Solar Upgrade

Dana Douglass

New Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2025
Posts
4
Location
Deer Isle, Maine
Hi, I have a six year old Hawk shell. I power a furnace, fridge and lights. I am planning to add a solar panel to the roof. I also need a new battery. I went to my Four Wheel Camper dealer in NH and was told that I couldn't go to lithium without a complete rewire of the camper - $2 - 3,000. This doesn't seem like it can be accurate. Any thoughts? Also, I'd appreciate suggestions on a panel and a battery - lithium if that will work, or AGM if necessary. I'd like to do the install myself. I have Yakima tracks. Thoughts? I'm definitely a senior citizen - what about upgraded struts. I'm assuming 30 lb struts are standard. The dealer said if I went with 40 lb struts, I wouldn't be able to close the roof. Again, doesn't seem accurate. Thoughts? I will appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
 
Welcome to Wander the West! Depending on what the dealer was including in that "quote" that might not be unreasonable. Since you mention that your Hawk is both a SHELL as well as having furnace, fridge, lights, I am unsure as to what you have in the way of an electrical system now. Pictures of battery box and separator would be helpful. Is your truck connected to the camper electrically? Can you charge from a shore power connection? Who installed the fridge in your shell?

You mention that you need a new battery. 6 years is not a bad life for the stock batteries, so your usage is probably not excessive. That said, the first thing is to get a State of Charge (SOC) meter for your battery system so you can tell what's really going on with the battery. A Victron Smart Shunt is a good option if you have a bluetooth capable smartphone/tablet.

The Yakima tracks will make mounting a panel easier. I'm very much in favor of the heavy glass panels vs the flexibile ones. Much longer life and cheaper per watt.

If you are adding a solar panel on top, you will want 40# struts on the end of the camper that is holding the panel (usually the front). I have much heavier struts in mine (carry a canoe as well) and your dealer is correct, that if the struts are too strong, you may have to pull down on the roof to get it started coming down. I attached a handle to the rear "push board" to facilitate that.

Please continue asking questions... we will do our best to facilitate your upgrade!
 
Thank you so much for the quick response.
- yes, my truck is connected electrically to the camper and charges the battery while I'm driving
- yes, I can charge with shore power when available
- I said fridge, but it is really a Dometic electric cooler
- the camper is wired for solar, and I have a Bugout folding panel that use in certain situations
- I too carry a canoe at time, but I can't lift the top alone when the canoe on.
- I don't mind pulling the top down, as long as I can get it closed, so wondering what pound struts would be best
- we camped in Bryce National Park this spring. It was cold and we were at about 8000 feet. The fan would run, but the battery wouldn't power the igniter. I could start the furnace only by going out and starting the truck. I don't mind getting another battery as I will probably only keep the camper another 6 - 8 years
- sending along a photo of the battery box
 

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Step 1 is to figure out how much power you will need.


Here is a good thread on adding solar


Also this one

 
My 2021 Grandby came with 30 lb struts, one roof fan and one vent, and Yakima tracks. I added two 200 watt solar panels to the roof located between the vent and fan (roughly centered on the roof). The panels added 52 lbs to the roof. I replaced the struts with 40 lb struts front and rear. The front comes down on its own once I pull on the push board a few inches. The rear I have to pull down about one third of the way down before it starts to drop on its own. It’s easy to pull it down as long as you can reach it.
 
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The Overland Solar 75|15 is only rated for 225W, so I'd leave that dedicated to your Bugout for portable / in-camp use. Then I'd add a dedicated Victron SmartSolar 100|30 (rated up to 440W) for the roof. Note: the roof & back SAE solar ports are wired in parallel, so you'll have to separate the roof wiring from the back port wiring to run the roof direct to the SmartSolar 100|30 if going this route. Then I'd try to find a single 400+W fixed glass non-flexible panel left over from a residential install from Facebook Marketplace. If you're lucky you may find one for close to $100. Then add some panel feet to mount to your existing tracks. A residential 400+W panel will likely put out ~ 40V @ 10A, so that will be good for starting earlier in the morning & running later at night. Should yield 1000-2000W on a sunny day, so for a 12V system, about 80-160Ah. Maybe 100-200Ah if used in combination with Bugout.

You can just add a LiFePO4 in place of AGM. There are some reasonably priced options from the likes of LiTime & new kid on the block WattCycle. Battleborn & Dakota Lithium are way overpriced compared to the competition. The shore power converter may not be ideal for LiFePO4, but should get it most of the way, and if you have solar or DC-DC that may get it the rest of the way. One caveat to this is that your likely existing BlueSea ACR (automatic charge relay) isn't really suitable for LiFePO4. LiFePO4 batteries have extremely low resistance, and can cause large currents to flow if direct connected (which in effect is what the ACR does) to alternator & starter battery. A better solution is to install a DC-DC to limit current & optimize the charging profile for your camper battery. My personal favorite for this is the Victron XS50 (due to its size & efficiency, even for lower currents if not supported by high enough amperage alternator). That would also necessitate upgrading power feed from starter battery to camper battery to 4 AWG with SB120 Andersons. It would also be highly advisable to add a Victron SmartShunt or BMV-712 so you know battery State of Charge (SoC) as voltage not a reliable predictor of SoC for LiFePO4 like it was for AGM or lead acid, and can also monitor input & ouput current flows.

I'd be interested to know breakdown of dealer quote for $2000-3000, both in terms of specific parts that includes & what portion of that is labor. It may not be unreasonable if it say includes some or all of the following: battery, replacing ACR with DC-DC charger, rewiring power feed to 4 AWG with Andersons, adding a shunt ot BMV, a dedicated SmartSolar 100|30 & solar panel, etc.

The struts are a balancing act, too soft & roof difficult to open, too stiff & roof difficult to close. Having said that 30 lbs is pretty soft & 40 lbs is only an extra 10 lbs x 4 = 40 lbs to close. If you add a panel to the roof even 40 lbs may be a little soft given that it's soft already & you'd be adding more weight. I have 420 lbs & a 25+ lbs Starlink & bracket & went with 60 lbs struts on mine. Back is rougly balanced. Front I sometimes have to close from outside by just standing in truck front door opening. 50 lbs in front may have been a better balance for me, but 60 lbs works fine too. For lifting your roof with canoe on you can investigate a speaker stand lifter or a linear actuator. Make sure you don't extend too far with either or you may buckle your roof. Just enough to snap lift panel boards in place.
 

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