OT - Portable Solar array - anyone want to double tow this??

[Chad Heiser]

I was hunting around on the old internet today and found this. Anyone want to pull this around with them? ?

 

http://www.solar-current.com/the_mobile_solar_array.html

 

Here is a video of the system in action:

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

WOW! His lady friend seems to lack personality.

[Chad Heiser]

WOW! His lady friend seems to lack personality.

I noticed that too.

 

I like the concept of the mobile sun seeking array, but I don't see it catching on in the RV world.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

Chad - I agree. He put a lot of effort, money and thought into that project. However, he is marketing it to the wrong customer base. I was looking into solar tracking, but then it dawned on my that I have a lot of real estate on the roof. So it is easier to simply install more solar panels than I would need.

 

We usually dry camp in SoCal desert which has both sun and wind. I put a lot of effort (telescoping mast and hardware) into getting a wind generator mounted on the corner of our toy hauler. It worked really well . . . until the 70mph winds hit us, as the sun set. Fortunately, the unit was well made and survived the night. That night was one of the few times I was happy to be severely hearing impaired. The noise (all through the night) was scary loud, so my wife told me. I later found out that fellow RV'ers, who had the cheaper "china" made generators, did not fair so well. The blades went flying off into the night air.

 

It would be nice to have power during the night, to offset the furnaces power draw. But for now, the wind generator is sitting under the bed. One of my gold prospecting buddies may buy it for his remote gold claim.

[Yarome]

However, he is marketing it to the wrong customer base.

 

X2. I wonder how much juice it takes to run those ram arms for 15 minutes.. not to mention the tracking system and motors. I don't know many RV'rs that pack that kinda lead.

 

Sell it as a free standing, solid array, for an off-grid home though and he might make a small mint.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

 

X2. I wonder how much juice it takes to run those ram arms for 15 minutes.. not to mention the tracking system and motors. I don't know many RV'rs that pack that kinda lead.

 

Sell it as a free standing, solid array, for an off-grid home though and he might make a small mint.

That is a good idea. Just tow it up to a remote cabin and plug it in to the cabin.

 

Maybe we should become commissioned salesmen for him.

[Broncohauler]

Take that idea and tweak it. Jack or RB with their custom trailers could go to a basement stil AC and roof mount the panels to trifold open. Keep them safe during transport. When open they would almost make a awning.

 

Maybe make them slide open so you don't have to worry about overhead clearance and also won't worry about enough room on each side.

[Yarome]

Maybe make them slide open so you don't have to worry about overhead clearance and also won't worry about enough room on each side.

 

I actually met a fella once who did that. He had a second layer of panels on a slide mechanism on his roof. I heard later from him though that it kind of bombed. He didn't reinforce the roof and the mounts themselves enough and ended up having quite a bit of damage when a stiff gust caught him off guard.

 

It's a solid idea though if some educated soul were to sit down and do a little proper engineering.

[Broncohauler]

Both Jack and RB are talking about a one off build so they could build in the strength.

Just joking but you could mount a post through the trailer into the main trailer frame that would be telescopic Like a mobile news truck.

I wonder what else that pole in the trailer could be used for ???? A ya no way I need to stay married. Love you dear?

[RickS]

A solar array/Honey Wagon/Water tank/BLM------------Rally!