Transporting "portable" AC in TM

[kokilo]

Our new to us 2006 TM was purchased without roof AC. Since we live in the Northwest where its usually cool and wet it wasn't too bad a deal and the price was right. Now we have a need for AC for a trip to the California desert in the fall.

The price for an AC retrofit is 3,000.00 and has to be done at the factory. Not an option for us.

We got a great deal on a 12,000 BTU portable AC which we now have installed in the TM. It is a dual hose model and vents out of the window just forward of the door in our 2720SD. The unit is around 3 feet high, 18 inches wide, 14 inches deep(hoses make it deeper) and weighs 90 lbs. Yes, it takes up space but it cools well (46 degree output), dehumidifies, is reasonably quiet, has a remote and uses less power than the roof AC. It came with a 2 year in home service warranty and can be returned to any Costco in the US or Canada. All this for 300.00. Depending on the trip we can take it or leave it at home.

Question: How can we secure a heavy item like this for travel? We don't want it to beat the floor to death or the AC. It is too tall to fit in the bathroom and should probably be kept upright for travel. We plan to make a foam base for it to avoid damage to the casters and the floor when traveling and what we need is a way to keep it from bouncing up and down or falling over. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Peter and Martha

 

[Leslie & Nick]

Hmmm...We live in a hot and humid locale, so I certainly understand the need for air conditioning of some kind. And you're right, $3k for installation of a rooftop factory type AC is not worth it. Your $300 solution sounds reasonable for limited use, even though the device takes up already limited floor space. Not sure what kind of flooring material you have in the TM, but if it's vinyl or even laminate, the unit's casters might dent the floor after thousand of towing miles.

A cheap and easy solution might be get four of those rubber furniture 'cups' to place under the casters. Or, maybe you could make some sort of rectangular wood frame to raise the casters off the floor and spread the weight over a larger area. If they come off easily, maybe you could simply remove the casters (??)

BTW, we happened to be in BC a few weeks ago - Victoria, and Vancouver (the night of the Stanley Cup playoffs -ugh!!) I liked the cooler temperatures, compared to here

Nick

 

[Bill]

Glad to hear you were wise enough to get a two-hose unit (separate intake and exhaust hoses through the window). It should work well for you.

As for keeping it in place while you travel. I assume that when you close the TM, you would like to leave it in the same spot as when the TM is open. Since it is 3 feet tall, it should fit under the lowered ceiling OK. How about designing a cap for the unit, to fill the gap between the top of the AC and the lowered ceiling? Then the lowered ceiling would hold it down. For visualization purposes, think of a block of stiff foam. The block is bigger than the top of the AC unit, and has a well cut out of the underside, an inch deep or so, and sized the drop over the top of the AC unit. Once in place, the block is thick enough that, as the trailer is folded, the ceiling just contacts the top of the block, holding it down.

A simple block of foam might not be the ultimate best approach, but you get the idea. Whatever you use needs some resilience, but not too much.

Of course you would want to attach some kind of hooks or brackets to the wall, to keep the AC from moving sideways as you travel. I can think of a couple nifty ways to do this - but perhaps that it the subject of another posting.

Bill

 

[countrygirl32082]

About Seven years ago we built a mobile hunting camper out of a new cargo trailer and installed an air conditioner similar to this:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

The ac sort of looks like a rolling piece of luggage with a hard plastic case.

We built a triangular 2x4 frame in one corner of the cargo trailer and also used 2 long bungee cord to help hold it in place. It never moved. Tonight after I get home from work I will email you a photo if interested. Ours frame was not fancy but perhaps it will give you an idea of something to do.

 

[klv5920]

Sounds like a great idea especially since you won't need it all the time. Does your table fold down against the bed? Could you put some screw eyes into the frame of the sofa and bungee the unit there, along with some extra padding around it to keep it from banging into the wood frame, and put the foam pad on top like Bill suggested to keep it from bouncing up and down so much? Just my 2 cents worth!
Karen

 

[kokilo]

Thanks for the great ideas.

The AC is installed between the dinette and the door against the curb side wall under the window. To collapse the TM the dinette slide has to be withdrawn so the AC must move. The hoses are stiff and almost self supporting so a couple of bungee cords (hooked to handy curtain screws) across the window and a foam gasket keep the intake and exhaust in place. No modifications to the TM and the window can still be closed and locked with the AC in place. The drain hose (if needed for dehumidify) can be run out under the dinette or under the door.

To move the AC for travel remove the bungee cords and roll it away. Easy.

We are leaning towards building a carpeted support frame which we can drop the unit into for transport (it can live under the trailer in a plastic bag when not needed). The box it came in has a Styrofoam base. We can use that or make a new one from that pattern. Once secured to the frame the AC and the TM should both be protected. Placing it somewhere between the sink and the stove would be safest for lateral movement especially when it is wedged in by other stuff. A chunk of foam on the top with a height 4 or 5 inches above the sink back-splash should protect it even further

I remember reading that someone on the forum installed eye bolts through the floor to keep cargo from moving but I can't seem to find the post. It is probably overkill for this purpose.

Thanks, Peter and Martha

 

[Bill]

I remember reading that someone on the forum installed eye bolts through the floor to keep cargo from moving but I can't seem to find the post.

That was Lars. He put the picture in an album - find it here

http://67.122.16.97/lars/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album36

Bill