INSANE Rooftop Deck

[Sasquatters]

Over a year ago we decided to take a vacation and while we were away we didn't want the bus sitting idle when work could be getting done. We took it to our welder who had it for 9 weeks designing, laser cutting, bending, and welding a 27' aluminum deck which houses our solar panels. The panels will be tucked under the deck when traveling and popped out when stationary.

We will be using a 4.5kwh Tesla module for power.

Read more about it at http://Sasquatters.com/deck-yes

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

Over a year ago we decided to take a vacation and while we were away we didn't want the bus sitting idle when work could be getting done. We took it to our welder who had it for 9 weeks designing, laser cutting, bending, and welding a 27' aluminum deck which houses our solar panels. The panels will be tucked under the deck when traveling and popped out when stationary.

We will be using a 4.5kwh Tesla module for power.

.................. ................

[peteg59]

Spare no expense!!! Are the panels on motorized slide rails or "wings"?
This has to be one of the most elaborate units on the site. Very nice, thanks for posting pics!

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by peteg59

Spare no expense!!! Are the panels on motorized slide rails or "wings"?
This has to be one of the most elaborate units on the site. Very nice, thanks for posting pics!

Heavy duty sides. I may add an actuator. We’ll see.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

Heavy duty sides. I may add an actuator. We’ll see.

can you tilt them towards the sun?

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

can you tilt them towards the sun?

Not yet. We basically just need to get the deck done so we could install the ceiling and continue with the build. It’s basically been neglected since installation.

[o1marc]

I gotta ask, what did that artwork set you back?

[HazMatt]

Hell's bells! That looks very much like the design I've had in mind for about a year now!
Looks great, & looking forward to it's development.

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I gotta ask, what did that artwork set you back?

To keep it a bit fun and to not discourage others from seeking similar setups, I’ll only say more than $2,000 but less than $10,000
[emoji6]

I really wish I had the CAD design. I believe that was most of the cost.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

To keep it a bit fun and to not discourage others from seeking similar setups, I’ll only say more than $2,000 but less than $10,000
[emoji6]

I really wish I had the CAD design. I believe that was most of the cost.

I laughed as I read this. I told my self $10k is more than $2k before I finished the sentence. I would only consider that kind of money in a build I had no intentions of selling and recouping it.

[Johnny Mullet]

Very nice work there!

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I laughed as I read this. I told my self $10k is more than $2k before I finished the sentence. I would only consider that kind of money in a build I had no intentions of selling and recouping it.

People seem to think that they can build a bus and flip it and make a bunch of money. While it has happened, it’s rare. If we were to ever get a different bus we would likely take this deck off.

[Doktari]

That’s amazing. Someone may have already mentioned it will not produce much if any power while driving which was one of the design goals of my system. But now I think it through the percentage of time the vehicle is actually driving is small. So not much loss doing it the slide-out-from-under method. Nicely done. I like aluminum. Am thinking about all aluminum framed and skinned interior with a little wood trim to make it look deluxe.

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by Doktari

That’s amazing. Someone may have already mentioned it will not produce much if any power while driving which was one of the design goals of my system. But now I think it through the percentage of time the vehicle is actually driving is small. So not much loss doing it the slide-out-from-under method. Nicely done. I like aluminum. Am thinking about all aluminum framed and skinned interior with a little wood trim to make it look deluxe.

It won’t produce any power when they are in because they will be fully covered by deck boards.

[MambaJack]

This is super cool.
How far out will the panels slide?
I will be curious if you have any issues with the deck shading the panels just a little bit, and how that will effect their production.

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by MambaJack

This is super cool.

How far out will the panels slide?

I will be curious if you have any issues with the deck shading the panels just a little bit, and how that will effect their production.

The panels slide out fully as shown in the last photo. Eventually the panels themselves will be on a tilt.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

To keep it a bit fun and to not discourage others from seeking similar setups, I’ll only say more than $2,000 but less than $10,000
[emoji6]

I really wish I had the CAD design. I believe that was most of the cost.

Fusion360 is available for free for student/hobby use.

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Fusion360 is available for free for student/hobby use.

Every program is free [emoji6] It’s just unfortunate to not have the actual design that was already made

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

Every program is free [emoji6] It’s just unfortunate to not have the actual design that was already made

Wait...did you pay someone to design it for you and they didn't give you the CAD file?

[Sasquatters]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

Wait...did you pay someone to design it for you and they didn't give you the CAD file?

Correct. We don’t own the file.