Hey Lads, I picked up a rooftop AC Unit to install on my trailer. It is a Duo-Therm, Brisk-Air and weighs about 100-ish pounds. I have a Pace American cargo trailer and the spars are 24" apart on center. The AC unit is 30" long so it will span across two spars no problem. I am pretty certain that between the two spars, it can adequately support 100lbs? My question concerns the mounting of the unit itself. Right now, the trailer has insulation applied to the inside of the roof but no actual roof material has been installed yet - that's coming. Just wondering if those that have installed these things have built any sort of box assembly to support the mounting from the inside? Never put one of these in before and to look at the way it is designed, it looks kinda flimsy. Does anyone have pics of AC installs they have done so I can see how everything has gotten supported from the inside of the trailer? And for those that may have installed one on a cargo trailer such as mine, are those roof supports strong enough to support a 100 pound AC unit? Cheers Bernie
Most rooftop AC units mount in a 14x14 hole which is the same as most roof vents. So you will need someway to create a square structure with that size. Probably have to run a couple of supports front to back 14" apart and then put a couple of supports side to side to build the box. I don't have any pictures as both of my trailers were ordered with AC factory installed so the bracing was already there and covered up.
Thanx, I think I can see what needs to be done. Going to build a frame for the vent out of 1.25" square tube and then weld that between the roof spars. Pretty sure that will be strong enough to hold the unit in place. Just hoping that there is not too much deflection of the roof as the trailer bounces down the road.
What you have planned is probably exactly what most trailer manufacturers do. I've seen prices as low as say 40 or 50 dollars for AC bracing as a line item on trailer order forms so I'm sure there are not doing anything too fancy. If in doubt shoot Pace an e-mail with your trailer model and ask them if that should be sufficient.
