Mounting A Solar Panel

[WildWG]

In addition to body damage problems (You can check my post under EXTERIOR), I have had an interesting experience with the mounting of a solar panel onto the roof of our TM. Prior to a trip last summer to British Columbia, I mounted an 85W solar panel onto the roof of our TM. Going on advice from this forum, I mounted this panel along side the awning on the front shell of the TM. I never did get instructions that I understood as to how to adjust the shell's torsion system to compensate for the solar panel. I tinkered around a little with the big black bolts under the TM but was afraid to change them more than 1/2 to 1 turn. I never did know which way to turn the bolts. Well, the solar panel performed flawlessly. We were able to camp for up to 2 weeks, sometimes using the furnace, and we never ran out of electricity. I love solar panels. Unfortunately, my inability to adjust the front shell torsion resulted in a very unbalanced front shell that was markedly more difficult to lift.

I have contacted my nearest TM dealer (400 miles away) about this problem and they have told me the following: !. That they only mount solar panels onto the rear shell of the TM and recommend the same. 2. That adjustment of the shells' torsion adjustment is so complicated that it can only be done by a TM dealer and that they refuse to advise me how to do it.

So, I guess that no matter how alike our efforts are, we can expect very different results.

Wild Bill

[grill-n-go]

Do you know the weight of your solar panel ? Mine (130 watts) weighs 27 Lbs., it's mounted on the front shell along with the A/C and "I know what I'm doing".... I maxed out on the lift of the front torsion bars and it was still a little bit harder to lift the front shell.

I took the my TM to the factory and left it there for the week while vacationing in Gatlingburg TN. Ed told me that I had maxed out on the lift of the factory standard torsion bars and had opted to change one of them for something a little beefier. Both my shells now lift like new. For $500 I got a leak fixed and my lift system reset at the factory... plus one new torsion bar.

If yours is lighter than mine you will probably be okay but you will need a lot more than one turn. Hope you can use my experience as a benchmark. You may want to call Ed at the factory, discuss the weight you've added, and get his thoughts on it before going in to see the dealer.

One last note:

When adjusting the torsion bars I used an 18" plumbers wrench and felt I was inadequately equipped for the job. I'd recommend something MUCH LARGER, go for as big as you can get your hands on.

[WildWG]

Mario:

Your advice is very appreciated. Just one question, to which I have yet to be able to get an answer; to compensate for more weight on the shells of a TM, should one turn the large, black torsion adjustment bolts clockwise or counterclockwise?

Thanks!

Wild Bill

[Wavery]

In order to get the best efficiency from your solar panels, you will need to mount them as close to the batteries as possible and use the appropriate size wire for the distance from your panels to the batteries.

[grill-n-go]

My (most unreliable) memory tells me that as the screws go in (tighten), lifting becomes easier. You will know after a couple of turns if you are going in the correct direction because you will notice it getting easier or harder to open the shell.

What is most important is to turn the screws the same amount on both sides, otherwise the lift will be uneven and the shell will end up twisting to one side. I used a silver sharpie to get a good mark on the screws and the piece it goes into. I also think I remember that the shell needs to be in the open position when you do this.

Anyone who really knows about this.. feel free to add your $0.02...

(I left this out on my first try). After each 1/2 on both sides, open and close the shell.. see how it feels. Not enough, tighten another 1/2 turn. Too much, back off a 1/2 etc. You need to test the results of efforts after every 1/2 turn

Lastly, I started out with 1/2 turns on each side... and got a little frustrated.. so I escalated to full turns .... I later this discovered that was NOT a good idea because I got to a point where I had a full turn on one side and the second side would not budge... even with all 150 Lbs of me hanging on the wrench feet braced on the side of the TM. .. yes I got a little extreme with it. So be patient, give yourself plenty of time and be patient. This is not something to do when you are in a hurry.

[Bill]

Grill n Go -

Yes, as I understand it, you have it down correctly. Screwing in the big black screws will increase the tension, which will make it easier to lift the shell. And before you adjust them, open the shell, which removes most of the tension from the torsion bars.

And by the way, don't forget that there are two sets of torsion bars for each shell, which means four torsion bar ends for each shell, which means four adjustment bolts. Adjust all four by the same amount at the same time. If you forget two - - - well, it won't work as well.

Finally, make sure that you don't dislodge or remove the stainless steel hose clamps on the ends of the bars. These clamps ensure that the ends of the bars stay safely in the brackets - and you really don't want one to pop out unexpectedly.

Bill

My observation was that the shell needs to pop up relatively parallel to the ground in all directions. If one side even front to back is not level, it's harder to pull it open. Maybe this helps you but I'd like to know how the factory gets them so perfect.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8160

[WildWG]

I just received a response from Ed Lytle at TrailManor HQ. I asked him where TM mounts solar panels and he says on the rear roof. Guess that clinches it for me. I'll have to shell out another $60.00 for Loctite Depend.

Bill

[D2Eben]

My 2720 QD is wired for putting solar panels on the rear. Does anyone know how it is wired into the trailer and where I can get a wiring diagram for this.

Dennis

[Kmikesell]

Originally Posted by WildWG

I just received a response from Ed Lytle at TrailManor HQ. I asked him where TM mounts solar panels and he says on the rear roof. Guess that clinches it for me. I'll have to shell out another $60.00 for Loctite Depend.

Bill

Here is where I put mine! On the rear of the TM ensuring, there was plenty of room