its -30 in the winter I can set it to 50 degrees and it keeps the batteries charged so the truck always starts without plugging it in and the inside of the truck isnt an icebox in the morning