Been sitting here at the truck stop since yesterday, all day to get the trailer inspected for Landstar... Found a great paying load for tomorrow morning, so worth the wait.
Now, the purpose of this post. I have been sitting, lights on, ignition on, refrigerator on, desktop computer on, three fans running, stuff charging, etc... The only time my APU fired up was when I turned on the microwave, and it did not run for very long.
Normally, my APU would have ran non-stop since this morning, no doubt in my mind on that. I would guess I have saved roughly $15 in fuel today with the solar. That will add up rather quickly.
Tomorrow I will be finished with work around 0900 or so, and back to the truck stop. The APU should have no reason to turn on, and we shall repeat this savings once again. It will be even greater savings as the weather becomes milder...
Right now, I am saving roughly $100 a week in fuel, and I suspect that number will grow in short order. ROI in a matter of weeks.
What are the wire hold downs you have on the back of the cab and where did you get them? What kind of adhesive are they using? Have you used them before? How long did they hold?
I'm trying to avoid screwing things to the cab of my new truck. But adhesives and tape never hold up for me after a year or 2. Salts and sun get the best of them every time.
(09-18-2020 )Chamberpains Wrote: [ -> ]What are the wire hold downs you have on the back of the cab and where did you get them? What kind of adhesive are they using? Have you used them before? How long did they hold?
I'm trying to avoid screwing things to the cab of my new truck. But adhesives and tape never hold up for me after a year or 2. Salts and sun get the best of them every time.
Same here, I hate drilling holes in the body.
I used those stick on zip tie holders with 3M double sided tape on the back, these...
https://amzn.to/3hRL7fj
I then used Eternabond tape over the top of them to secure them in place.
https://amzn.to/3mypnZ7
The Gorilla waterproof tape is darn near the same as the Eternabond, I cannot tell the difference, and it is cheaper and available at Home Depot.
They are holding up great at this point in time. I can tell you this, that Everbond or Gorilla tape is not coming off. Same stuff they use for trailer roof repairs on RV's and commercial trailers.
I would use some stronger double sided 3M tape on the backs of those zip tie deals, I didn't, and now wish I had. That is the weak link in my install.
Went out to the truck this morning, forgot to sign off on the ELD when I parked her at 1500 yesterday, another story... I hate those things.
Batteries were at 12.9 volts, sun was just starting to come up and solar was just beginning to charge. Refrigerator was on, 38*, APU was in standby, everything else was off. And the solar monitor showed 0 draw, that ICECO refrigerator is incredibly efficient.
The APU is rarely turning on, the other night it never came on, which normally it would have run for most of the night. We call that, "Money in our pocket".
(09-19-2020 )Waterloo Wrote: [ -> ]Went out to the truck this morning, forgot to sign off on the ELD when I parked her at 1500 yesterday, another story... I hate those things.
Batteries were at 12.9 volts, sun was just starting to come up and solar was just beginning to charge. Refrigerator was on, 38*, APU was in standby, everything else was off. And the solar monitor showed 0 draw, that ICECO refrigerator is incredibly efficient.
The APU is rarely turning on, the other night it never came on, which normally it would have run for most of the night. We call that, "Money in our pocket".
Makes me wonder if you shouldn't mount 2 more pannels on the hood.
Maybe another set on a fold-down panel that folds down behind the back of the cab that can fold up, for additional power when sitting bobtail.
just some thoughts... not trying to be sarcastic.
I thought about the hood... The fold down shelf at the rear of the cab sounds like a good idea. I would like to add a couple more batteries. I could install those on the cat walk in a battery box.
Keep updating this thread once in a while. I think I'm gonna follow your lead in a few months and do the same with my rig. Would love to see the long term results.