Inverter generators.

Do you have the cables to hook them together?
No you can't hook a 1000 to a 2000. The new models are a 2200. My 2000 is new enough I can hook to a 2200.
 
I looked at a Westinghouse branded 2200. It has 5 stars out of almost 3,000 reviews. You can buy it new from Lowe’s for 500 bucks. I wish I could find the real manufacturer of all these off brand units.

There is about 3 major brands and all the others seem to look like one of the 3. I even found a cat and craftsman brand. I know cat didn’t build it, but can’t find who actually did.

I am happy to buy one made in Japan or Korea, but will not buy a damn thing from China.
 
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Does the shore power charge batteries if you're hooked up?
Depends on how the shore power is setup.

If it’s just for power, there’s no charger and it just provides hotel power.

If you have something like the Xantrex Freedom HT, it’s a charger/inverter power supply all in one.
 
I have a 2500 invertor generator that I use at car/motorcycle events that I set up at. I got it from Homedepot online. It was half the price of a Honda and is just as quiet and uses a little less fuel. It's a bright green color. I've had it several years. I have used it once on the RV when the big generator went down. It will do anything I need but not everything at once. The biggest problem with using it on the truck would be protecting it from all the elements. When I used it on the RV I strapped it to the bumper and had to replace the air filter and plug after that weekend.
 
Depends on how the shore power is setup.

If it’s just for power, there’s no charger and it just provides hotel power.

If you have something like the Xantrex Freedom HT, it’s a charger/inverter power supply all in one.
I suppose you could get a trickle charger. They probably don’t take much juice.
 
I suppose you could get a trickle charger. They probably don’t take much juice.

Yes, you can do that.

Before I did any of this, I would add up all the potential costs.

Factor in Summer and air conditioning, and be realistic about it. Don't say you don't need it unless you really don't need it or plan to use it. Otherwise, you end up idling an engine that wasn't meant to be idled. Some of these things, you may already have.

  • Generator Cost
  • Build A Frame/Case to house it
  • Battery charging: And the time spent worrying about it.
  • Air Conditioning
  • Bunk Heater
  • Cold Weather: Keeping the fluids/engine warm in cold temps
bottom line, you want that new engine shut off as much as absolutely possible, especially if you plan on keeping it any length of time.

The cost of a diesel powered APU is intimidating at first, but when you factor in the entire lifetime cost, maybe not so much. Having a system that you can walk away from for any length of time has a value. The overall cost of the unit, vs. the individual cost of ultimately building your unit one piece at a time.

I can't comment on Carrier, but with a Thermo King Unit, you can do maintenance on that thing once a year, and that is more than required in most cases. If you go by hours used, you might be closer to two years per maintenance interval, and the maintenance cost is actually pretty cheap at a Thermo King dealer.
 
Yes, you can do that.

Before I did any of this, I would add up all the potential costs.

Factor in Summer and air conditioning, and be realistic about it. Don't say you don't need it unless you really don't need it or plan to use it. Otherwise, you end up idling an engine that wasn't meant to be idled. Some of these things, you may already have.

  • Generator Cost
  • Build A Frame/Case to house it
  • Battery charging: And the time spent worrying about it.
  • Air Conditioning
  • Bunk Heater
  • Cold Weather: Keeping the fluids/engine warm in cold temps
bottom line, you want that new engine shut off as much as absolutely possible, especially if you plan on keeping it any length of time.

The cost of a diesel powered APU is intimidating at first, but when you factor in the entire lifetime cost, maybe not so much. Having a system that you can walk away from for any length of time has a value. The overall cost of the unit, vs. the individual cost of ultimately building your unit one piece at a time.

I can't comment on Carrier, but with a Thermo King Unit, you can do maintenance on that thing once a year, and that is more than required in most cases. If you go by hours used, you might be closer to two years per maintenance interval, and the maintenance cost is actually pretty cheap at a Thermo King dealer.
The truck has a bunk heater installed already. Their is no room on the frame to install an apu. Their is no room behind the cab either. Cabinet rack has to go there as well as the hydro tank for the wet kit.

These are the reasons I’m looking at an inverter generator. A 2200 watt is 19”x12”x19”. That will stow in the cabinet behind the sleeper. It weighs 49 pounds. A small window a/c unit weighs 36 pounds. So for less than a 100 pounds I have everything that 400 pound tripak will do.
 
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The truck has a bunk heater installed already. Their is no room on the frame to install an apu. Their is no room behind the cab either. Cabinet rack has to go there as well as the hydro tank for the wet kit.

These are the reasons I’m looking at an inverter generator. A 2200 watt is 19”x12”x19”. That will stow in the cabinet behind the sleeper. It weighs 49 pounds. A small window a/c unit weighs 36 pounds. So for less than a 100 pounds I have everything that 400 pound tripak will do.

I found a good low hour tripak for 2500 bucks. I just have nowhere to install it.View attachment 72578

If you remove those wheels that aren't touching the ground, you have room for an APU ;)

I like the truck, looks like it is ready to go make some money!

So, yeah, a generator setup like you are seeking out is likely going to be the best option.

by chance, was this set up with opti-idle?
 
If you remove those wheels that aren't touching the ground, you have room for an APU ;)

I like the truck, looks like it is ready to go make some money!

So, yeah, a generator setup like you are seeking out is likely going to be the best option.

by chance, was this set up with opti-idle?
No this one is not set up with opti idle. I was going to get it on the freightliner I ordered as well as the bergstrom nite battery apu. Sadly FL couldn’t fulfill the order in a timely manner.
 
I suppose you could get a trickle charger. They probably don’t take much juice.


Anything less than 10 amps is pointless. The “resting“ hotel load is pretty respectable. The dwell time on the charger would overload it over time on the break.
 

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