Name of hardware item?

[rdickens]

Patricia,

I just completed 10 days of boondocking using a rigid (aluminum frame) 35 watt solar
panel and propane (for the refrigerator).

I attached PVC pipe to the aluminum frame, attached split pool noodles to the PVC pipe
(for padding), and secured the PVC frame to our gravel shield using bungee cords
hooked into the open ends of the PVC corner 4-way-cross connectors.

The PVC frame and connectors would allow us to move the solar panel from
the gravel gravel shield and mount the panel on a PVC pipe stand/framework
in better sunlight. (see attached pix of gravel shield use.)

Could you mount your flexible solar panel to 1/4" plywood or a sheet of coroplast
(like they use for political yard signs) and do something similar?

Solar is great! Using our LED interior lights, MaxAire fan, and phone/tablet
chargers, the 35 watt panel kept our Group 27 battery fully charged with
less than a days worth of sunshine. Good luck with your installation!

Ray

[Kai in Seattle]

One of the hardest things we faced when redoing Peanut was finding the names for some items we needed. Once we had the "right" name, locating it online or in a store got massively easier. I agree with Patricia's mention of "maybe I dreamed it." I could often think of a device of some kind that would work--but it either wouldn't have ever been made by anyone or it wasn't quite what I imagined it would be.


(I once thought up a special seat for a 5-gallon bucket so you could use it more easily for a potty...only to discover the Luggable Loo already existed!)


"Putty" for edges was really "butyl tape," the special hinge for the rock shield was a -- oops--now I've forgotten that name, double hinge thingy--everything has a name.


Lately, finding the metal or plastic "eyebrows" for the door and windows has been interesting as there are things out there but they don't match the image in my mind...and they're called various things...


As you can see, I totally understand the problem. Patricia's not alone!


"The world is so full of a number of things....
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings!" -- RLS
Yeah, we should...but we don't know the "real" names of all those things, so we can't figure out how to get them!


BEST
Kai

[EricAllyn]

I once went to an auto parts place to get a carrier bearing for the drive shaft -- the guy at the counter couldn't believe that they didn't carry them! Until one of the old guys said "thay are called 'propeller shaft bearings'" LOL

[J Ron]

A Carabiner on a rope will work for tarps with grommets and easy to use.

[sharon_b]

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...&iact=c&ictx=1
Banner clamp might work

[sharon_b]

Is this it?
https://www.protex.com/PX-M1-41-Push-To-Close-Latch-Locking-Black-Powder-Coated

[Patricia D.]

Thanks Ray.
Another innovative solution to the problem of wanting to have solar but not to drill into the trailer.

[Patricia D.]

Kai,
I could have searched for days and still not found this "thingy". I appreciate so much having the forum to turn to.
If you find your "eyebrows", please let us know. I have noticed some at Vintage Trailer Supply but they themselves note that the item is flimsy. I would like to hear about some good quality ones.
Thanks.

[Patricia D.]

Sharon,
That link lead to a lot of interesting hardware. I think I found what I was looking for though. Bookmrked it for future reference though.
Thanks.

[Patricia D.]

Originally Posted by J Ron

A Carabiner on a rope will work for tarps with grommets and easy to use.

That was my plan B. I was looking for something a little less obvious, but yes that is a possibility.
Thanks.

[Patricia D.]

Eric,
That happens to me a lot. I am not well versed in mechanical things and struggle to explain especially when I am not going to be using the item in the traditional way. Butyl tape was a good example. As soon as I said it was for trailer windows, the eyes of hardware store employees would just glaze over, unless there was one of the "old guys' around who would know what it is but had not seen it for years. I finally had to resort to Amazon.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Patricia D.

Eric,
That happens to me a lot. I am not well versed in mechanical things and struggle to explain especially when I am not going to be using the item in the traditional way. Butyl tape was a good example. As soon as I said it was for trailer windows, the eyes of hardware store employees would just glaze over, unless there was one of the "old guys' around who would know what it is but had not seen it for years. I finally had to resort to Amazon.

Don't beat yourself up over not knowing the tech names. I've been around marine & RVs since I was 12 and the names most people use aren't the tech names . I'm still waiting for the dimmer switch to go back on the floor & the key in the dash.....

[TomK]

Kai, I believe Scamp calls that "Eyebrow" thingy you seek a "Drip cap for entry door"? I don't believe they have them over their windows, but maybe another name (drip cap) for you to search.

https://www.scamptrailers.com/parts-...or-detail.html

Tom

[ai4kk]

Does the hinged part form a T at the end? Like you would poke it through and then spring action would bring it out so it forms a t? I've seen device of like this. I have no idea what they're called but playing on Google Now

[rdickens]

Patricia,

Because we only do extended boondocking once every couple of years,
I would describe our previously described solar setup as a "quick and dirty"
implementation.

If we ever make it to the Quartzite gathering or somehow begin do other
more extended boondocking, I'm sure that I could neaten things up a bit.

The cords on the solar panel and the solar charge controller were not as long
as I might have liked and the solar controller that I had/used was not
described as weather-proof or rain-proof so we wrapped it and some of
the connections in some Press-and-Seal cling wrap to keep them dry.

We used the Scamp's top-mounted MaxxAir MaxFan Deluxe and a RoadPro
12v (or 8 D-batteries) table top fan (purchased at a Love's truck stop) for
for our day & night cooling up in Wisconsin. We also charged cell phones
and tablets and used our LED interior lights.

I expected our combined usage to be between 6 and 8 amp-hours per day
and knew that kind of usage over 10 days would exhaust our Group 27
(100 amp-our) battery or at least drop it well below the recommended 40-50%.

Usually, our solar charge controller was indicating full charge by just after
noon each day .... sometimes a bit later on cloudy days.

I just used what I had on hand, but I believe your flexible solar panel would
be lighter and better. So, I would be curious what brand and wattage your
flexible solar panel is, where you purchased it, and what brand solar
controller you plan to use on your implementation.

Thanks bunches!

Ray

[Patricia D.]

Ray,
I have not actually bought my solar setup yet. Solar products are evolving and new ones appearing so quickly that I am going to wait until I have my trailer finished and see what is available then. I am in the middle of a reno that will take a while yet.
Part of that reno is making a new rockguard for the front window. I have gone through innumerable designs in my head and on paper and still have no clear winner but I do know that I want to include a solar panel in some way. It makes sense to me to make use of the part of the trailer with an adjustable angle and where a solar panel can be mounted with no fear of causing water leaks. Flexible panels are only about 6 lbs so damage or inconvenience due to weight would not be an issue.
Once I settled on using a flexible panel, I started to think about how to mount it with hardware that would be inobtrusive when the panel was not on the rockguard. That is what prompted my original question.
I am glad to hear that solar has been working for you. It sounds like my usage will be much like yours with the addition of a very low amp portable 12v fridge. What size are your panel and battery?
Thanks for you interest.
Pat

[rdickens]

Patricia,

My battery is a Group 27 battery (roughly 100 amp-hours) that I ordered as
an upgrade on our new 2017 Scamp 16 Deluxe Layout A (with front sofa/
bunk-beds instead of the normally supplied front dinette).

My pictured solar panel is/was a 35 watt mono-crystalline "NPower" panel
that was purchased a couple of years ago from the Northern Tool company.
I actually have a couple of small solar charge controllers, but used a
Strongway solar controller (again from Northern Tool) for this particular trip.

While boondocking, we ran our Dometic 4.6 cu-ft refrigerator (RM2410) on
propane. If we were to use a 12 volt refrigerator with a DanFoss compressor
(i.e. Truckfridge TF130ACDC), I would probably step up the solar panel size to
as large as your gravel shield will easily hold (i.e. 70 watts? or maybe
100 watts?). (TF130ACDC power draw is 6 amps 12Vdc, average 40 amps
in 24 hours, on refrigerate temps)

Remember that a mono-crystalline panel usually generates more amps of
current per square inch than a poly-crystalline panel or an amorphous
solar panel (like some Harbor Freight panels).

Remember too that, depending on the length of your stay, it may not be
necessary to have a big enough solar panel to replace all of the amps used
each day. If you draw down 40 amp-hours per day and replace 35 amp-hours
per day with your solar panel, you should be able to stay for 10 days and only
reduce your 100 amp-hour battery to about 50 amp-hours or about half of
its rated capacity.

Good luck to you!

Ray

[Patricia D.]

Thanks for your feedback, Ray.
I will have one of the Dometic portable fridge units with a compressor so should be okay with a 100 watt panel. Most flexible ones are about 40' by 20'' which will fit the rockguard just fine.