Thought on Air Cond. and Furnace

[chezrad]

I was thinking about this last night. I have noted a lot of designs have air conditioners and furnaces that take up space inside the tear. They also have issues with venting, ducting, draining, ect.. Why not put these items in a tongue box?

You could leave the bottom open for venting and ducting and everything would come through the front wall. In addition you'd have more room in the tear.

I would think the only potential issue would be rethinking the wheel position to ensure the correct weight on the hitch. Electrical hookups might be easier too.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[BrianB]

If you put it in a tounguebox, that means the output vent will be blowing right where your pillows are. If you're talking about an external unit with ducting, then unless you can find a creative way to do it, your duct work will be visible on the outside.

[tncruiser]

i haven,t decided where to mount my air unit yet, however it has a remote control sooooo i may may carry it in the trunk of the car and duct from there, my tow vehicles are a f150 and 73 dodge polara so trunk space or power is not a concern at all

brianj(tncruiser

[Chip]

A cuple of things it the direct weight on the tongue , the centerline of the wheels can be moved forward to compensate but only so far before it conflicts with the door and its size and shape,,the other is where the cold air is gonna blow on ya or into the cabin,,

I mounted mine in a opening in the galley, high next to the roof,,so far it works real good and the air circulates around the cabin but does not blow directly on me,,

in the cooler weather I take out two screws and pull the a/c out and i have a screened hole for additional ventilation or a nifty ledge to put a ceramic heater, or a small tv,,or a coffee pot so I dont have to get out in the am first thing,,

from looking and reading about tongue weights,, I have seen a lot of people come up with way too heavy weights but have never ever read a thread on how to make it heavier,,

while on the subject of a/c and ventilation,,one suggestion,,spend the bucks for a real good top vent if ya gonna put in a power vent,,the cheap ones just are too noisy and dont pull much air,,or just put in a static vent

my 2.5 cents worth (inflatation ya know)

chip

[Arne]

There is a possible sway problem with moving the axle forward. The more mass/moment you have rear of the axle, the more weight there is to cause the trailer to sway.

My h/f trailer with stock axle location has a tiny bit of wiggle. Whether caused by weight or turbulence, I'm sure it would worsen if I moved the axle forward (to comentsate for a forward mounted a/c unit).

I'm curious about what is needed to strengthen the roof to handle a 45# a/c unit. I'm concerned that the roof might sag with that amount of weight on it. I understand a cabinet face plate from one side to the other (wall to wall) would act as an I-beam and be fairly strong, but don't want to put the a/c in the top of the rear/roof and find I've created a big problem for myself.

The 45# weight comes from the lightest 5k a/c unit I can find. I have an old 4k unit, but these don't seem to be available any longer. Also, the shortest unit I can find it in the 12" high range. On a 48" tall tear, with wood to hold it, that could start to cut down on interior space rather quickly.....

The idea of a van mounted unit with flexible ductwork is kind of intriguing.... I had thought about mounting the unit on the tongue box, and moving it in/out as needed, but we all know that gets very tedious.....