Can a Boler take the weight of a roof air conditioner?

[dapple]

Hello World.
Well....I bought a boler around 6 years ago.
I used it as is for a couple of years, and for the past two it's been sitting....and I've been so busy with work.

Now that I want to take it out again, and start using it, I want to make some improvements.

Questions:
Does anyone know of a place near Toronto that can help me do some repairs and upgrades?

Can I mount a roof air conditioner onto a 74 boler? Is the roof strong enough to hold it? Is the opening hatch 14x14? I have it parked at another site, or I'd just go out and check it.

Thanks so much!

[Steve_N_Janna]

I cannot comment specifically regarding your '74 Boler, but I can share based on my experience with a 2002 Scamp with factory installed overhead A/C.

I'm doing a rebuild of the unit and quickly decided that the roof could benefit from additional support beyond the sheet of plywood (or possibly OS that Scamp glassed into the original structure. I started out by adding plywood and two poplar cross members.

As I build in new cabinetry I am trying to make each unit add a bit more integrity to the roof and am considering glassing in some additional 'ribs'.

With your older Boler I am guessing that the roof will require some sort of additional reinforcement if you want it to bear the weight of an A/C.

The easy solution would be to install a window style A/C, they are relatively inexpensive and readily available if a replacement is needed. To get maximum performance out of one you will want to mount it as high as possible.

[David Tilston]

I have seen Trilliums that the owner has put a roof top air-conditioner on. The roof clearly sags. Trillium did a factory roof top air conditioner. They added a fibreglass saddle to carry the weight.

[Hansen family]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I have seen Trilliums that the owner has put a roof top air-conditioner on. The roof clearly sags. Trillium did a factory roof top air conditioner. They added a fibreglass saddle to carry the weight.

Does anyone happen to have pictures of this "sag" with the A/C saddle bag setup?

[Carol H]

I honestly dont think I would take the chance on putting a roof ac on a Boler.... actually at our meets we mostly have Boler's attend and I honestly dont think I have ever seen one on a Boler roof..... suspect I would play it safe a stick to a Fantastic Fan.

[grossg]

Just saw this from a link about awnings today: Boler Awning :: open picture by canobuilder_photos - Photobucket

I'm saying that's a Boler with an air conditioner on top...

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by grossg

Just saw this from a link about awnings today: Boler Awning :: open picture by canobuilder_photos - Photobucket

I'm saying that's a Boler with an air conditioner on top...

There you go - never say never Actually just went through a few hundreds photos of bolers trying to find one with ac.....

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Hansen family

Does anyone happen to have pictures of this "sag" with the A/C saddle bag setup?

Actually, the Trilliums that have the saddle don't sag. Randy Bishop did a restore of a Trillium with factory air.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...n-47173-4.html

He decided to not put the air conditioner back on. He was trying to give away the saddle and all associated parts of the system. He may still have them.

[Pam Garlow]

As much flex as I have in by side body (a natural part of being fiberglass), I'd be reeeel concerned if someone installed an 75lb ac unit on top of my trailer without reinforcement. Just the thought of that weight bouncing up and down on top as I drive down the road makes me nervous. Nope, it is either a roof vent, or fantastic fan up there for me!

[Donna D.]

Gosh, what is it now about posting on the WWW... if you see or hear it, it's obviously true

Just because there's a picture posted, doesn't mean the owner didn't really reinforce the inside to accept the weight. I know it's something I wouldn't do on a trailer not manufactured to accept the weight YMMV

[Ria. V]

My husband made a support and we installed a small house air conditioner in the window.
It stays in all the time. though we can remove it and re-install the 1/2 of window that we took out.
We saw it posted... not sure if it was on here or if it was on bolerama site... but it works awesome!! especially on the really hot humid days... or we can have it run to bring in cooler air etc.

[john warren]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Gosh, what is it now about posting on the WWW... if you see or hear it, it's obviously true

Just because there's a picture posted, doesn't mean the owner didn't really reinforce the inside to accept the weight. I know it's something I wouldn't do on a trailer not manufactured to accept the weight YMMV

also doesn't mean the next time the door was slammed the whole thing didn't end up on the floor. my guess is any trailer that wasn't built with an a/c on the roof, will need some reinforcement to carry that amount up there. nice thing about fiberglass is it can be worked and reinforced fairly easily by someone that knows what they are doing.
well.....that leaves me out,,,lol

[RogerDat]

Options for adding AC to FG campers that have accumulated in my brain.

• Reinforce roof top and mount there. Could be ribs, "saddle" or other fairly extensive modification. But is pretty much required. The roof is factory modified for roof AC because it has to be to support the weight.

Window shaker AC units.

• Inside existing closet or cupboard. Stock location on many scamps. Requires cutting wall to install vent panel for exaust air. AC is totally inside camper in most cases.
• Window mount. Many approaches used to support AC unit.
• Through the wall under rear dinette (bumper support)
• Through the wall center front. I only recall this one specifically from a camper having a front dinette mod instead of a bunk. (tongue support)
• And people have added 4 inch hose hookups to camper and put a small AC unit on the ground outside with covers that allowed hooking flexible dryer hoses to trailer.

Comments.
You probably don't need over 6,000 btu for a 13 ft camper. Those can be had for under $150. And come in a very small package. Roof AC unit is $500 plus.

Rear wall under dinette seems like it would be the most stable and uses less inside space than in closet/cupboard. Will reduce tongue weight a bit, don't want that too light or sway becomes a problem. With a remote control should be easy to control. Air blowing at legs could be chilly but for sleeping seems good. Spare tire storage could be an issue. Move to front is a possible solution.

Closet/cupbord with vent in the wall might be a little more flexible in terms of replacement unit sizes when compared to an opening cut in wall to fit specific unit. And provide better air distribution. Given a choice between cutting the wall and adding an "new" fridge vent panel vs dropping 75 lbs on the roof I know which I would pick.

Using hoses with AC on the ground is pretty creative, and you can use AC unit in a house when not camping, but one does have to haul the loose AC unit along if one will need AC that trip.

Window mounts range from mount on board and close window on it to some pretty sophisticated mounting solutions.

People with fantastic or maxx air power fans point out that in a small camper it really helps keep it cooler. Those with them love them, those like me without have dreams of someday.

Hope this helps you decide what will work best for you. I would think long and hard about the work required to have roof mount. And how much I could count on it not causing sag or breaking long term vs some other solution that will keep me comfortable in the heat.

[ShawnKK]

The Boler I bought had a roof top unit. Not sure how long it lasted before the roof cracked. That is how I got the Boler so cheap. I already have a fix for the roof but now I am looking for a better place for a ac. Right now I am thinking a split system with it on the tongue. I just started my research 3 hours ago but I do know it can be had as cheap as a roof top system and 115 volts. The smallest I found so far is a 9300 BTU mini split.