Tilting solar panels.

I am thinking not so much of lifting capacity but physical size - they tend to be ballon shaped? and also distort width wise to a degree with the weight on top. I'm just picturing a big fat ballon all pushed out while lifting the panel up a bit :D
 
That should lift a panel about 3-4 inches from flat....
Designed for holding car door tops, open to be, able to get a slim tool in to open it.

Depends how close you put it to the pivot point. Depends on its orientation.

You lot 😉
"Knock it off with the negative vibes" (Kelly's Heros).

Ok, it was a crap idea, I should have kept my mouth shut, patent it and made a fortune 😁
 
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Depends how close you put it to the pivot point. Depends on its orientation.

You lot 😉
"Knock it off with the negative vibes" (Kelly's Heros).
I wasn't being negative....
I've used them for years... And they won't give you enough lift.
IF you sited them at the hinge point they would split the hinges/damage the panels before they lifted the panel.
 
One of these bags would lift a panel to a decent height and you use the exhaust to inflate it...

NEW-ARRIVAL-3-Ton-Exhaust-Air-Jack-And-Inflatable-jack-CE-certificate.jpg
 
I wasn't being negative....
I've used them for years... And they won't give you enough lift.
IF you sited them at the hinge point they would split the hinges/damage the panels before they lifted the panel.
This is what I believe as well - just not the right solution. for an "remote but unmotorised" lift, gas struts would be the solution.
 
This is what I believe as well - just not the right solution. for an "remote but unmotorised" lift, gas struts would be the solution.
Frankly I'm more in the 'lay more but flat' camp.... I just couldn't be bothered clambering around up there for the extra harvest...

Horses for courses as always though....

I could see one of those exhaust jack bags working
BUT I'd still need to get up there to remove a physical lock mechanism for travelling the panels so might as well lift them at that point if I was going to bother.
 
You would need some sort of fancy pivot arm (don’t think that’s the right word) to increase the amount of lift the panel has with one of those air bags. Not saying it can’t be done but I suspect you may need a lot bigger gap under the panels than I have. I think what Jeff has is probably best solution for someone like me if I was tilting
 
Mines a purely manual setup so there when needed, to date other than for maintaining the batteries at float during the worst of the winter it’s not been needed, can’t think what global calamity created that situation though!

 
Thomas Heaton, a landscape photographer, has converted an imported 4x4 Mitsubishi Delica in this video
he installs tilting solar panels
Followed that build. My plan was to diy in a Nissan Elgrand or a Toyota Alphard. Talked out of it. 🤬
That said, happy with Demi.
 
Finished the build. Third panel on. Will give it a test this weekend.
New panel is a Eco-Worthy. This panel would be okay for a static array, but the frame is very flimsy. Reckon I’ll have to beef up the frame with some angle. Definitely if I’m going to put gas struts on.View attachment 963629
 
Day two of using off grid.
What a difference the third panel has made. Or it could be the sunshine. Using leccy kettle for all hot water needs, the batteries have only been down to 92% once, and even then were back to 100% by the time I got up.
Not needed to tilt yet, facing the wrong way, anyway.
Happy chappy.
I thought I’d posted a photo of finished project last time. Obviously not, so let’s try again
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First weekend away. Three days, admittedly with good sunshine every day, Using the 650 W kettle for all hot drinks, washing and washing dishes, running the freezer as a fridge, on 12 volt, the battery level never dropped below 93%.
Last night, because I was driving home today, I gave the batteries some welly. Cooked my dinner on the Ramoska look alike, leccy kettle, and the Truma on 240v for my shower. Batteries were down to 76% ish. It’s 2pm and batteries are at 95% now. Happy daze.😬
The fitting of a diesel heater under the drivers seat? Another story. All I can say is, thanks Mevi, that’s a job I’ll not attempt.
 
The fitting of a diesel heater under the drivers seat? Another story. All I can say is, thanks Mevi, that’s a job I’ll not attempt.

All sounds very positive. It's our first trip away with 220Ah of Lithium, a life changer 😁

What sort of fridge are you using?
 
All sounds very positive. It's our first trip away with 220Ah of Lithium, a life changer 😁

What sort of fridge are you using?
Reckon with the Lithium and the Solar you might be able to run the fridge gas-free on this trip? that will be interesting.
(and with the lithiums you could maybe lower the SOC inverter cut-off to maybe 50% instead of the 80%(?) currently set at?)
 
Reckon with the Lithium and the Solar you might be able to run the fridge gas-free on this trip? that will be interesting.
(and with the lithiums you could maybe lower the SOC inverter cut-off to maybe 50% instead of the 80%(?) currently set at?)

Funny you should say that, sat here adjusting code to drop percentage. Was set to 80% and it ran until 7pm last night before auto switching back to gas. This morning it went from gas to inverter at about 10:30 as it had to achieve 83% SoC first.
 
I'm just checking out my fridge as well :)
First task was a good clean; then getting it working on gas - took about 4 attempts until enough gas in the pipe to ignite after being unused for so many months, but now fine. Then set to Auto and turned AC spur on and will see how long it runs until SOC hits the new setting of 60% (decided to lower from previous 80% just to see how it goes on restoring charge as the solar has not had to do much to keep batteries topped up).
 
I'm just checking out my fridge as well :)
First task was a good clean; then getting it working on gas - took about 4 attempts until enough gas in the pipe to ignite after being unused for so many months, but now fine. Then set to Auto and turned AC spur on and will see how long it runs until SOC hits the new setting of 60% (decided to lower from previous 80% just to see how it goes on restoring charge as the solar has not had to do much to keep batteries topped up).

Peak yield today was 318 Watts at 12:38 from 450 Watts of panels.

On the subject of tilting solar panels and after getting torched on here for suggesting using air bags to raise them ;) i wondered about fitting one vertically onto cycle rack bars on the rear of the van. If it was hinged on both sides it could face to either side and rearwards.
 

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