An EASY Solution To Make Your Van Build Solar TILT
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- If you enjoyed this video then hop over and watch us fit one of the big side windows HERE • We INSTALLED Our Own C...
An EASY Solution To Make Your Van Build Solar TILT is by fitting hinges to the solar panels . on our van we have unistrut channels running down each side of the roof and this gave us the perfect operatively to fit tilting solar to out van, and solar is free energy so we can keep our battery topped up free of charge . all you need is some imagination and some good strong hinges and its an easy install #vansolar #vwcrafterconversion #urbanexplorer
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If you enjoyed this video then hop over and watch us fit one of the big side windows HERE th-cam.com/video/Je5eWlDkuII/w-d-xo.html
That idea is priceless. Gas struts could fail due to dirt, while going at 106 lol . youre idea is a lot more secure and saves £200 well done
Cheers buddy . It’s simple and works very well
@@UrbanVanlife and why reverse the tilt . just move the van to get the sun onto the panels
Amazing! Im in the planning process for building a 4'x8' unistrut roof rack on my 1998 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 7.4L, and you just gave me the solution to correcting my roof angle! Heavy duty hinges! Absolutely beautiful! You're so awesome and you need to keep your mate. She's a keeper because she still laughs at your humor. I just subscribed! Be well and be blessed!
thanks buddy welcome to the mad house , and yer shes a giggler for sure , i dont know if she laughs at me or with me im yet to figure that one out , and hey man a 7.4 ltr wow thats a big one
@@UrbanVanlife Sully is a great truck too! I got a really sweet deal on him. $1,100 USD with under 100k on the ticker! Barely broken in! 🤓 👍 💯
Nice simple way to mount your panels. I’ll likely use that idea but that’s a pretty cumbersome process for deploying them. Also the angle should ideally be adjustable as a slight change can make a big difference in power output.
Very nice job. Easy, inexpensive and highly functional. Thanks for the tips. I think I am going to do this. Also, I think if you make your angle holding struts 2 piece (One size large enough for the other piece to slide into) and drilled a few holes along the length then you would have angle adjustment options by just pulling a wing nut off and lowering it or raising it to the next hole.
"Thinking outside the box!"
Yep, you did indeed & I can now safely use my unistrut, springnuts, hinges, rivnuts, square tubing and limited welding skills to make something similar - thanks to you & TH-cam!
(edit)
Mate, I don't think you know how clever your idea is - it is a stroke of genius - I (& other YT's) can't thank you enough!
[subbed]
Thank you very much for commenting and welcome aboard 😊😊
Mate, I've literally just ordered my solar panels today, I was just gonna bolt them to the uni strut, but now I seen your tilted big knob screwing thing, you ledge, I love it
Lol screw fix fire hinges my friend and a little diy and boom . Thanks for the complement mate hope you get a happy tilt
It amazes me how you visualize every situation.
yer my mind dose work in strange ways , but hey some times its good some its not
This is a great idea! My only worry would be forgetting they were tilted up and driving off with them that way. 😩😩😖😖
You could use it as a sail . Think of it like that .
This is so fun to watch, and I like the simplicity of your solar panel supports.
Yer me to mate I was going all fancy but simple wins . Simple is also stronger as well which is kind of a good thing
Quality good idea that the bars are one less thing to fail, might have been a good idea to make them open opposite just so you can catch the sun all day as it moves around. I love these videos no faffing around with calculations amd spreadsheets just crack on and overcome as you go. Also bit of blue for the dads I expected Benny Hill to come out n give Emma a hand to pass the panels up ha, keep it up this is one of my goto channels 👍
yer some one else mentioned that about having them able to tilt both ways and im going to look in to it to be honest its just a case of doing the same on both sides with the hinges and i wouldnt need the brackets i could just fasten down with 1 of the plastic screws in each side . ill have to check just how much cable there it . its 100% something ill be looking at in the next few weeks cos it makes sense
I’ll take an Emma free any day! Did you notice how she didn’t laugh when you said the screwing knob would only take 5 minutes 😂😂😂
5 min then a snax break then another 5 , what more dose a woman want ,
Urban Explorer more snax 😋
Another great video 📹 you always overcome obstacles Neil hope to see you soon.
thnak you my friend i just have one of them minds that thinks out side the box , hope you and the family are safe and keeping out of trouble sir
Thanks for making this video. I am wanting to put tilting solar panels on the side of my van. I think I can use this idea on the side.😎🤩🤗😍😎
Thanks buddy . Yer it really dose not have to be complicated dose it . Some times keeping it simple just works
Another great job guys!
Finding practical solutions that are simple and low cost (even better) and look totally cool too 😎👍
I love it when low cost just works well mate . Come times we don’t look at the obvious . Thanks for watching mate
Every time that van is growing more and more, those panels are beast.
I wonder how the beds would look once you place them.
ohhhh buddy instagram , lol i think you have seen them ,
@@UrbanVanlife Sorry i missed a few of them apparently.
The banter in this video gave me a much needed smile. Loved the choice in music too. There's something really satisfying about watching things line up. "to get the hot shiny thing"
Man that hot shiney thing is so good . It just makes things better . Glad you enjoyed the stupidity
Great video. I think the ability to tilt is so much better than the flat I have. Great to meet you!
Sherry
Thanks Sherry and yes TOTALY agree it just gives you option dosnt it . Thanks for watching
love it rivet nuts are so badass. planning my 1400kw cargo trailer loved the hinge and strut
yer man putting them on hinges just make sense for us and was easy and cheep but really strong as well , thanks for watching bud
Great job on the tilting solar system 👏 👍
Thanks! 👍
Will be looking to do this, but at the moment looking to get another 100w panel then I'll be on it.
Thanks for the video upload. Always I good laugh to watch
Thanks buddy
Absolutely brill. . Love your attitude. . Handy to know. Thanks Mr
Thanks mate glad you enjoyed the madness lol
Nice idea. I'm trying to think of a way to get a two-way "swivel" so you're not forced (in your case) to point the van West.
Or maybe a four-way swivel? Am I asking too much ?!
Let me know how you get on . It can be done but we’ll above may paybgrade that one lol
You might consider building a lightweight, low-profile frame (1” square tubing) that fits under your panels. Then you have a crossbar at the front and back that the “frame” attaches to. Use a bracket at each corner with a spring loaded “pivot pin” - I’ve seen these U-shaped and you pull the pin out and rotate it so that it stays retracted. You just pull (retract) the pins on the right or left side, and lift that side up. You only have to access one side to raise or lower the panels.
I'm framing a 30cm tall case across my van roof. With venting for smaller homemade fans and maybe a DC powered air conditioner (maxair, fantastic fans are too large). Between the venting will be airtight/watertight storage for surfboards, a kayak, and maybe a waterfoil board. On top of the case would be one or two tiltable solar arrays. Preferably a light one. Reinforced with alluminum, 4 - 5cm thick. Framed with a light wood with sealed plastic panels instead of metal/glass ones. And tiltable with a handcrank. No electric motors. But here's the thing. The whole array cranks over (pistons sliding to the edge inside a rail) out to 185 degrees! Forming an awning over the side doors supported with 3 to 5 telescoping poles. But now on top of it under the panel array is a light, sturdy deck to hang out on. And you can clean the panels from the ground! Now, on top of the van is another deck with plastic panels built into or adjacent to the storage lids. Here now, you have 1 to 2 kilowatts of solar. Enough to top off an electric vehicle or hybrid sitting for a few days, camping. If you smartly decide to install an electric or hybrid engine down the road someday. I'm throwing a few grand at this idea just to see if I can do it. Thanks for your build to give me this hairbrained scheme, if it's possible. I live on the road so it can be a drama project. That's fine. The storage space and increased solar is worth it. And maybe I'll go with cheaper panels like yours because they'll be light enough with piston support.
Sounds like a big job that mate . I know the o team have done a similar thing with storage under there solar
@@UrbanVanlifeI have a nice old mechanically restored van ready to be built out. Never did a custom build. Can't wait.
@@CaliforniaBushman you haave all the ideas going on mate so I'm sure its going to be an epic build , I like the sound of storage under the solar but to be hinest we have more than enough in the van for us any way , but good luck with the build mate , its nice to hear people doing a thing and looking forward to stuff as well , youlkl have to follow us on insta so we can keep an eye on your build and see what your doing , if your on Instagram,
Loving watching the videos, I’m on second van build now and still enjoy them love too see all the different ideas, keep up the good work! Respect from Scotland 🏴
Thanks mate as soon as the new vans build scotland is the first place we are heading to . It should be nice if scotland was double the size . It’s one of our top fave country’s in Europe so so stunning
urban explorer prob best your not here coming just now, the midgies are biblical this year!
But yeah it is a beautiful place even in the rain lol
oh mate we did ben nevis a few years back and wow iv never felt any thing like it , them things ate us alive so bad , people use to tell me about the midgies in scotland and i was always like meh there not that bad , oh boy they are like so bad , i dont think iv been to a place as bad , but personally i think its a good thing it keeps the southerners out of scotland lol
I would love for you to make a video on how you use the rivnut tool. I see you have mentioned it a few times, but I'd like your advice on the right way to use it and the best kind to get.
I love your videos btw, I've learned LOADS of tips from you, since I'm trying to do the things you've already done.
we only have a amazon special to be honest bud , and its realy simple to be honest you just see what size riv nut you need and drill the hole in and screw the nut on the gun thing , and then pull back the arms , kind of like use in a rivet gun but you can screw in to the rivet , cos its a rivet nut , i dont think you could go wrong to be honest mate , there are realy exspensive ones and cheep ones , but they seem to do the same thing , all i can say is the cheep on we have worked and we have had no problems with the rivet nuts we have put in , hope this helps but if not let me know and ill get emma to do a video , and we can all have a giggle watching her with a drill and riv nut gun , that actualy sounds like fun now im thinking of it
Great Idea guys, but ..you could do with some sort of electronic warning device so you don't drive off with your solar panels up.
i have one its called an Emma , but a small switch to the ignition would work , but I'm surly not that stupid , hold that comment I actually could be
@@UrbanVanlife It only takes once lol and i will hold this comment. lol
im tellling my self im not that stupid but its like just make it happen or youll be sorry
Great video. Do you know what the best angle should be used? Winter and summer? Love your humor. Reminds me of Benny Hill.
There is no specific best angle . It’s all depends on your position and the sun . Sometimes raise in the solar by 6 inches can give you treble the input as can 3ft raise . Best thing to do is check the solar input while your tilting . We have now fitted ours to actuators so we can see what’s going in while we raise them
I love your humor and editing in these videos. 👍😂
thanks dude , and good luck with your journey mate your doing a great thing
Good stuff Neil! I’m thinking those struts aren’t worth it either, what you ended up is way more reliable!!!
100% mate I’m not paying £200 for 4 light weight struts that would probably not be strong enough for side winds . But I’m well happy with what I ended up with mate
You two crack me up :D
Your videos are getting better and better each time too.
im just getting these ones out with beyond basic editing lol , i cant wait till i have something fancy and sexy to edit , i need to hurry up building this thing
Urban Explorer feel your pain all I’ve got at the minute is grinding and welding, not much sexy about that. Well grinding maybe but a different kind 😂
Great idea man!! I’m jotting this one down 👍🏼 also.. the boingers!lol we call them Zebs like Zebedee off the magic roundabout in the trade ...”sprung slot nuts” is just plain boring!haha 👍🏼 thumbs up
hahaha totaly agree mate we need to make the boinger a national thing
@@UrbanVanlife just seen you do fridge magnets so naturally I had to purrr chase!lol 👍🏼👍🏼
Great vid and idea. Learnt a lot as been thinking about vanlife a lot.
Glad it was helpful, thank you for watching we appreciate it! We love having the van as it gives us the freedom to just pack up and go!
@@UrbanVanlife I totally agree as I love driving and travelling to new places, O Tell Neil its nice to see a fellow DJ doing this vanlife as well. And yes I am also a DJ/internet radio presenter. Been a DJ for about 20 + years, but tend to prefer my internet radio shows. I will defiantly be tuning into you guys later.
Outstanding job brother. I will apply this to my Sprinter.
thany you lemar im glad it helped mate , its an easy job and very inexpensive as well
I’m lovin this. Will do this on my sprinter.
Thanks Lawerence, we are actually in the process of changing ours over onto actuators at the moment but it’s been an interesting project 🙄😂
Great video, subscribed!
Hopefully you still check comments on older videos from time to time, but my question is:
Now a considerable amount of time has passed and presumably you used this system a lot... Is there anything you would change about it in hindsight? Did you have any issues such as keeping the roof clean, issues with the rack over time, did you end up changing any part of it? Would be great to hear how it performed after using it!
Will continue to check comments to see if this has already been answered, thanks for the great videos :-)
We do check comments . We have also today changed the roof as well. It’s kind of still the same but not . But like every van build the roof needs cleaning all the time and can be a pain but easy to do just takes time
Nice one Niel. Great job mate. DEFFO doing this.
It’s just pretty simple mate . I’m shocked more don’t do it to be honest
It’s ganna werk, and it werks!!
It dose it dose
Hi!! I'm so happy. I bought everything to put the rails on the roof. I will do it with rivnuts as well. Did you seal the bolts or the rivnuts and where? To prevent leaking water. Thanks !!!!!
Absolutely 💌your channel, and I must say you are my favourite Scoucer on youtube.
I’ll take that thank you sir
Ur a thinker ok smart man ur video great pal keep up the good work 👍👍👍
Oh mate I tinker with everything . I’m allways taking things Appart lol
Very resourceful solutions and with a bit of humor
Awesomeness..im going to do the same..im thinking that the legs you made to raise it if they had two bends in the middle you could optionally criss cross mount them shorter for fall sun
yer the legs im still looking into , if i could make them extendable or even make it so they could be screwed in to the side at different heights this would massivly help
nice lowtech system. i might imitate that unistrut system. i hope this system is available locally here. Surprised me how cost effective it is.
i think its an all over the world kind of thing mate it may be called some thing diffrent but you should be able to get it , and man so so cheap
U2 are awesome, fun video your assistant is so cute 👍
I TOTALY agree Emma’s Assistsnt is lovely
Would've loved to see how you installed the gas struts. Couldn't you have just bought cheaper less powerful struts?
i do need to re think the struts and get some less powefull ones , thanks for reminding me bud
great idea but not for me on this idea but like the rails that you fit them on
Fair enough, that’s the beauty of self building, not everyone likes the same things 🙂
Pure Genius, Rugged n Ridged n Safe!
Thanks buddy . Yer I don’t think there going any where
You could add two rivnuts for storage of the other bolts.
This needs to be done . Great idea
Your like Noah building the ark! 🔥👏🏻😂
lol now i wonder if the ark had solar . i bet it did
Did you fabricate the supports to angle the panels? Id like to see that.. I like the solution for the hinges fitting in the unistrut. Genius.
Yer mate the supports where just done 1inch box section I manipulated with a big hammer . It was the simple solution . We had all kind of ideas but kept it simple .
Have you considered screen door pneumatic closers instead of gas struts? They have a locking mechanism to pin them open.
Yes we did think of them but thought it’s just another thing to go wrong so decided on just leaving it to the hinges . Makes sense for us
Very smart what do you do if the sun is rising from the other side of the van ? Turn the van around ?
great stuff, the slotted channel is the game ganger, just have to make sure you always park the hinges south facing 🤙
have you made 2 lengths of tilt struts one for winter and one for summer?
I’m going to re do it soon cos I have a little idea so I’m saying nothing lol .
Love this! Stupid question perhaps but how did you make your bars to hold up the panels? Grind off three sides of a bit of box section steel then bend the remainder over a bit? I don't know shit about metal work so had to ask 😂
Basically just as you said mate it’s just box section I flattened the ends of and bent to the angle I needed . Pretty simple way of doing it but still works perfect
@@UrbanVanlife Soz for the late reply, lost my own comment! 😂 Thanks mate that's very useful... tackling this over the next few days so good to know. Did you use steel or aluminium? I'm guessing steel would bend a little easier?
Building a van is not hard, just takes time, dedication and research and a can do attitude
Hell yes yes yes . And a lot of energy . But it’s so nice when you finish and get to say I MADE THAT
Top job buddy. Is there a way to hinge them both sides so you don't have to turn the van around to chase the falling sun?
yere man you could just replicate what you did on both sides , but for now I think we just going for that and if we need to move the van so be it , but you could actually do that , no I'm thinking , why did you ask this its the kind of thing ill do at 4am lol
great job mate. love your ideas..
Is it just me, or could you use hinges and knobs on both sides, thus enabling you to angle and prop it up in either direction?
Bloody ingenious, I will be stealing your idea, so grateful xx
Hey steal away that’s what daft ideas that work are there for . And thanks for watching .
Good job.
What do you think the difference is on a sunny day between flat and tilted ? Cheers
That's great. We live on the England / Scotland border and spend a lot of time in Scotland, so we have thought of making our panels tilt, specially for winter. How have the solar panels themselves stood up to being used in this way for the time since you did it? Has anything worn or failed? Thanks, Pete
All still as good as the day we fitted them mate and a few have asked that . But Nop still work perfect mate . Defo a good idea to do and pretty simple as well
Maybe use a 12 volt actuator with a backup camera to inside to raise lower to position. Would not need to lock down either becuase acuators can hold alot of weight. I would mount under the solar panel so the span works better
iv thought of that bud , but my only issue is the weather , and with it being on top its out in the elements all the time , im just going to stick to the poles for now , there simple and easy and will never stop working
Hi, If you used bars with holes all the way down you can tilt the panels in multiple degrees
Niceone I'm just starting my sprinter project
Best of luck! And happy building 😊
Hello Mate, this is the best solution ive seen so far and looks much more stable than something like the renogy pre made ones yoj can buy. I will be copying with pride ☺. Can i ask where you purchased the uni strut, hinges, sprung nut things and the bars you used instead of pistons?cheers
The unistrut and the spring things for the unistrut I got off amazon mate it’s 41mm unistrut . The hinges I got from screw fix and there fire door hinges . And the bars I used are just box section I had lie in about they where is a old mobile dj lighting rig but I’m pretty sure you could use pretty much any thing to keep them up with a little imagination that all I did . And man copy away dude it’s just a simple idea that works . And yer we looked at a few tilting ideas and they all seemed to be pretty crap to be honest . Thanks for watching mate .
@@UrbanVanlife excellent, thank you mate. Look forward to seeing the build progress 👍
Very cool design! We are thinking of making our solar panels tilt on our Skoolie and this video provides a great design for making that happen! Have you thought about a way to make it tilt in either direction (not just off one side)? That's what we're figuring out right now...
Thanks for the insight!
- Brian + Erin
Hey guys you could hinge both sides with the same hinges abs just fix them down with the nuts with the handles on . On both sides and then you could lift them both ways
@@UrbanVanlife that’s what we were thinking could be a possibility! Like your idea for the fire rated hinges. They are stronger and the pins are set so they don’t fall out. Thanks for responding!
- Brian + Erin
I've just watched both videos - well done! I'll try to do myself. Where did you get those hinges from?
The hinges are fire door hinges that we got from screw fix, thanks for watching!
Great job mate an it didn’t have wallet thrown at it 👌🏻👍
iv seen so many people take the expensive rout and thought why are people not use in hinges ,
Hi, this is great!! Is there any potential problem from multiple panels being tied together through the metal rails and then into the metal van? Like could you get shocked touching the van or anything like that? Also is there any noise driving down the road from the wind flowing under the panels and through the unistruts? I have a normal little roof rack on my other vehicle and it sounds like flutes, dives me nuts lol Thanks!!
As long as your cables are all fine then you have zero chance of getting a chock . And ours have zero noise at all that was even before we put the roof rack on it . Like non
Nice vid, where did you get the spring washers? Can't seem to find them online but might be searching for the wrong thing. Thanks
Hi ya, you can get them on Amazon, but they seem to have flow up in price,
However you can shop around and have a look on websites such as JTM Plumbing, TLC Electrical, Digi-Key UK and ElectricalDirect they all sell them different sizes so make sure you know which ones you need
@@emmaurbanvanlife120 thanks
Hi guys, hope you don’t mind me asking this,sorry if it’s been asked before. It’s been a while now since you did this and I wonder, how often do you tilt your panels?
We have tilted them quite a lot to be fair . Mainly if we are in places for a few days and know the vans not going to move . It takes a few min to do and you do get a lot more power . Plus gives me a chance to clean the panels . But it gets used and I’m glad we did it
@@UrbanVanlife brilliant, thanks for the reply mate. Exactly what I’d hoped you would say. So worth doing? Cool, I’ll be doing mine too then. Cheers 👍
could you have hinged your struts so you don't have to mess about taking them off & putting them on again?
We did but we just upgraded to actuators . Think it was our last video out
Hi great idea fitting hinges to the uni struts
Do you have a link to them hinges as can not seem to find any that would accommodate a M8 bolt or did you drill out the holes even larger to fit the M8 bolts?
Thanks
Yer we had to drill them out a little mate not much but they did need a slight alteration . There from screw fix
Your lady is awesome... Great couple.
Awww thanks 😊
Could you of put hinges on those legs and have them fold under the panels
Yes mate you sure could with ease as well
Dear Neil and Emma I have got to ask is more costly to run a van to a car. Like tax and insurance,
Errrrr no in fact for us it’s cheeper
Neil, can you plrase let me know where did you buy those bolts with the black knob that you tighten the bar that lifted up the panel?
Are these the ones mate uxcell Clamping Screw Knob, 38mm... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R48C7LH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
We also use these as well mate Male Thread Adjustable Fixing... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NVN8KGC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Genius well done 👍🏻
Well I don’t know about genius but good old thinking
Great job mate
thnak you my friend
A Freaking Hinge! Geez.....!
I would've never thought of this!
Great Solution! Congrats!
The rest of the HW?
"I ain't got time for that".....Anyone could provide for links to the proper L type brackets for the roof rack?
In my case, as a travelling RN anywhere between Florida and Alaska, the "raising-angle-bars" would have to connect to the sides of the panels, after drilling many holes on these sides, so that they can be adjusted to the different angles needed to capture the most light, as in latitude and season. It could be anywhere to almost fully on its side in the winter in Fairbanks, Alaska to almost flat in South Florida in the Summer, so, yes, almost 90 degrees worth of movement. Maybe the bars could have some sort of cotter pin at the end to secure them going to a specific size washer/block type of thing to make it sturdier, meaning no play? Hmmm
Obviously you have to park the vehicle and align the panels as parallel as possible to the Sun's arc since this is a 1-axis adjustment. This means that there will always be one side that will face the Sun more than the other as the tilt is "biased" to work better on one side of the van than the other.
Dude I was sat there one day and I was like a hinge why dose not one use a hinge it’s easy simple and solves the problem so off I whent and hinges away . And yer to get the right angle you just have a load of holes in the bar and go mad on the free energy . The start of your comment had me laughing
Nice video. 👍
Thanks 👍cheers for watching gary
Hi Neil and Emma, hope you’re both well. Quick question... is that steel or aluminium unistrut?
hey there hilary , the one we used are steel ones , i didnt know they made aly ones , may be we should have used that hmmmmmm now you have me thinking (neil) and i get told off for thinking ,
Brilliant
Thanks Louis
Good job Guys 👍
Do you happen to have links for the brackets and the hinges you used
there just fire door hinges from screwfix bud , stainless steel ones
putting the special do-dad brackets on the side of the corners of the panel will let you tilt the panels to either side depending on how you park... I do have to think about carrying a ladder in the van to tilt the panels into the sun to get to that late afternoon or early morning hot sheit... I have this ridiculous rule that every item I take has to serve at least 2 or 3 functions to be allowed on board...
Superb! Uni-Strut what a great idea. This is the system Ive been looking for 3+ years. Hope to finish my Chevy Express next spring.
What did u use to fasten the uni-strut? thanks :D
we just bolted it down with 15mm bolts in to riv nuts , trough the original holes in the can where you would attach a roof rack , we did think of bolting with a nut on the inside but then if we ever needed to change any thing we could never get to the nutts , so we opted with riv nuts
@@UrbanVanlife thanks so much, I was going to buy expensive Ryno rack. My interior is done, so rivnuts or self-tapping sheet metal screws may work? Good job on your van build by the way.
Excuse me and maybe I missed the question, but at which angle do tilt the panels for a optimal efficiency?
Greetings Henk. (NL)
it all depends on the season and height of the sun , it can be from 20 to 45 deg , but if you can monitor your solar input you can see how much power your pulling in while tilting them .
Oh my god I laughed so hard at that first bit.. then even more thoughout.
Great video mate 👍 love the comedy music too 😅
Zebedee by the way is the name for the channel nut 😉🤣
im calling bull on that name bro lol , man i i thought i chatted wham , see this is why we both get on , its an unstable thing most wouldn't understand lol .
genius!
Why thank you sir 😀
In hindsight, any thoughts if the panels should be tilting towards your camper side door or away?
I’d say lifting them so the actuator has a tilt on it . One thing we didn’t know . But good to show our mess ups so others don’t do it . With a tilt it works perfectly
Is there a possibility of having the support arms sliding along your existing rail? Think a platform lift
Yer you could do that and have them on hinges as well . That could easily be done . Hmmmm u got me thinking now
@@UrbanVanlife happy to help!
Did you customize the bars yourself?
Which bars exactly . The ones we used for keeping the solar up we just flattened the ends with a hammer and rounded them off giving us the ability to secure them to the solar .
Hi Neil,
How did you make those struts that you use? I've temporarily made all parts of this but not moving in for a while so no rush on the tilt just yet!!
Hey bud no I didn’t go with the struts . For now we just kept the brackets I made . In time we shall see but for now it’s keep it simple . It’s less to go wrong lol
Slick
mate that's amazing, how did you make those bars at the end which you used to prop the solar panels up? Or where can I get some?
it was just some box section i had lie in about mate so i flattened the ends off by beating them to death with a hammer and drilled out our and riv nutted the other , really simple approach to be honest but works perfectly , thanks for watching mate
@@UrbanVanlife sweet, I'll give it a go! (and I've subscribed!)
Great idea for mounting solar panels!
Also, I didn't know about these rivnuts. They seem to be pretty neat. As it seems to be easy to create a sturdy connection to the solar panel which you can open from the outside without having to lock the nut from the inside.
Here is btw a video about how to install them for other folks who didn't know about them:
th-cam.com/video/624tHJ9g38Q/w-d-xo.html
How happy are you with those rivnuts? Do they last well? It seems a normal nut and washer is more sturdy though for this purpose they could be just fine.
there riv nuts where kind of new to us as well mate and i have to say there amazing , the only issue with bolting trough is once the roof is up you cant get to the bolts , but iv never had one fail on us there really good and id use them over and over again , and when you look in to what there used for man there used for all kind of things , thanks for watching bud
I've never installed Rivnuts but I've had things with them in & they do seem pretty reliable though getting them out when they do fail can be a pain because they're usually in awkward places.
All the ones I've had fail did so by spinning & every time it was because the thread had rusted so make absolutely certain you keep the threads greased or better still use a thread seal compound like Loctite 243 or 222.
Great work yr honour !! A+
mr sir thank you thats the first A iv ever had
Boss da la!!
cheers fella , thanks for watching mate