Espasr

[Broompilot]

A good friend of mine is looking into putting the ESPAR unit on his truck. $300 down $250 a month. Is this a lease or purchase does anyone know? Now I do not believe that this only burns one gallon every twenty hours.

My comments on my own personal Pro-Heat I will post later but if you are considering one you might as well go to a boat store and buy an anchor. Undependable is not the word, 14 repairs in less than 20 months hows that for reliable.

 

[greg334]

I think this is a purchase that is funded by a company that Espar of Michigan works with. I went through the sale pitch a couple months ago.

 

[ATeam]

>My comments on my own personal Pro-Heat I will post later
>but if you are considering one you might as well go to a
>boat store and buy an anchor. Undependable is not the word,
>14 repairs in less than 20 months hows that for reliable.

That was a brand-new unit that came with your truck, was it not? With that kind of a breakdown record I'd expect Pro-Heat to put an entirely new unit on the truck at their expense. How many hours are on the unit now? The Pro Heats I have used in fleet owner trucks have all done better than that. Installation errors might also be a factor. Has anyone looked into that?

 

[davekc]

It sounds like you have a unit that was done prior to the changes they made. We have one of the new ones, and so far, it has been perfect. Jon Mosier at Knoxville said they made numerous changes on them with all new electronics, AC, and a few other things I can't remember.









Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Broompilot]

Its a combo of both, Bentz dropped the ball terrible install. Pro-Heat has said were sorry but, but not there problem. It is not even two years old yet purchased NEW, biggest LEMON I have ever owned. I would have probably had better luck with a ten year old K or X car.

No dealer net work up till now, tons of DH for repairs, than facility is to busy to see you but P/H claims that its not there fault, parts youall think you had problems with M-2s this company had a run on all parts due to all of the problems everyone had. I am serious, I saw a driver ready to punch a service manager once in Mnpsl. Every part except for the fan motor that runs the heat and a/c and the Kabota Engine has been replaced.

The units Engine is Great but the design and parts to operate this thing well 14 times in 20 months = alot of my time = loads lost and think of the DH twice from Harrisburg PA to Youngstown OH, once from Kankakee IL to Ft. Wayne, D.C. to Charlotte NC K.C. Kc to St. Louis MO. the list goes on and on.

 

[davekc]

Mosier at Knoxville uses a Carrier dealer in Knoxville.
So far, it looks like they got it right.
Same place does thier reefers if you are using a Carrier







Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Broompilot]

If you are considering a Pro Heat I can say this I will never buy another one. To this date this unit has not saved me a dime, it has cost me in down time, DH more than the fuel savings claimed it would be saving me. Now add 14 days out of Service. Junk, company does not deserve to stay in business if it will not stand behind its product I have complained but not there problem.

Other owners I have talked to have also had a long list of problems, so its not just me and take it in for service the service people just roll there eyes yeah we know these things are terrible, but I will say when they run they do run well, but only when they run or start.

 

[greg334]

Broom
Dumb question, what is going on with the unit?

 

[davekc]

Sorry you had so much problem with yours. I will keep our fingers crossed and hope ours holds together.







Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[heel4you]

I just have to know...
Why are Truck generators so much more expensive than ones that are used in RV's???
Are there any other options out there??
Thanks,
Laura

 

[davekc]

Laura
The RV ones that are deisel are pretty close to the same price when you add the cost of the a/c units in with it.
Options are going with a Espar heater or running a gas one. That does come with some hassles.
If it is a gas RV, it is likely a propane generator. Same thing on a RV trailer.
You can do a search on APU units as there are numerous different types and many operate differently from each other. Some have engines and now they have some that don't. I believe they run on compressed nitrogen for cooling.





Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[x06col]

I'm kinda wonder'in how many rooms you could'a rented for the cost, plus, the dh for repair, plus the heartburn. Don't know about you, but, the heartburn would be the large cost item in this list for me. I still just, find a tree, park cross wind, and enjoy. Or, if it's really tuff out, just get a room. Easier that way. No LARGE out of pocket, no upkeep, no don't work, no nutt'in but comfort most of the time. I even get a swimming pool thrown in some of the time. Don't get any better than that. No wonder you folks are ##### at you career most of the time. I don't think you've learned to keep it simple, and git 'R' done. Seems the whole world is against most of you, you're truck dealer, you're apu dealer, you're dispatcher, you're company, the truck stops. Or, maybe it's just you against you. Dunno!

 

[Broompilot]

Col sometimes and this time you make no sense, easy add $45 a night X 12 nights a month in winter, trees do not work in the winter and in Texas I saw no trees large enough to shade the truck and in WI in the winter the sun aint hot enough in Nov Dec Jan Feb March to keep it warm enough to stay healty enough to run.

Now have I had heartburn no just a headache, inconvience yep at this point I am probably at break even actually I have saved alot of $ but its come at a cost. I would not think of being in this business or taking your advice on not having an APU when we have to sit sometimes 24 hours. I cannot find a crystal ball dependable enough to guarantee a run in a couple of hours, now some have that luck I just do not know of anyone. At $3.00 a gallon well I guess you do not get it so I wont go there someone can do the math.

 

[cheri1122]

Out of necessity, I too, am looking for a tree most days - and in many places, it's like dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean! There are trees everywhere I look, but not one that I can park under! Do they do it on purpose, planting only itty bitty trees, if any, in the parking lots? Or nice big, bushy trees - oriented so the shade is on the driving lanes, not the parking spots! I can't think of much that's less appealing than acres of concrete baking in the sun. Unless it's acres of concrete baking in the sun at a truckstop! Call me a tree hugger, cause I'd like to, most days, lol.

 

[x06col]

Broom, i'd find some housing deals $45 is way too much. Winter, you don't need a room. Get a bunk warmer. A little tuff getting up mornings, and, a little tuff getting the truck started sometimes but, if it's not lower than -10 it should start. You'd probably have better health in that environment than a comfy 80. Hey, whatever you want, but, please don't whine because you're comforts are a pain in your ##### and hard on your pocketbook. It serves no purpose. Keep look'in for those trees Cherrie!!

 

[nightcreacher]

Get the check inn card,45 bucks is too much for a room,oh, and us tractor teams dont get to use a room that much,at least not at fedexcc
nightcreacher
ooida 263839
fed exs cc since 1984
E6613
steve gilbert

 

[Broompilot]

As usual Col yeah there are lower lodging rates, if one wants to stay at a place with grills on every door step, families staying at one end or 12 people per room on the shaddy side of town, drug users, sellers etc.. crawling the parking lots at night. You wana stay with that elemant go ahead just a warning to those bargin hunter motel layovers stay at your own risk. And good luck finding everything attatched to the truck the next day.

I just will not lower my standards, so I depend on the APU unit to keep me comfortable with or with out your approval, whinning yeah about the dependability of the Pro-Heat about paying to much for a hotel NO I just prefere not to stay at Hotels, and I do not need a bunk warmer to drain the batteries to only have to start the truck or not be able to first thing in the AM to wake up to being sick. Since you do not drive your trucks year round how would know?

 

[FIS53]

I have a small Espar unit in my truck. Use it to heat the motor and keep temp up in winter. Works great and sofar no problems. It is a low consumption unit and I can keep it on while running so in traffic or loading, unloading the diesel maintains temp. Yes I do see the fuel gauge go down a little but not enough to worry about (lose about 30-50 miles off a tank).
Rob Fis