Mobile home construction?

[DaveC]

I've been asked to mount an antenna and pole on the side of a mobile home.

I'm pretty familiar with traditional (non-mobile) home construction, but I have no experience with this form of design.

Where are frame members located (every 16 / 24 inches)? What size are they (2x4 / 2x2)? Is exterior sheet metal attached directly to frame?

I've searched the web and found some information, but nothing describing framing and general construction of these homes.

Any and all details of general design of this kind of home would be greatly appreciated, as will www pointers.

Thanks,

[charlie]

they're all different. you might have to take an interior panel off and look

[aemeijers]

1. Try over in the rec.radio groups- the real experts live over there.
2. I would not mount the pole ON the mobile home, I'd drop it over a piece of rebar pounded into the ground right beside it, preferably with a crush-resistant brick that the rebar can stick through under it, to keep the bottom of pole from rusting. I would then tie it off to the mobile home right below the roof edging with an appropriate standoff or fabricated bracket. If the antenna has a large sail area, I would strongly consider bolting the standoff to a pressure-treated 2x8 fastened to the wall, and maybe through-bolting that plate to a matching plain 2x8 on the inside, hidden in a closet or bookcase or something. It all depend how the thing was framed, which is largely a function of how old it is. Older ones often did have 2x3 mini-studs, newer ones use 2x4 or 2x6. How thick is the wall right by the front door? That will tell you how it is framed. The usual methods of finding a stud apply.
3. The above is how I told our onsite people to mount the 2-way radio antennas on our office trailers over in the sandbox, where wind can be a problem. They have all held on so far, as far as I know.

-- aem sends...

[Dioclese]

Remember how my dad mounted the TV antenna. He dug a post hole about 4 feet deep, and put a galvanized pipe in the hole. Pipe stuck out of the ground about 4". Poured concrete around it. Got a long galvanized pipe of smaller diameter and mounted the TV antenna on it and wired it. Stuck the long pipe inside the pipe in the ground. Drilled a hole in the pipe in the ground and threaded the hole. Stuck a galvanized bolt in the hole, was used to lock the long pipe from turning.

I don't know the pipe diameters. I do know the piping was relatively thick. Water finally ate out the piping at the ground level where the one pipe sat inside the other, lasted for 35 years as I recall.

[Stormin Mormon]

When I moved in, there was already antenna mast. However, my limited experience with one trailer. The exterior aluminum is pretty thin. You can find the studs by just walking along, and pushing on the aluminum. You can feel them. Studs may be 2 x 3 inch, so 2 or 2 1/2 lag bolts can be used. Drill pilot holes, of course. Stud spacing? Not sure. External sheet metal is typically screwed to the studs. So, screw heads may help you locate the studs.

[Cwatters]

Don't.

I would bury a 4" wooden post next to the mobile home and fix it to that.