OrioN
2008 2500 170" EXT
elemental
Wherever you go, there you are.
I don't think I have the capacity.
Go flux yourself.....
Midwestdrifter
Engineer In Residence
In case you haven't already considered it anything on the roof that approaches the width of the body at the lower sides or greater poses significant risk of hitting signs and other roadside poles. This is especially true on roads that have a bit of camber for drainage. I have had a number of close calls when parallel parking on city streets.
Also having the panels on the roof extend more than a few inches past the large radius curve tends to catch air especially with significant height above the roof. You may find that crosswinds may pose a significant problem.
Finally take the weight on your roof into consideration. Any weight up that high has a dramatic impact on Handling and roll performance. Adding 100 pounds of panels to the roof was extremely noticeable to me. I can imagine what that would be like at two or three times that weight.
Also having the panels on the roof extend more than a few inches past the large radius curve tends to catch air especially with significant height above the roof. You may find that crosswinds may pose a significant problem.
Finally take the weight on your roof into consideration. Any weight up that high has a dramatic impact on Handling and roll performance. Adding 100 pounds of panels to the roof was extremely noticeable to me. I can imagine what that would be like at two or three times that weight.
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CalicoJack
Member
Good point about the weight. What height van do you have? My 2016 144 high top has a max roof weight of 330lbs. 8 of those panels would come in at ~320lbs.....
OrioN
2008 2500 170" EXT
Racks attached to the OEM roof rails are excluded from the 330lbs rating.
That rating is for roof truss/panel loading. IE. between the OEM rail locations or under-framing.
How much weight is allowed on the roof rails? I guess I had always interpreted it as a total.
OrioN
2008 2500 170" EXT
I can ask those in the know.
Example: The roof panel and the trusses other than B & Rear Door can be removed to allow for a pop-top setup. The remaining framework is enough to create the van's uni-body frame by design. Some pop-tops setups with their mechanisms, cabinets, bunks, etc, are known to weight well over 330lbs. Most of the loading is on the wall frames at this point.
The key to any up-fit is having the necessary suspension or upgrade to account for the new centre of gravity, as specified in the BBG.
CalicoJack
Member
Really interesting. I always assumed that the 330lbs rating for the high roof was for any weight on the roof.
hein
Van Guru
Be aware that a lot of weight on the roof is going to dramatically reduce stability. Possibly compounded by water tanks, batteries, inverters, etc and high mounted cabinets inside the living space. Elevated solar panels could be quite exciting in heavy crosswinds and dust devil crossings. We try to keep as much weight (batteries) under the vehicle for safety. Your precious cargo is very important to us.
All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
SAE, ASME
All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
SAE, ASME
The solar is needed to charge the 900amh of lithium batteries.
OrioN
2008 2500 170" EXT
What type of loads are you anticipating or equipment/devices are you running?
It might be worth considering an auxiliary alternator in your project. Solar panels are very useful but there are times when they just don't provide much power.
I have a split unit 12vdc air condition unit I want to be able to power without a generator. I also have an induction cooker and electric water heater for the "unlimited" water supply for the shower. I want to be able to live off grind for at least a month at a time.
Already done. Also putting in a charging port on the outside, the same ones the Tesla cars use.