My solar build

Well i have already made the jump to dual battery a couple years ago and also a power inverter and isolator system for charging my battery's when driving. Now i went further and enhanced my system to include a solar back up so when the truck is not running or just sitting around it can charge both batteries off the solar panel. This is my starter test set up. I am thinking of running 2 panels at around 200-250 watts. But currently i have just one panel installed. This mod is almost complete. I had to fabricate all the mounting hardware and parts to make this happen. I used.........
1x gennsi solar panel 100 watt with a 30 amp max 400 watt controller. $129.
1x angle aluminum 1"x 1.5" 1/4" x 96" home depot $15.00
1x aluminum flat stock 1"x 1/2" ace hardware $15.00
3x u bolts 8x nylock nuts ace hardware $3.99 each
1x square u-bolt $3.99
5/32nds x 1" aluminum pop rivet with steel shank. home depot $6.99 (I already have a rivet gun)
1x set of 100lb rated drawer rollers to retracted it under the tent. Next is a hydrolic strong arm and a pin so i can pull the pin and it will self deploy!
1x set of red\blk solar 10 gauge AW wire solar extension with connectors attached fleabay $25.00
1x 4CT (2 piece set) solar quick connector d.i.y. kit fleabay $6.99
1x 10 gauge 4ct connector pigtail to attach to battery so solar connector extension can quick connect and dis-connect easily. fleabay $6.99
2x cans of krylon black satin spray paint. Ace hardware $6.99 each.

 

Thats awesome! I'm hooing to do somethung like this down the road. Where did you find the drawer rollers? I seem to find crap or crazy expensive ones!

Most important, how you liking it?

 

More to come............... Actually waiting on parts to integrate the electricity side. Will post more pics when i wire it into the isolation side of the system. and loop it into the solar charge controller so it only discharges from the large auxiliary battery under the truck tail gate. Group srd4 motor home deep cycle battery the biggest you can get. 117 lbs

 

Not a bad idea to store the battery bank under the bed.

 

I like the set up but i really think i might go 2 panels and linear rollers. This is a test run so well see how i like it so far but the rollers are pretty nice and sturdy. I do put a snow blower up there in the winter and mountain bikes but they have seats that lower or come off. I used a pad lock to keep the panel from rolling out and secure it for travel. I wish i could some how mount a ERGO-TRON mount to the panel so that once it rolls out you could angle the panel any way you wanted to catch the sun better but it would be bulky.

 

I keep looking at that small boat in your truck and thinking "potential pool in the truck".

 

Now that is one nice setup!

 

Very nice! That's a giant battery!
I like your Bedliner/boat too.

 

Autocorrect is prejudiced against bedliners.

Any info / schematic on your dual battery setup would be awesome as well. Looking to make one and eventually solar as well. Looks like you really know what you're doing. Awesome truck!

 

You could run an electric chainsaw off that inverter.

What are you powering with your giant battery and solar panel?

 

Yes, whats the whole point... you've got us wondering.

 

This all started with a coffee maker...........The WIFE MUST HAVE COFFEE. percolators were out of the question the wife must have coffee french press meh. So after a couple of camping trips and the wife forgetting the cables to hook the inverter up to a battery or something else. One time i had to hold the inverter directly on the battery to make coffee. So i always overdo things and this is what happened. And i actually do run a chainsaw off this inverter and all kinds of stuff. I have a tiny shop vac made by bulldog i take for clean up. It's a wet and dry mini. I have the mini bass boat that fits in the back and man i've got that boat in some small lakes with a transom mounted dolly. I like music a lot so i have crazy loud speakers and they suck power like crazy. I HATE GENERATORS AND TRAILERS!! But i like having a\c power on board so my trucks possibility's are wide open. chainsaw,coffee maker, small heater when its cold or the heated blanket. I like the outdoors more than the wife but this way i can get her and the dogs to some remote locations in comfort......See house electric heaters make no poisonous gas so many advantages to power on board. I like to be able to charge my mini bass boat trolling deepcycle battery, My Cell phones,wireless speaker for campfire music that doesn't blow the neighbors out like my other speaker system. Some times i take my Drones out camping and fly them with my fat-shark goggles for hours so i really need power for when im out for days and days if i stay a long time its nice. Next were gonna go watch old home movies in the woods with the old-school family projector and then scary movies with the mini projector and friends. There is something so fun about watching scary horror movies in the middle of no-where. ok ill only list the major parts for the battery mod
Aims power modified sine-wave inverter. I don't run flat screen tvs or laptops off the power supply so i don't need that clean of a power source so modified inverter it is.
1. Inverter w\gfi outlets my model has 4 sockets and was $439 butthis is very close.
http://www.aimscorp.net/3000-watt-power-inverter-gfci-etl-certified.html
2. Interstate srd4 deep-cycle rv battery
http://www.wnybatteries.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=321
3. stinger Isolator for charging 2 battery's on 1 alternator. also allows discharge of auxiliary battery and not vehicle primary operating battery.

$54 Stinger SGP32 200 AMP Battery Relay Isolator and Relay

https://www.amazon.com/Stinger-SGP3...r=8-1&keywords=stinger+battery+isolator+relay
4. 28 feet of AWG 0 gauge arc welding cable for maximum voltage from battery to inverter for best quality power and flow delivery from inverter to powered device.

$117 EWCS 1/0 Gauge Premium Extra Flexible Welding Cable 600 Volt - Combo Pack - Black+Red - 10 Feet of Each - Made in The USA

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016HFD5G2?ref_=ams_ad_dp_asin_3

 

Preybird, you need to get people to buy your ideas!

 

I love that you run an electric chain saw. I tried it once off my inverter but I'm pretty sure I was maxing it out.

 

I have been thinking about doing a solar panel on my truck for so time. Struggledwith how to mount it. Thank you, of the idea of using drawer slides. Your set up is awesome!

 

Thanks a lot guys for the compliments! I have spent hours thinking of how to do these things. Sometimes i just go and hang with the truck and climb on it and hang on it off it and under it and THINK. I have seen some bad solar mounts on trucks where people drill the roof and weird stuff. and i wanted a clean economic way of doing this. This is the easiest way i could come up with to do this. I did have a bunch of tools to do this with. Drill press. bench,grinder, Cordless drill, saws all, pop rivet gun. spray paint. I do all my own work when i can.

 

How long does the battery last?

 

With a 100 watt solar panel (and plans for 100 more) probably about 400 years...

 

If you just added a jetboil and a combustion based heater you would be so much more efficient. I have 300w of solar, a toyotomi kerosene cabin heater, and an ARB Fridge. I ditched the inverter years ago because it was a waste of energy.

 

Question, if you have 300w of solar, why would you care about the inverter is a waste of energy? I mean you are only running the ARB....