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I have an old Uhaul that I'm turning into an rv. I'm putting the exterior unit of a ductless mini split AC on the "mother's attic" portion of the truck box directly above the windshield.

They make a wall bracket for hanging these but I don't think it's designed for hitting pot holes at 70 mph. So I plan to make my own bracket. I'll also be framing for a cover vent and fairing for protection and streamlining.

The weight needs to be kept down so I'm thinking of using 1 inch aluminum square tubing with a 1/8 inch wall to make two L-brackets. I'd be using an DC tig welder with Alumiweld brazing rod. The rod claims a tensile strength of 40,000 PSI.

The charged AC unit weight is 85 lb and the center of mass will be about a foot from the wall.

Does this sound like it would hold up? I really don't want this thing crashing down into my lap.

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    $\begingroup$ Brace it, that’s why many brackets have a triangle involved. $\endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    Jul 2, 2021 at 4:09
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks Mike, the diagonal piece would have to be short to fit between the upright bracket leg and the foot ot th AC. About 4.25 inches. But i still don't know how much stress hitting a bump would create or if the aluminum will hold up. $\endgroup$ Jul 3, 2021 at 10:12

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Short answer, no. At least not by me. I thought I had seen a video using a tig torch to braze the Alumiweld but couldn't find it again so I just used MAP gas instead. I'd get one side brazed, flip it to do the other side. But then the 1st side remelted and things fell apart. Then I found a promising method on video. Watch "Welding Square Aluminum Tubing with HTS-735-11" on YouTube https://youtu.be/PetfKFWGMUo I was able to make an L bracket, but it couldn't support my weight. I bought steal square tubing today. It's heavier than I'd like, but it will TIG nice and strong.

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