Tip submitted by Doug Hildreth 8/2002 (email firebird@mind.net)
it is inexpensive, easy to make and does the job.
Tip submitted by David Landsverk 8/7/03 (email dlandsve@lausd.k12.ca.us
The panels are first mounted to aluminum angle which is slightly longer than
the width of the roof rack. the solar panel assembly is then mounted to the
roof rack with U-bolts. The front of the assembly is mounted under the roof
rack bar. The rear of the assembly is mounted to the top of the roof rack
bar. This gives the solar panel assembly a slight tilt down at the front to
help keep the wind from lifting them. At the front of the assembly I
attached two supports to the roof using RTV adhesive and at the rear I
attached one support in the same manner. (See detail photo.) The 3-75w
panels I used weighted a total of 65lbs when ready for mounting. The cable
was routed down through the refrigerator vent. The charge controller was
mounted below the refrigerator and from there the output of the solar cells
was wired into the RV's power center.
This assembly has been used successfully for 6000 miles with frequent check for mounting integrity and no indication of any problems.
