a/c hanging out in the front (any advice good or bad)

[slipperyd12]

Has anyone tried hanging the a/c out the front. I am thinking about covering it with diamond plate cover with louvers punched in it. Maybe even running the cover down to trailer frame to look like a tool box but with the bottom open. Then the question of do I want the head of the bed
at the a/c or turn it around and put the head at the back. See my album for the test fit. Then there is plenty room under the a/c for the battery box but that might make the tounge weight too much, Thanks John

[stjohn]

like this


the only down side is the ac running by your head I still have to put a bracket
down to the frame

MIKE

[slipperyd12]

Mike,

That looks great,about like mine. I am in Florida so a/c is not optional. I was thinking about putting my head at the back. But I work shift work and I always run a fan for noise at my bed so I don't think the noise will bother me. I plugged the a/c in this evening and it really is not very loud.
I still have not put my cabinets in so I could put them in the front over the a/c. I thought I could get a queen size mattress in but looks like it is going to be a full size. I started with 60 inches but the walls knocked me down to 56 3/4. Also with the a/c up front I guess the battery is going in the back.

Thanks for the reply.


John

[Woodbutcher]

I have mine in front. It is down low right off the floor. I built a headboard to cover about 6" of the unit that is inside the Tear. The back half will be inside a tongue box. When I want the AC I will crack open the lid. I built a deflector off the top of the AC unit to send the cold air up the wall and around the ceiling.






The vent in the front hinges forward to get to the controls, and the vent at the top is the exhaust for the cold air. More pics in my album if your interested.

[slipperyd12]

Thanks woodbutcher

Every picture I see I pull one little idea from it. Great album. So far I am 2 for two. I got 2 new ideas from you and mike. Do you remove you a/c when traveling? I got the same a/c but I put mine in from the inside. That headboard idea looks good. I liked the tv idea.

Thanks John

[harldydodge1]

Hey John,
I put the A/C in the front of my TTT then installed a tool box under it for support. This worked good until I pulled it for the first time and noticed that condensate from the unit would blow back inside the camper. I had some diamond plate left over from the sides so I built a cover that is hinged at the top and is opened when I use the A/C. It seals out the wind and also helps protect the coil when on the road. Also the tool box came in handy to use for all the electrical equipment, battery and for added storage. Here's a couple pictures. Wish I had a better picture . Keith

[Woody]

I guess the main concern here is the potential for a wind driven leak forcing water into the cabin at highway speeds and increased tongue weights. If you found a campsite that was not level I guess the condensate would pour on your head while you slept or just get blamed for the wet spot on he bed

[Roly Nelson]

John, I install my AC unit within my tongue box when camping, but carry it in the car while the teardrop is in tow. The tongue weight is too heavy if left in the box. I have a scoop that diverts the cold air up to the ceiling if it is used while we are in bed. However, I have found that turning it on a few minutes before going to bed, cools the tear sufficiently. I do believe if I left it on all night, it would ice up the windows. :-)

Roly, just my 2 cents.

[asianflava]

I have my a/c unit sitting in a pan with drain tubes in each corner. The bottom of my a/c unit is also a pan with a drain on the back. I have a line that goes from the a/c unit directly to one of the drain tubes.

In my case, the condensate that doesn't get over the a/c unit's lip sits in the bottom of the unit until I start to move the trailer. It will slosh out the first time I hit the brakes.

One of my projects is to pull out the a/c unit and drill holes in the bottom so that the water won't collect in the bottom.

[slipperyd12]

Lots of great ideas and what not to do thoughts. Thanks guys
My ideas so far is to build a tool box the shape of the frame on the toung
over the top of the a/c. Open on the bottom. Now I think I will drill holes to drain the water from the pan on a/c.

Sure would like to put my battery in the bottom. Problem is tounge weight. I put my axle ar 44 from the back. on a 9' 11" trailer. I think I need to measure tongue weight. Would sitting the tounge jack on a pair of bathroom scales be accurate?


Thanks John

[Ira]

Would sitting the tounge jack on a pair of bathroom scales be accurate?

A lot of people have done it that way.

[sdtripper2]

Tongue Weight measurements:

Would sitting the tongue jack on a pair of bathroom scales be accurate?

Improper Tongue weight can cause many symptoms while driving. Proper
tongue weight for your tow rig is important not to exceed.

Here are two methods of measuring tongue weight:


First method:


Second method:



Andrew (angib) has made a "Trailer balance spreadsheet" that may be of help:
http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear81.htm

[Ira]

Wind-driven leakage isn't an issue if you build your tongue box around it and don't smash your tongure box to smithereens while backing into your driveway.

[angib]

Would sitting the tounge jack on a pair of bathroom scales be accurate?

That actual hitch weight at the coupler would be a little lower than the weight you would measure at the jack, but the difference would be small, less than 5%.

You're really trying to find out if you're in the right ballpark with tongue weight, so 5% is plenty good enough accuracy.

Andrew

[steve wolverton]

Wind-driven leakage isn't an issue if you build your tongue box around it and don't smash your tongure box to smithereens while backing into your driveway.

LOL! You're right.