Comfortmaster was up and coming two and a half years ago when we bought our unit. Their problems started, according to founder Tyler Stone, when he spent big money on same parts that were supposed to be a certain brand name and quality and he ended up getting ripped off and sold counterfeit parts. That was compounded by some shoddy installation work done by some of his dealers. I think he was trying to bankroll his new business out of pocket and he just couldn’t afford the costly mistakes he made.

I have to say that I was impressed when I had some complaints about the installation that was done by one of his dealers and he told me to stop by his shop and he’d look at what I had. He ended up spending literally the whole day redoing everything himself. He had a great design and some even greater ideas in the works, he just got off to a bumpy start. Like I said before, at least most of the parts are easily purchased and replaced from places like NAPA Auto, so at least we can keep our unit running.

Actually, the Comfortmaster probably most resembles to Blackrock in form and function. I’m no expert on Blackrock, but the units look very similar. My APU has two alternators that put out a total of 400 amps to power just about anything you could ever need, and the HVAC system beats the hell out of the TriPak we bought for our last truck.

There is a good argument to be made for just strapping a 4kW gas generator on your truck and then using something like a window mount AC unit for heating and cooling. I’ve seen this done by a few guys who’ve cut a hole in the middle of their sleepers to put the AC unit in. It sure would save a ton of money, but man the end result is fugly.

not gonna lie.. i'm lazy :D i actualy found a video on youtube that a guy made two auxiliary tanks out of 5 gal metal cans.

i went to their site and i liek the fact that they're fan pushes more cfm out more then anyone. would you say that was the problem with the tripac? not enough fan power?

i was looking at a 3000w honda or yamaha generator. like i said where the real problem comes in for me.. fridge, ac, laptop, microwave.. is it enough? i refuse to have a unit hanging out of my truck.. not happening. if i'm going to do that i'll get a carrier unit that that some are putting in their houses. they have portable AC units. so my thought.. for the vent rig something up with some plexiglass on the window and well.. that was easy right? but will it cool the truck? i also might be running the south fl-az and stuff like that.. really dont want to throw money way..

wasnt the blackrock that was plumbed though the trucks hvac?

sorry for the thread hijack

I have been shopping for an APU for the last 2 years. I did not want a Tri-Pak because I heard they don't cool as well in the extreme heat and so on. But after all my research, it turns out that the Tri-Pac is the most reliable and easliy serviced unit. The warranty is one of the best in the biz and it's able to be repaired if needed at any Thermo-King dealership. This was the selling point for me. I mean sure, a certin APU might put out more btu or cfm, but if it doens't work, you can't get parts or have it repaired then what is the point.

Plus the fact my father has been with Wal-Mart for 30yrs and the last 8yrs they have been using Tri-Pac's on their rigs and he has not had a problem with his at all. Almost 4,000hrs on his newest truck w/o a problem.

My truck is easily cooled with it's 36" sleeper, and honestly a tri-pac might be waaaay too much overkill but I don't mind LOL

what i've been thinking about the tripac is.. before you put it on, put both the bunk and cab ac on high and try to freeze it out.. maybe it'll help?if you close off the front i'm sure it will help and with the bunk closed off i cant see why it wouldnt cool. i've also contemplated a midroof volvo or freightliner for this problem.

Like I said, I have heard of people having cooling problems in extreme heat (such as 100*+ in the desert) but I think just about anyone would have that problem. Also, the guys i spoke with said they don't close the bunk curtains, just the window shades (those that had both)

Also consider getting a white truck instead of black, blue or grey. It amazes me how hot the INTERIOR panels in my FLD got just because it was dark blue. Even in 50* temps, if the sun was out and you touched a bolt attached to the exterior (like for the load net) it would burn your arm. I saw a study that Carrier did and it showed that a white truck would stay 10* cooler inside over a black truck.

Interior space is also going to be a huge deal. A flat-top truck is cake for a tri-pac. A midroof FTL is about the same as a Unibilt Pete or KW...... it's all about space to volume. I just figure that if Wal-Mart, Werner and some other big companies will run a tri-pac then it must be cost efficent because you know they don't like to blow money and did there research too.