Dick, I did this job with a little help from my brother for the lifting
part.
Walking on the roof is not a problem. Just remember to stay off the end
caps, and walk on the rivet lines.
We used two ladders to walk the new A/C up the side of the trailer and set
it up on the roof. Then we got on the roof an lifted the A/C in place.
Don't forget to get the drain pan from any AS dealer so that you can hook up
the drain tube in the ceiling.
Removing the old A/C is a little work as there are maybe up to 100 rivets
holding it on. You will have to remove them all then replace them with
Olympic rivets and vulkum on each rivet to keep it from leaking.
I have some info on how I did mine here:
http://www.ldservice.com/tim/airstream/air_conditioner_trouble.htm
Good luck with whatever you decide.
-Tim
theVAP.com
> I have a new Duo Therm Model 59146.331 heat pump/air conditioner that
> I'd like to put on our '72 Trade Wind. My question is, how much of a
> job is this? I'm 72. Can I do this with help from one of our boys to
> do the heavy lifting, or is this a job better left to my local
> authorized Airstream dealer?
>
> I don't want to get up on top of the aluminum and walk around, so I'll
> have to rent or make some sort of scaffold to remove, clean and install
> the new unit. As far as I can tell, the unit up there now is the
> original Armstrong air conditioner. Are these things attached from
> inside the coach? Are the fasteners nuts and bolts, rivets or a
> special type?
>
> The cover that is up there now has an aluminum skirt around the bottom.
> From looking at it, it appears not to be riveted or bolted through the
> roof. Is this true, or am I going to have some holes to seal?
>
> What other problems am I going to be faced with if I attempt this job
> on my own? Pictures available.