Rock Guard mounted solar panel

[Mike Montville]

That is one of the COOLest mods I have seen yet. It screams functionality! Great Job!

Mike

[Charlene Urso]

You are too clever, Gina! I am totally impressed. What a great idea. I look forward to seeing it.

[Gina D.]

Wait for my first tug with it that way :-P

I was looking at it today and the weakest link is the single bolt thru the panel frame. It is PVC, I think, and if it pops from stress.. the panel will drop down.

I rethinking support. Bungies would probably do it and make it easier to lift as well

[peterh]

With it closed, you cant tell the panel is there and it is less likely to have someone go "I think I'll go home and get my wrench while she is at work".

That's why I installed our 50w solar panel way up and out of sight, hiding behind the awning housing. Unless you have a ladder or other higher vantage point, you just can't see it's there. From the back even the frame mounts conform to the trailer roof and are painted to match the trailer. Like yours, it's designed to be invisible.

--Peter

[Lizbeth]

I have flat rock guard envy.

Nice work Gina!

[slightlytwisted]

I know this is an old thread (13 years!) but I came across this looking to see if anyone else has tried mounting a solar panel to their rock guard. Solar panels have become both lighter and more efficient since 2008; with better efficiency a smaller new panel can produce the same wattage as a larger panel from 2008.

I recently acquired a 1980 Trillium Jubilee. The rock guard is a fiberglass panel in an aluminum frame, and is supported by two telescoping struts that are held in place by wing nuts. The guard itself is very light, and I’m betting the struts can withstand a few pounds of additional weight.

Renogy has a new lightweight rigid 100W panel that weighs 7.4lbs; currently on sale for $219 CAD (https://ca.renogy.com/rng-100dx-h-ca/) as well as a flexible 100W panel that weighs 4lbs for $239.99 CAD (https://ca.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/).

I’ve ordered the rigid panel with the idea of mounting it directly on top of the rock guard (rather than underneath as described by the OP). I _think_ the existing struts will be sufficient for holding the extra 7.5 pounds + mounting hardware + cables. What appeals to me about this approach is that I’m not too keen to drill holes through the roof, and I’m skeptical about using adhesives when exposed to weather and wind and highway-speed. I’m not too worried about actual rocks/bugs/birds; I’m towing this behind a Toyota Sienna where the hitch is relatively low to the ground, the tongue is short, and the van’s roof is higher than the top of the rock guard.

Just wondering if anyone else has taken this approach and wants to share their experience / lessons learned!