On Sun, 25 Jun 95 07:41:22 CDT Lewis Horn said:
>Has anyone had any experience with top mounted AC units on a Westy?  ie
>the type used on motorhomes and conversion vans?  I spotted a 70's type
>bus/westy a few days ago that looked like it had such an animal mounted
>on top of the skylight vent.  Would/could this type of unit function well
>on a westy?  What about the added weight on the fiberglass as well as the
>angle when the top is up?  Ideas/Suggestions appreciated, its hot down
>here in the summer, and an ac unit for camping would be great!

the only problem with those top-mounted things is that they are all 110 volt.
as i understand, from the motorhome magazines and such, you have to run the
generator if you want to run these while driving down the highway. this is
why the big winnebago type buses still have the automobile-type dash a/c:
to cool the driver and passenger while driving.

there is a fellow in town with an 80 vanagon who has one on top of his bus,
and HAD a smallish generator mounted to his front bumper. i have no idea if
it worked well/poorly, and lately he's been driving around WITHOUT the
generator on the bumper (i think he front-ended someone).

now, there was a guy in florida who sold a smaller household a/c unit that
fit into the luggage rack of the westys, but the ad said it was for 110-volt
ac shore-line use only. it didn't run off the batteries or generator or at
all while driving.

and it MIGHT have been just one of those luggage-carriers on top of that
westy you saw. ;)

joel