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

[larsdennert]

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/forum/showthread.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]

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 https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/album.php?albumid=331&pictureid=2177

https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/album.php?albumid=331&pictureid=2177

[rich2468]

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.



DennisHi Dennis- My reply comes from remembering a similar post last year in the "TrailManor Fans" FaceBook group...

It seems as though TrailManor's idea of wired for solar isn't what you're probably looking for....it's definitely not "plug and play" and they have not updated wiring diagrams to reflect the inclusion of wiring that was added so you could easily add a "factory-like" solar addition.

The TrailManor wiring diagram available is mostly correct, but it definitely doesn't have any references of a solar charge controller (or where you'd connect it) or how the wires from a solar panel are connected to the controller.

(My background)
I have a 2021 2922KB (built summer of 2020) which came with factory solar (which consisted of a 100 watt rigid panel mounted on the rear shell and a Grape Solar PWM solar charge controller installed into the face of the sink cabinet).

If your TrailManor was wired for solar,
You should have wiring inside the sink cabinet between the front of your sink and the inside of the sink cabinet for placement of a solar control.
-it'll be the same gage wire as you see in your battery compartment and it'll be just passed through the space between the sink and cabinet for no obvious reason (other than its just waiting to be connected to a charge controller).
-You'll likely have to lay on your back with your head in the sink cabinet facing up shining a flashlight into the space above so you can discern which wires are the ones plugged into the water pump switch, the refrigerator fan switch , the heater thermostat, and water/ gray water tank display....but when you do, you should easily see the extra wires which are routed through that space, but are plugged into nothing.

For simplicity sake, I'm sure TrailManor probably added the extra wiring (as a standard in the build process) to all TrailManors as it's probably not more than an extra $5 in wires and it would allow them (or a dealer) to add a modest amount of solar much easier after manufacture.

The factory runs wires from the rear mounted solar panel down the side of the rear shell to underneath the TrailManor and into a hole drilled in the floor just behind the tub. (In my 2922KB, there was a small hatch panel, towards the tub, which I removed from the rear storage compartment that allowed me to access the area where the factory brings the two cables in from underneath for the solar panel.)

The factory solar supply wires meet the wires from the solar charge controller inside the hatch accessible via the tub side rear storage compartment. You will likely find two wires inside with that hatch with nothing more than electrical tape for termination- That's where you connect your solar panel wires.

Sorry I don't have pictures available to help clarify the above details. I've removed my factory solar and heavily upgraded my solar and battery.


Rich

[Wavery]

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

I have mounted solar panels on all 3 TMs that we've owned (also on 3 different motorhomes). I always mount them on the rear of the TMs. However, my batteries are in the rear cabinet and I believe that your batteries are mounted on the tongue.

You want to run the wire as shown in the pictures below but when you get to the bottom of the lift arm, you will turn left and go forward, under the trailer.

When mounting the panel, there is no need to put holes in the roof. You can mount the panel using 3M VHB double sided tape. The attachment is over 20x stronger that screws in that thin sheet metal.

You just have to be sure to clean the area well with car wash soap (or similar), rinse well, let dry then clean the mounting spots on the roof and the mounting brackets with rubbing alcohol. Let dry. Pre-mark the place for all 4-mounting brackets (attached to the panel) and be sure that all 4 brackets are flat on the roof (bed the brackets slightly, if necessary). Place the tape on the base of the mounting bracket and then (very carefully) on the roof. Press each bracket down hard to the roof to activate the tape. It takes 24 hours to cure the bond.

Also, note the way the my brackets are orientated. The feet point out, away from the panel and the bracket are screwed into the SIDE of the panel with self-drilling screws. That way, the panel can be easily removed (for cleaning the roof) without disturbing the brackets or having the reach nuts & bolts from underneath. I like to use the type of brackets shown below. I drill holes the the small ears for the panel mounting screws. If you click on the 1st picture to enlarge, you can see the bracket mounting clearly.

If you ever want to remove the solar brackets, just slide a razor blade between the bracket and the roof. With a little patience it can be done without even scratching the roof. The tape remains gummy so you just run the razor one direction and "slice" a little at a time.

To make the job really neat, I always use conduit to conceal the wires on the roof and running down the side.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B9ZP3JL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004W3ZQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BR3KFKE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[jagizzi]

Wavery, any chance you have a better photo of how you made that loop at the bottom of the lift arm? I am in the process of doing the same thing and get the general gist but I know that the devil is in the details for this to work properly.

Thanks,

Jim

[Wavery]

Wavery, any chance you have a better photo of how you made that loop at the bottom of the lift arm? I am in the process of doing the same thing and get the general gist but I know that the devil is in the details for this to work properly.

Thanks,

Jim
I hope this pic helps. Feel free to ask questions.

Click on the picture two or three times to enlarge.

[jagizzi]

That is perfect, and simple ;-) Thanks.