I've been pricing out having a roof mounted AC unit added to the dressing room of my GN trailer and am getting quotes of $1,000 to $1,500.  Has anyone ever used a portable room AC unit that can be bought for $3-$5 hundred in thier dressing room? Can anyone think of pros and cons to this thought?

Pros = Cheap.

Cons = Takes up floor space.

           Must empty condensation resevoir or plumb it to drain under trailer.

           Must be vented to the outside.

           Low BTU's.

           Did I mention that it takes up floor space?

     And No, I don't have one, studied the posibilities and decided to go with a roof mounted A/C.

Have you tried going to a camper supplier rather than a horse trailer dealer? I priced mine out for $600 vs. $1100 for the horse trailer dealer. Just a thought! I too looked into the portable units, you would need to cut a 2.5" hole to allow for the vent and then the drainage in the floor. Some of the better units did not require a drain. Good luck!

I've seen a few posting where some trailer owners built their own LQs and used a home/window type ac unit. Most were installed by cutting a hole the same size as the ac unit into the forward bulkhead. These were the inexpensive types that typically sold for less than $100 at Wal mart.

Camper World usually has Spring specials that include the installation of RV ac units at prices less than you indicated.

Unless your trailer has a reinforced roof area to carry the weight of an ac unit, you will have to have that part of your roof beefed up before it can be installed. An additional electrical circuit will have to be added if it is not presently equipped with one.

Cutting a hole in your forward bulkhead would not be a route I would favour. It will structurally weaken the bulkhead, and from the photos I've seen, even the stiffeners were cut out.

I would shop price wise for the RV type, they work well and are designed for that application.

BOL  Gard

I looked at the portable and window units for my trailer too.  The biggest issue for me was devaluing the trailer by doing an obvious jack-leg home built air conditioner install in the bulkhead or wall.  If I were looking to buy a trailer, I would deduct for the a/c in the bulkhead rather than pay extra it.

I'm very happy I went with the RV roof unit.

This is just another way: I put the small window unit in the doorway of the walk through  door. It sits on the doorway frame and I hang a shower curtain/blanket above it across the doorway to keep the cool air in.