Worth it or just good advertising?
 

I was just wondering about some products you hear about all day long on XM. I'd love to hear some real-world experience about them. If you can think of others, feel free to mention them here.

• Turbo 3000D
• Bypass Oil Filters (such as the Gulf Coast)
• Centramatics (tractor only, steer & drive axles)
• Air-tabs (or whatever those triangle things are called that are attached to the fairings on some trucks)

Also, if going with (or without) a bypass oil filter, is it worth the extra cost of switching to 100% synthetic oil in the engine?

I can definitely understand using synthetic in the gears/tranny because they don't have the byproducts produced by the engine itself. The engine will create the byproducts with or without synthetic. I was thinking that it probably wouldn't be worth the extra cost unless a bypass oil filter was used in order to extend the life of the oil itself. If it's the same time period for the oil change with organic vs synthetic, it would have to extend the life of the engine itself before it would be worthwhile. At least that's what I was thinking.

Forgot a biggie to ask about:

APU's

Seems like a no-brainer to me, but thought I'd ask anyway.

Also, is it worth getting a more "automatic" APU that does the voltage and outside temperature monitoring for times when I may be out of the truck for a couple of days?

My friend who has the Gulf system doesn't change his oil that often. He usually just adds to the oil that is already in the system and then periodically changes the filter. I don't recall the interval where he actually changes the oil. I change my organic oil at 15,000 miles. If that interval could be doubled without damaging the engine then it might be worth changing to synthetic. I have done well using organic so I will probably not want to make the change unless I could be assured of better fuel economy or much longer oil change intervals.

TURBO3000D
Also not-so-affectionately referred to as the “TurdBlower” by many folks. I put one (I got it at one hell of a deal, so I figured “why not?”) on my ’03 C15 535HP motor and saw absolutely NO difference over the course of two years and 500,000 miles.

From everything I’ve seen and heard from acquaintances who use them, bypass filters work extremely well, but I have my reservations if they are really worth it when you look at the hassle and cost of make-up oil in addition to the filters. They probably save a little money, but I haven’t been able to ever justify putting one on. Not only that, but I run even dino oil to 60k miles just by changing the stock filter every 15k miles or so and even then oil analysis indicates it could go further. I just don’t see bypass filters (in my operation) being worth the trouble.

Centramatics absolutely kick butt. I bought my first set six years ago and will never run a truck again without them. I’ve actually been considering running them on my trailer as well.

You failed to mention, but I run and love them as well: Tru-Balance wheel and drum centering sleeves.

Air Tabs: I have been intrigued with but have been skeptical whether or not they would really save enough fuel to justify their use. That and IMHO they’re ugly.

Synthetic Motor Oil: I switched from Rotella a few months ago to Valvoline Blue Extreme Full Synthetic ($21 a gallon from my local dealer) and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. We’ve actually been running heavier loads than in the past since about the time we switched and my economy it still up from 6.9 lifetime on dino oil to 7.32 in the 65k miles with the synthetic so far. Oil analysis shows comparable wear between the two oils (maybe a tic lower with the synthetic) and it is a much better flowing oil which is great for cold starts. I don’t think I’d ever consider switching back to non synthetic.

You also didn’t mention a tire inflation and monitoring system like the Meritor Tire Inflation System (MTIS) by PSI that I had installed on my new trailer. They also kick butt. Every tire is kept at exactly the same pressure (which you can easily change) and if you ever get a leak, an indicator light on the front of the trailer comes on to alert you. I’ll be putting one of these on my tractor as well as soon as I get the time.

APUs are a no-brainer in my opinion. You just can’t argue with a device that saves you about a gallon per hour over idling and (with some units) even offer a shore power hook-up that will keep your batteries charged when you park your truck for an extended time. Not to mention the priceless advantage of being comfortable and legal when forced to sit in wonderful locations like CA or NYC.

I agree about the Centramatics and the Tru-balance, both worth the $$$$

As far as the Turbo 3000D , when a big fleet endorses it, maybe, jsut maybe I would consider it, that goes fro all the other snake oil products as well.

Anybody seen air tabs on a large fleet truck??

I have a 3000D on my FLD, I ran local so I couldn't tell a difference even if I tried LOL

I have Centramatics on the steers of my IH and I didn't notice a change. However, I bought a full set of Yokohama drives the same time as my best friend and he put centramatics on his drives, but I have more tread left on mine and more miles too??? No idea, I think it is just how you drive it.

I do however get a 3 axle alignment every 6 mos and this has saved me money in the long run. I never did one for 3 years, then finally I did and found out my drives were only 3% off, but that made a 1mpg difference in my fuel. Plus, I've got 375k on my yokohama's and they are still at 12/32 depth..... just some FYI

The problem with some of the APU's is that they still may not be legal in California. It is a big investment to spend $8,000 for an APU to comply with anti idling laws and then find out that your APU may not be compliant. I considered getting one but will wait until the dust settles on some of these states as to what they want or will accept. There are supposed to be other options which may work as well or better for air conditioning and heating. Bunk heaters have been around for years and cost around $800. I don't know about the battery powered air conditioning units.

Don't have a lot to offer except that the Espar bunk heaters are the ticket BUT we have one battery powered (I believe) stand alone air conditioning unit and the driver says it seems quite noisy and doesn't cool very good. It's a kind of tall plastic unit that stands upright on the back wall. We have a truck with some air tabs on and there was no difference with fuel mileage. I've spoken to a couple O/O that have them and they said that they notice the cab is more stable in winds if that is possible.

APU....? hard to say all depends on ware you run and what you need 8k-10k is alot to spend if you don't NEED it for us and the run we have it would take (@ $4 a gal) over 7 years to save what an APU cost. not counting breakdowns and maintenance BUT we only idle at most 16hr's a week when it's hot or cold in chicago.

i don't like battery APU's, why...? only good for maybe 10 hr's so it's no good for a 34hr restart. your fuel milage will be less as you are using the BIG motor to recharge the batteries, more wear and tear on the alternator having to recharge the batteries everyday.

diesel APU's..... 8-10 grand, at or over 400LB....... loud well over 72db (ever parked next to one...?), STINK (ever walk passed one). may not be legal in CA and other states.

if i was to get an APU it would be a Propane APU Pricing at $4,400 for the base APU less than 320lb w/ac, only 63db. is epa & carb approved for all 50 states and anyone can install the base apu at home and add the ac later.

just m 2 cents

Thermoking in Sikeston, MO is doing a special on the Tri-Pac. I was quoted $9,000 installed, and they put on a "stand-by" switch which allows the unit to ONLY charge your batteries and keep engine temp at 150*. They told me the newer models have this as the pre-2011 don't. I asked the difference and he said it only runs on half-power while your away or something so it consumes .01 gal fuel compared to the .02 it uses per hour when you are running the a/c and inverter???

I'm going with Thermoking only because they can be serviced in more places and also the warranty seems beter from those I know who have them compared to Blackrock and Rigmaster

I am completely satisfied with my tri-pac , I didnt need any kind of stand by switch, you just turn the unit on, hit the control button until no heat or air mode is selected, it will then just monitor batteries and engine temp, maybe that is what he was talking about, what is real nice is when I get home, I can leave it in monitor mode and I can leave my refrigerator running and not run the batteries down

Probably. My company requires that I park my truck at a secured yard when I'm off (due to haz-mat load) and seeing it gets down to -30 here in Chicago during the winter, it would be really nice to not have to haul my generator and batt charger with me each time I go to start the rig.
Hopefully tho, I will be able to just drop the trailer this winter and park it indoors at my shop this winter :)

APUs are now available with add-ons that make them CARB compliant beyond 2014. There are so many varieties that you can’t generalize. Mine is quieter than most (sitting in the sleeper, you can’t even hear it most of the time), and it’s got a “Tier III” motor that is legal on my truck for three more years at which time I can add a DPF to keep it legal if I choose. I also don’t have to use it to keep my batteries charged when I’m home, I just plug into an outlet and forget about it.

My first APU was a TriPak we bought new in 2006. It was okay, but the Espar heater would roast you if you weren’t careful and the AC system wouldn't keep the truck cool enough to be comfortable if you were parked out in the desert in the summer. We also had the package that monitors your engine temp. The problem with that was that that little APU wouldn’t generate enough heat to keep my CAT motor’s engine hot, so it would run nearly all the time.

I agree that APUs in their current iteration are not the perfect solution, but right now it’s probably the best solution. Battery technology isn’t sophisticated enough yet and IMO propane or any other compressed gases are dangerous and inconvenient.

musicman what apu do you have?

Comfortmaster. The funny thing is, that as good as this APU is, I really wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The company has been having some real problems and for the last year or more, I get the feeling they really aren’t even up and running. I did just see where they are selling some new units at a discounted price, but I don’t know if they are really back in business or what.

The concept and design of this APU kicks butt and all the parts can be bought from outside sources, but still… if I had to do it over, and I’m sure I will the next time I buy another truck, I’d probably get a TriPak. I think they and most other APUs underperform, but I could make do with one and you can get them worked on just about everywhere, and that is extremely important, IMO.

When I did my research, i found that the Blackrock would suffice for my needs. and seeing how it's constructed doing the servce on it isn't that ig of a deal, You probably could do it yourself. I was considering going that route, and I even had the chek ready to mail out one nice afternoon to buy one of them, than the next day the turbo blew. lol. back to rsearch mode I went...

musicman, i never heard of that apu before. it seems kinda big though? i do like that you can mount the unit to the catwalk though.

i have kicked around the idea of doing a honda generator. i'm looking at a 780 volvo that has the inverter already in the truck. portable ac unit/heater. the problems i see are.. a pain to keep getting gas, and cant really charge the truck batterys if needed.

How is it a pain to keep getting gas? Carry a 3 gallon can and walk around front of the truckstop and get some. I mean, I know you can't park at the gasoline fuel islands and go take a shower and all, but a little feets travel never hurt nobody LOL

And as for the batteries, just carry a small craftsman portable charger with you. If they go dead and u cant restart the truck, then just hook it up to your generator.

I honestly would just prefer a regular old APU but to each their own.

Blackrock went out of business....... so you can scratch that idea.

http://www.blackrockapu.com/

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.