Solar Panels Rip Off Roof Rack

Hi long-time lurker first-time poster, so sorry if this isn't the right thread.

I was wondering if any of you had this problem before, I bought "

$430 RICH SOLAR 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Starter 40A MPPT Charge Controller/Mounting Z Brackets/Tray Cable/Adaptor Kit(MPPT-40A)

https://www.amazon.com/Richsolar-Mo...onnectors-Mounting/dp/B07N4DC4YF?ie=UTF8&th=1" on Amazon and installed and drove around with it on my Tacoma. It was fine the first couple of trips, seemed sturdy and gave me tons of power, but on this recent trip, I noticed that it ripped off its mounts and was bent completely backward shattering the solar panel and almost causing an accident. I thought the bolts got loose but upon further inspection, it was the solar panel's metal that tore and the mounts were still bolted in place. I looked online for similar stories but found none, looking for advice tbh... Because I'm still scratching my head over this one.

 

Just for clarification: I was sleeping in the back of my truck so I would have heard if someone was on my roof messing with my panels. Also when I drove off the morning of they were fine, I didn't realize till I pulled into a gas station and looked at my truck did I notice that the whole thing was bent upwards. *no one even honked or tried to get my attention on the highway for hours, so I don't know how long it was like that for*

 

How interesting. I imagined that this sort of thing could come up. Any big flat thing exposed to 60 or 80 mph winds has a lot of sail area (and lift?) generating lots of force to yank and rip on connections.
Next time, If I didn't prevent the wind from getting under the panel, I would anchor the leading edges 3x as well.

 

Welcome to TW
That sucks ,should there have been a wind deflector type thing in the front above wind shield so the wind couldn’t get under the panels

 

Yipes.

Mines mounted to a set of DIY crossbars with four 1/4-20 nuts/bolts/fender washers.



I’ll have to inspect it really good and maybe add another crossbar.

 

A light head wind of even 20 mph plus the trucks road speed will create quite a lot of lift .

A air deflector is a must on something like that. The wind lifted the panel at the weakest spot.

People tend to ignore most things while driving.

 

I was thinking that to prevent this from happening in the future because there are extra holes in the solar panel where you can put the multiple mounts.

 

Thanks for the welcome, wish it was under better circumstances. My next plan is to add a deflector on the rack so it diverts most of the wind.

 

I don't have the skill for DIY cross bars - that's cool though. I would add another crossbar to be safe, not a good feeling to see your panel flapping in the wind.

 

Enough to tear metal that's for sure! I just bought this "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B197T2KG?ie=UTF8" and am going to try to retro-fit it to my Prinsu rack. I am also going to be purchasing extra mounts & bolts for the solar panel to make sure that thing is damn sturdy.

No, I totally understand autopilot blindness, but I passed at least 40+ semis you would think one would notice.

 

Another thing to do is play the Engineering Detective. Look closely at what broke. The bolts seemed fine to me(?!), but the aluminum looked like it ripped out...

Having identified what ripped, you can use the same material but:
-thicker, more meaty/beefy material
-or the same "weak" attachment system, but lots more of them to spread out the wind load.

I would also put a fairing to keep the angry fingers of the wind from getting under and trying to yank your panels off.
good luck with this.

 

Glad I found this post prior to committing on mounting my 100w panel to the roof rack. Thought that bolting it on was the safest solution but clearly the wind didn't think so. I ended up doubling up the panel mount to the rack from 4 to 8 using the Z brackets and tried to mount it as low as possible. Didn't want to spend $100 on a wind deflector so I made one out of PVC foamboard $($8) and some aluminum flat bar ($7).

 

I don't understand putting solar panels on a roof rack. Pretty much precludes using the roof rack. Seems like a waste of money. Why not go with a flexible panel(s) taped to the top of the canopy/camper? Place the panel on a piece of "plastic" cardboard (Home Depot) and tape it to the roof with 4" ultrabond tape (Amazon). Wind damage per this thread will not be a consideration.

 

Might be better off deploying the panels when the vehicle is stationary.

Sure you wouldn't get as much functionality and would lose charging time while driving, and it wouldn't be as cool as having them permanently mounted.

 

Where did you find the PVC foam board?

 

Home Depot. It’s in the section where the plexiglass / glass section near the screen doors. I sandwiched two pieces together to make it sturdier as well. And have a bit left over to make a few of these if I wanted to.

 

Agreed! I think a bigger battery pack would be a better investment and also less of a hassle

 

I have a 100ah battery that is running my fridge and top off my electronics etc. the solar panel is meant to top off the battery so it can run indefinitely. With it laying flat, you don’t get the most power out of them but it’s a sacrifice to have something that’s always mounted. I get about 63w max laying flat and about 50w average throughout the morning and afternoon.

I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea but it works for me. I can take the panel off if I need to haul anything on the rack so why not leave it up there when I’m not hauling something 24/7. Additionally I have a portable suitcase style panel that I can connect when I’m parked in the shade.

 

I’ve installed multiple solar arrays on vehicles; trucks, vans and RV’s. Never heard of one ripping off from wind like this.

Even though the wind deflectors are a good idea, I’ve never bothered installing one. I was always under the impression they were for assisting more with wind ‘noise’ and perceived MPG.

My last sprinter van had 4 batteries, 200 watts of solar, a 300O watt inveterate and a refrigerator that ran non-stop for the 5 years I owned the van. Kept beer cold and frozen burritos frozen

 

using simple fender washers (or ANY washers) with your hex screw on the inside lip of the panel would have distributed the forces much better across the thin aluminum and most likely prevented the failure. you could have also laid an additional section of aluminum flat bar inside the lip from mounting point to mounting point (up to where your hex screws go through) to double up and distribute forces evenly.

Pretty elementary stuff really. yeah cheap manufacturer cutting corners with thin alum but more importantly just a thoughtless installation which lead to a failure.

thankfully it didn't fly completely off and decapitate someone through their windshield. Makes me think of all the rigs driving around with youtube installed lethal projectiles just waiting to kill me. The horror!