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Thermo King Tripac APU
Tripac Evolution
Thermo King’s TriPac APU provides cost savings by reducing unnecessary fuel consumption, extending truck engine maintenance intervals and reducing wear on the truck engine.TriPac also allows truck owners to comply with anti-idling laws while the driver rests in comfort.
TriPac uses a fuel-fired heater and Thermo King’s Cycle Sentry start/stop technology to achieve maximum fuel efficiency. In cool climates, the TriPac engine will only operate if battery charging or engine block heating is required. If not, only the fuel-fired heater will operate to warm the cab while consuming minimal fuel.When battery charging and block heat are necessary, TriPac can automatically start to address those needs and then shut down to save fuel.The result of this approach is a system that runs substantially fewer engine hours than competitive models.
The available tractor integration option allows the system to start up automatically when the truck engine is turned off, ensuring a charged truck battery and warm engine block when it comes time to restart the engine.
TriPac now offers a 1,000-hour maintenance interval, allowing maintenance to be performed at the same time as maintenance on the tractor, saving time and eliminating additional downtime for APU maintenance.
Because of the modular component design,TriPac can be installed in a variety of truck models and configurations.The engine assembly, or APU, is mounted on the truck frame rails.The air-conditioning evaporator and fuel-fired heater are installed under the sleeper bunk, the condenser is installed on the rear cab wall, and the control panel is mounted on an interior wall of the sleeper.Ducting for the heat and air conditioning is also flexible. It can be routed directly to the cab or integrated with existing ducting.
A Thermo King two-cylinder diesel engine powers an air conditioning compressor and a 12-volt alternator, both of which are the belt-driven “automotive” style. These components power the air conditioning system, keep the truck batteries charged and provide tractor engine heat.The truck engine block is heated by incorporating the engine coolant systems between TriPac and the truck engine.This approach to engine block heat is very effective because the engines warm each other while running, to ensure easy starting in all climates.The system even incorporates engine coolant temperature sensing.
16 Customer Reviews of “Thermo King Tripac APU”
Review by John D., April 1, 2011
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3.2I have had my Tri-Pac now for 2 years. I can say that it is dependable and I am happy about that. I have had a few minor problems here and there which is to be expected. What I don’t like is that Thermo King charges an arm and a leg when I do need repairs or service. I would probably give it 4 stars if the AC were more powerful. In the summers if the temperatures go any where near the 90s or higher the AC is pretty much useless and that is in my standard size cab.
Review by John Dear, August 16, 2011
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4.4Well I have to say that this thing runs like a Deere. It has only pooped out on me once. The cooling is not as powerful as many of the other APUs but it runs good so what can I say?
Review by Lee Frieze, November 7, 2011
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1.2I had my Tri-pac installed on my W900L in Sept.07. Since then I have had to have the heater blower motor replaced 4 times, heater totaly rebuilt twice plus numerous other repairs. heater ia again not working. sub total repair costs to date:
$5308.11 (not counting routine service). when I replace this unit it WILL NOT BE A TRI-PAC!!!
Review by Daniel, August 10, 2013
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1.6TERRIBLE Apu unit…..VERY undependable…constantly breaking down
Review by Alexei, November 16, 2013
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5Great APU! The best on the market. It is quieter than most others and keeps me comfortable in all kinds of weather. Never has broken down once since I got it.
Review by TriPac Dude, August 14, 2014
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5Great APU! The absolute best around. Go TriPac!!
Review by Ivan, March 21, 2016
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5TriPac is number one! better than every APU on here
Review by Ivan, May 23, 2016
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5go rock with the TriPacs going strong. trust TriPacs always to be number one!
Review by Ivan, January 14, 2017
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5These are the best units out there. they are dependable and TK people are really nice and helpful. TriPac will freeze you in the hottest temperatures of summer. whoever blamed TriPac for the faulty heater obviously doesn’t know a thing about how TriPacs work. the heater runs independently of the TriPac and isn’t even made by TK. as a matter of fact, you can get this heater installed without even having an APU. believe me, a TriPac will run forever with just a little normal maintenance and love from its owner.
Review by Richard Davis, January 27, 2017
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5I have had 3 different units on 3 different trucks,since 2000. I think on 1 the only thing i hand to fix was the cable on the alt. broke off. I had to replace a fuel pump on another. one time my belts broke, that’s about all the trouble i had with the gen. I had trouble one time with heater, all it was to much lit in it . I tried to have my unit worked on in only Birmingham,and Ocala, that includes changing the oil. They were nice at both places, in and out, most time 1-2 hrs., thats from the time i pull up there. I only had unit worked on 1 time, that wasn’t at one of them places, and didn’t like it, but it was going to be a week or two, before i got to the others, didn’t want to idle my truck that long, that was when i needed belt.
Review by Laura Van Vleet, July 16, 2017
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5I LOVE Thermo king! I had their Apu on my old truck. When I bought my new truck last year I was short on funds so I decided to go with the HP 2000 to try to save money. Big mistake after only a year and more then 2 handfuls of problems I had it taken off my truck, and I came back to Thermo King. I now have the evolution installed, its been about 2 months and I have had zero problems.I feel confident that it will not only keep me comfortable but my pets comfortable which is beyond important when I am away from the truck.The difference is night and day. Lesson learned, dont cut corners. Thank you so much Thermo King and Fontana location for giving me peace of mind!!!!
Review by Big Al, August 13, 2017
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1.6My boss installed a used Thermo-King on my then brand new Kenworth T700. What an expensive boat anchor! Over a period of 4 years I poured enough money into it to almost purchase a brand new APU. Reliability was very poor, the wiring harness was constantly having issues. I liked the Esbar that heated the sleeper; but on reflection I think I would have been better off idling the Cummins engine instead.
Review by Fred, July 15, 2018
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1.8My Tri Pac won’t regen. The light is on for regen I push the button for 10 or more and it won’t regen.
Review by Doug, June 13, 2019
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- Not Rated
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1.3I’ve had three years and it’s nothing but problems. Installed it new in under three years put three alternaters three sets of batteries now the mother board is bad. No help from the manufacturer everything always out of warranty. At this point I would not recommend the unit to anyone unless they want to keep putting money into something that doesn’t work properly.
Review by DG, July 10, 2019
0I’ve had my TriPac for about 5 years, and, after the first two years it started to break down. When they start to fail the mechanics don’t know how to fix them. My rig master wasn’t much of a machine, but, I could get it fixed. NO I would never buy this product again. My unit has been nothing but junk.
Review by Carol Rand, July 16, 2019
0we have 14 of these units, not sure if the issue is the repair facility or the units themselves, I would NOT recommend them, constant break downs..
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