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Tilt bracket for Yakima track mounted solar panel


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#11 PaulT

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 08:34 AM

My tilt bars are steel and heavier than required. I would have preferred they were aluminum. Amsolar has several lengths of struts to lift different width solar panels to reach a 45 degree angle. This is appropriate for Oregon as the 45th parallel passes through the state between Salem and Portland. The "ideal" angle is equal to the latitude where you are.  You might want to make a set of two bars with one solid and the other with a slot down the middle. Put some markings on the slotted one and include a wing nut or T-nut mechanism such that you could vary the length to make the length appropriate for the latitude and time of year to match the angle to maximize the solar acquisition.

 

Looking around the web, you can find some ingenius solutions for solar panel tilting and steering with sensors, motors and processors to keep the panels at the best angle to maximize solar collection. Many of these look fragile if put on a vehicle and needing maintenance to keep everything in working order. In addition to the complexity, most of these would increase the height of the unit to eliminate storing your camper in a garage.

 

One of the most interesting I found was a ground mounting support here in Oregon where there were three freon or equivalent liquid filled tanks. The one nearest the sun evaporated the freon and forced the gas to the cooler tank on the other side. This was a passive steering mechanism. By moving the weight to the other tank, the panel mount would swing around keeping the panels pointed toward the sun.  At night the ground was warmer than the air and another tank pivoted the panels back to the starting point in the east by morning.  Each quarter, the owner changed the tilt manually to match the angle of the sun.  It worked for the owner and gave him something to do after retiring from his career as a semiconductor engineer.  He also had a smalll hydroelectric generator in the creek, a windmill, and a gas generator if all else failed.  He had been living off grid for quite a few years of necessity as every windstorm took his power lines down.

 

This is something similar in concept but different. I wish I could remember more but it was more than 20 years ago when I visited his place.

https://www.motherea...er-zmaz77ndzgoe

 

Paul


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#12 smlobx

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 12:08 PM

I have the factory aluminum roof rack instead of Yakima tracks so my mounting of the solar panel feet is a little different.

 I bought the tilt mount components from amsolar.com which worked for me. My mounting was different from most but easy to adapt. Check their website for ideas and give them a call. I found  them knowledgeable and responsive.

 

https://amsolar.com/...ing-accessories

Paul

Paul- Thanks for the link. I had never seen their mounting system before.

I am in the process of replacing my flexible panels that died on our Alaska trip with 2, 100 watt Renogy solid panels and have been trying to figure out a way to attach them to my flat fiberglass roof on my Hallmark Everest. I called Hallmark and they had a suggestion that involved drilling into the roof and I would like to avoid that if at all possible.

 

In looking at the AMSolar videos I see that his mounting brackets use some 3M double sided tape and they say that this will work if the prep is done correctly. I’m wondering what you and others think of the longevity of this system??

 

Their tilting mechanism also looks interesting assuming that you can get your rig properly oriented.


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#13 challinger

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 01:06 PM

I can vouch for the longevity. I installed 2 100 watt panels with the tilt mounts back in 2008 on my airstream, the 3M tape is still holding strong! AM Solar has always been great to deal with and highly recommended.

Carl
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#14 smlobx

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 01:49 PM

I can vouch for the longevity. I installed 2 100 watt panels with the tilt mounts back in 2008 on my airstream, the 3M tape is still holding strong! AM Solar has always been great to deal with and highly recommended.

Carl

Thanks Carl. That’s a pretty good recommendation!

What part of VA are you in?


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Eddie
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#15 challinger

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 02:52 PM

Southeast, Hampton Roads - Tidewater. Always trying to escape this area as much as possible! How about yourself, what area do you call home?
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#16 smlobx

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Posted 19 December 2020 - 05:13 PM

Southeast, Hampton Roads - Tidewater. Always trying to escape this area as much as possible! How about yourself, what area do you call home?

Mostly at Smith Mt. Lake which is between Roanoke and Lynchburg. The rest of the time in Hatteras, NC or on the road somewhere! Small world...


Edited by smlobx, 19 December 2020 - 05:13 PM.

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Eddie
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#17 muttmaster

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Posted 21 December 2020 - 01:14 AM

PaulT, etc. I moved one of my 100 watts mono Renogy panel mounted on Renogy tilt mount from my travel trailer to the aluminum rack on my Grandby. Had to widen the mounting hole on the panel frame just a tad to make the bracket fit snugly. Cost $32 from Amazon. Much simpler and more adjustable and maybe lighter than AMSolar mounts.

Renogy make a adjustable mount for $37 that just might work to adapt onto the ZAmp/Yakima track mount. I probably really don’t need to tilt the 160 ZAmp anymore as the 100 watts tilted boosted amp input to over 11amps by 10am, good enough for me. It can be removed and placed on the ground easy enough so I can shift positions as the day progresses. My problem solved.

Edited by muttmaster, 21 December 2020 - 01:18 AM.

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#18 Fielding.dots

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Posted 06 January 2021 - 01:26 AM

Renogy makes adjustable tilting brackets and mounts that can be fastened to Yakima rails with the right hardware. Just search amazon.
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#19 Jon R

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 05:24 PM

I’ve used several types of 3m doublesided tape for small automotive trim items and household stuff, so I’m familiar with how well it sticks when used properly. However, i would not use it to attach a rigid solar panel for two reasons. One is that, if the panel comes off on the highway, it could kill somebody. You don’t want that to happen obviously, and you could be found negligent for using doublesided tape alone. While a type of that tape is used to hold building glass in place (which is also a life safety installation), that is done with approval by a professional engineer. The second reason is that having the rigid panels pulling on the sheet metal away from the points of attachment of the sheet metal to the roof frame may cause damage to the roof.

I’m pretty conservative about this stuff, though. There have been several negligence verdicts in our state due to objects coming off of or out of vehicles on the highway.

Edited by Jon R, 14 January 2021 - 05:46 PM.

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#20 smlobx

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Posted 15 January 2021 - 01:01 PM

Jon I agree that I would be skeptical about applying the VHB tape to the thin metal roof found on a FWC camper. Particularly if it is the ones that are “dimpled” if that’s the right term. My Hallmark has a solid, smooth carbon fiberglass roof that is much more structurally sound so I think I’m going to give it a try... I received the kit from AM Solar yesterday and everything is very well built. I attached the components to the panels and I’m just waiting for the temperature to get high enough per the instructions for the VHB tape to adhere properly. I’m also not installing the panels on the front edge where the flexible panels were but further back about 5 feet to hopefully minimize the effects of the wind as it hits the front of the camper.


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