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Old 02-24-2019, 03:43 PM   #1
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Unistrut for solar racking?

Hey Everyone,

I am looking at options for solar panel racking and came across this diy using Unistrut.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts regarding this application?

This gent made a slick video but I wonder about strength while on the road.

https://youtu.be/il3rkaN5ZcE

Thanks

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Old 02-24-2019, 03:54 PM   #2
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Glad they used bolts instead of screws, but not a fan of not using the ribs for the support mounting locations. Of course, a rack is going to weigh considerably less than a deck.
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Old 02-24-2019, 05:24 PM   #3
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It's the wing / uplift forces at highway speeds to be concerned about as much as weight.
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Old 02-24-2019, 05:50 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by john61ct View Post
It's the wing / uplift forces at highway speeds to be concerned about as much as weight.
Ya, but does anyone know what actually forces are at work. My panels weigh 40lbs. My hardware has 1000's of PSI. I doubt the uplift forces are anywhere near those numbers. I also don't believe there is much wind movement within inches of the roof.
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Old 02-24-2019, 06:25 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Ya, but does anyone know what actually forces are at work. My panels weigh 40lbs. My hardware has 1000's of PSI. I doubt the uplift forces are anywhere near those numbers. I also don't believe there is much wind movement within inches of the roof.
would be very little wind effect near the back end of your roof - Looking at the road spatter pattern on my trailer surprised me how quickly the road spray had risen from the height of my PU cab
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Old 02-24-2019, 08:58 PM   #6
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Just saying, don't rely on connections that can pull out if you're not going into load bearing crossmembers.

I like PlusNuts myself, designed to hold heavy loads onto the sides of thin-skinned war planes.
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Old 02-25-2019, 10:56 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
Hey Everyone,

I am looking at options for solar panel racking and came across this diy using Unistrut.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts regarding this application?

This gent made a slick video but I wonder about strength while on the road.

https://youtu.be/il3rkaN5ZcE

Thanks

I was thinking about doing something similar. A ton of L-brackets and some angle iron really. My thought was only having two beams of angle iron going down each side of the bus. Ideally, similar to what Gilligan Phantom did with theirs, except a DIY solution.
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