Air conditioner removal and replacement

[HandyDan]

Today I decided to finally do something about the dead Coleman airconditioner in the rear of my Holiday Rambler.  It worked fine last summer but on labor day weekend it started running slow and not putting out much cooling.  I had a Dometic DuoTherm that I got three years ago to replace the Dometic a/c on my Class C Tioga that I never got around to.  I bought it from a guy who had a 5th wheel that he wanted to keep in his barn, but the door to the barn was just about 5 inches too low for the a/c.  He bought a low profile model and sold me the original one so it is almost brand new.
Now this is the fun part.  I decided to take the rear air off and move the front one to the rear.  Then put the Dometic on the front.  Sounds simple, don't it?  Well I rigged up two pulleys and some nylon climbing rope to the tree next to the MH.  I made a cradle out of the nylon cord and hooked it to the pulley and around the air conditioner.  About then my youngest son showed up with his wife and made the job a whole lot easier.  I tied the end of the rope to my garden tractor and pulled away.  After it was clear of the MH I then went and pulled the MH out of the way while my son backed the tractor up till the a/c was on the ground.  Then I backed the MH back under the pulleys and did it over again but this time I put the front one on the back.  Then finally we pulled the Dometic unit up in the air and pulled the MH under it and lowered it in place.  In all it took about an hour to do.  I should have taken pictures but I left my camera in my older son's truck.
I've got them all hooked up and running and what a difference!  I was afraid this was going to be one of those projects that I get right in the middle of and discover that I don't have the know-how, tools, time, or enough help to accomplish.  However, removing or installing an air conditioner isn't all that bad.  However, I wouldn't want to try it on an Airstream.  I'll start a new thread about what I found inside both the Coleman air conditioners.

[Lefty]

Congrats, however you didn't mention replacing the old seals with new ones while you had them off... New seals are only about $15 ea. and it is unlikely an old one will reseal if reused... Hope you don't have leaks.

[HandyDan]

Good point.  And, yes, I did put new seals on.  However, the old ones didn't look that bad and came off fairly easy.  They have never leaked.  I guess we will see if the new ones do as well.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Excellent, Dan!  I've always just wrangled the AC units around on sheer bull strength, but I'm getting older, and while I'm still strong enough to sling around an AC by myself, as I get older I'm more concerned about injuries, like back injuries and hernias and whatnot, so I'm getting more and more careful as I go along...especially being self employed in a unique field of work, where an injury and down time would be devastating to the business...and our livelihoods.

The ropes and pulleys and tractor idea is great!  Could even use a vehicle like our Jeep in a pinch.  Great thinking!

Our rear AC still works, but we plan on eventually replacing it with a Fantastic fan since we never use it.  I turn it on once a month or so for an hour just to keep it cycling.  It won't cool the front of the RV because of its placement and the bedroom walls, and turns the bedroom into an icebox...but the front AC because of its placement shoots right back into the bedroom and cools the whole RV.  Plus, its wired into a switch that only allows you to use one AC unit at a time...30 amp and all...unless you are running the genny.  We never are boondocking where the temperatures are anywhere near high enough to require both AC units running at the same time.

Anyhow, great idea with the rope, pulleys, and tractor!

Kev