Kohler Power Systems has been making auxiliary power systems for other markets for over 85 years, and is now expanding its generator product line to the heavy-duty truck market.

The company’s 5-kilowatt APU went onto production in April, and at 27 in. wide x 26 high x 23 deep weighing less than 340 lb, it promises to be one of the smallest and lightest generators on the market.

The air-cooled, single-cylinder, 9.9-hp aluminum Hatz diesel engine is direct-mounted to a dual output (120-volt AC and 50-Amp DC) alternator/generator. The unit has no drive belts, which helps lower maintenance costs and increases service time between maintenance intervals. The engine has an oil service interval of 500 hours, and it’s said to burn .20 gal/hr in typical service. The APU is mounted in a sound-attenuated enclosure for quiet operation (less than 70dB in the cab, Kohler claims), and it’s EPA Tier-2 certified.

Kohler’s stand-alone under-bunk HVAC system provides 14,000 BTU/hour of cooling and 2.5 kW of electric heating, completely independent of the truck’s climate control system. A digital controller allows the driver to start and stop the generator, and adjust the heating and cooling from inside the cab. The HVAC unit weighs an additional 104 lb. The APU/HVAC is backed by a service network of over 500 distributors and dealers throughout North America.