Air Conditioning for M800 series (250-Cummins) trucks

[JBSeeling]

Has anyone ever tried to put aftermarket A/C into a 5-ton? I'm in a situation where I must air-condition my trucks (6 total) and I'm working with a local Red Dot distributor to accomplish this task.

Before we "reinvent the wheel," is there anyone out there that has done this already? Where/how did you mount the air conditioning compressor?

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

-John Brian Seeling
Alexandria, LA

 

[CCATLETT1984]

using the "red-dot" ac unit like they are running on the hmmwv's might be a good way to do it. self contained and runs on 24v, might be able to mount it on the top of the cab, would have to reinforce it a bit though.
You are going to have to insulate the crap out of the cab to get it to stay cool inside, or have a way oversized unit to keep pumping cold air in.

 

[BKubu]

Those RED DOT A/C units are designed to reduce the ambient temperature in a vehicle from 125 degrees to around 80. So, in Louisiana, if the temps are approaching 100+ or so, that A/C will work just fine even with poor insulation.

 

[clinto]

Wait, there is an A/C system that is self contained and 24V? Are you saying the compressor is electric and not belt driven off the engine?

 

[tcody]

Where do you want to mount it - rooftop; behind cab; in cab? An alternative to RedDot is Kysor (for the roof top mounted) They have a web page at www.kysorhvac.com . They seem to be about $300-500 less/unit than RedDot and come in 24V, but service centers are not as plentiful. You just need to mount a engine driven compressor, hose kit and the condenser unit and your in business. You will have to cut a hole or two in the roof depending on the unit. I think I remember a thread about someone fitting an aftermarket AC unit that you use in hotrods to a deuce. May want to do a quick search of the SS site - I could be wrong about this. Good luck.

 

[98hd]

You will want to make sure you seal up all the holes, and around the shifters. Perhaps you can look into a winterizing kit to do that.

Other than that, make sure you post up about all the details when you are done!

 

[JBSeeling]

Re: Self-contained 24v A/C units from Red Dot

Never seen or heard of a self-contained 24v unit, but that sounds PERFECT for what I need. I'll contact Red Dot with a separate inquiry, but does anyone have an NSN number or other information on these self-contained units? May help if the local Red Dot guy doesn't have the military stuff in his book (usually the way it goes for me).

Will also check with Kysor HVAC and will keep everyone posted on what we end up doing to the 6 trucks.

Regarding the aftermarket AC systems that use an engine-driven compressor: How/Where would (or could) a compressor be mounted on the 250 Cummins used in the M800-series? 4 of the trucks we're going to air condition are M812 Bridge Trucks and plans are to also use 2 M820's. All the engines have the power-steering pump in the only location that would seem to be convenient for an air-conditioning compressor.

Has anyone ever mounted an A/C compressor to the M800-series Cummins (without replacing the power-steering pump with a cam-driven power steering pump)?