I have 2x 27 inch wide solar panels and i’m struggling to find any mounting brackets that are compatible with the beef racks. I just got these mounting brackets which were nearly right, as I was planning to put the slotted hole on top of the beef rack, but the slotted hole didn’t reach the mounting slot in the beef racks.
This post gave me some hope that what I’m looking for might exist, so I figured I’d ask.
Does anybody have any solutions to mounting rigid panles to beef racks without using the GFC solar mounting tray (they accomodate up to 21 in panels)? Ideally I’d like to see the panel flush with the beef rack at the absolute highest.
Oh, and the JE Design and Fabrication SolarMount for Beef Bars don’t exist anymore, unfortunately.
Take a look at this mounting system. I may start offering this for sale in the near future if people like it. Can hold 1 or 2 panels, cost TBD but less than stock option.
What @stickyTaco did is awesome, but if you don’t want to fabricate some and aren’t in a huge hurry I can order some up from laser. Usually takes 7-10 days to have them in my hand. Shoot me a DM if you want me to do that and I can drop ship them from laser to save a bit of time/cost.
Currently in the process of designing and printing my own prototypes. I’m sure it’ll be an iterative process (printing v1 and have a v2 queued up). Looking for thoughts, suggestions, etc. Also, how would I go about getting something like this fabricated? I’m new to that world.
Some feedback, the print orientation isn’t right. The layers are in the shear plane of the panel. Flop the print so that the long thin side is on the bed and the layer lines will be out of the plane of the forces acting on the part. Printed parts are always weakest across layer lines.
I also came up with an under-beef-bar solar solution a while back. It’s simple to fabricate from aluminum. Might help somebody.
Makes total sense! I’m very new to the design/fab process so I appreciate the advice. I’ll print 4 with the layer lines perpendicular to the shear plane for proof of concept. I am going to get a quote to get some of these laser cut once I’m happy with the design.
I spent months considering options for mounting to racks, and in the end, decided to forgo any rack and use magnet mounts instead. I attached four magnetic mounting feet to the roof using self-adhesive VHB adhesive mounting disks. Couldn’t be happier with my setup. It’s extremely low profile and shaved tens of pounds from the highest point on my vehicle.
Extremely strong, these are not coming off at any speed. I think the 65lb magnets might actually be better than the 120lb version - I have to use a 36" pry bar to pop the panel off of the steel plates.
As with any adhesive that needs to hold, use an adhesive promoter/cleaner and primer to prep the surface before placing the VHB.
okay, i like that a lot actually, that means can remove the panels and not expose them to UV when you don’t need to. do you have a picture of your setup?
I purchased these brackets to attach to the solar frame and then mounted to the beef racks from the bottom. I took the beef racks off, installed the panels then reinstalled the racks with solar panels attached. This solution sits below the top of the rack. I would not use the screws that comes with that kit and instead but SS or something better.
