Very nice and exceptionally clean looking install! I know the roof is a bit convex and I had to raise my panels up a bit to clear it. How much clearance does this mounting system leave between the panel rails and the roof?

 

Thanks!

Yeah the roof has more of a curve that you'd expect! I don't have the van nearby to run and take a measurement but there is maybe about half an inch between the upper edge of a roof rib and the lower edge of the panel frame. Maybe less? The rails solved the issue of the roof curve perfectly and the panels are still lower than the fan and the skylight in their lowest positions, which is idea. They make no wind noise at all, surprisingly.

To elaborate on how we landed here: We initially bought the panels with 2 sets of Renogy brackets because it just seemed like the thing to do. We quickly realized that the brackets wouldn't lift the panels high enough to deal with the curve of the roof over such large panels. The brackets would also require drilling new holes in the panel frame (not really an issue), as well as drilling a lot of holes in the van roof (also not really an issue, but less ideal...) -- we didn't know how to deal with installing brackets in the middle between the two panels, and we didn't know what method we'd want to use for actually screwing the brackets into the roof. (Self-tapping screws only? VHB tape? Rivnuts?)

Ultimately it was important to me to be able to remove a panel for cleaning, replacement, other modifications to the roof, wiring, etc. so mounting the panels to "something else" (i.e. a rail) started to make the most sense, even though it was an expense I hadn't initially considered. My wife reminded me it's worth doing important things the right way. There are other places to save a buck.

All told it wasn't a bad investment because of how easy and painless the install is. We are planning to get a Thule awning down the road too, so now we have the ability to remove the panels if they interfere with our awning mounting solution. Great peace of mind.

 

I like what you did here. The low profile Unistrut is a great idea.

I am thinking of doing the same thing but having a front and rear cross support too. I am thinking that if I did this I could maybe just use the bottom bracket portion of the Vantech roof adapters. This would sandwich the roof pin between the Vantech bottom bracket and the Unistrut. The side to side supports and switching which way each bracket slide on the pin would keep it from sliding apart (i.e. slide the Vantech bottom bracket in from the left on the forward pin, in from the right on the next one back and alternate each one from there). Is there really a reason I need the top cap of the Vantech bracket? Cost is less than $10 for just the Vantech bottom bracket and almost $35 for the set of the bottom bracket and the top cap.

Thx again for sharing your build.

 

I like what you did here. The low profile Unistrut is a great idea.

I am thinking of doing the same thing but having a front and rear cross support too. I am thinking that if I did this I could maybe just use the bottom bracket portion of the Vantech roof adapters. This would sandwich the roof pin between the Vantech bottom bracket and the Unistrut. The side to side supports and switching which way each bracket slide on the pin would keep it from sliding apart (i.e. slide the Vantech bottom bracket in from the left on the forward pin, in from the right on the next one back and alternate each one from there). Is there really a reason I need the top cap of the Vantech bracket? Cost is less than $10 for just the Vantech bottom bracket and almost $35 for the set of the bottom bracket and the top cap.
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Thx again for sharing your build.

These instructions may illustrate why that might not be the best idea. I'm not one to shy away from an intelligent alternative but I suspect that you don't want to be loading those top edges of the bottom piece without some additional load distribution - even if that comes in the form of a separate square washer or something similar.

 

Scalawag, great post! Few questions for you:

Do you have any pictures of the solar panel frame, and the holes you drilled there?
Which solar panels are you using.
Did you have any issues with the spacing of the Unistrut holes (which I would assume is P4100T) and the Vantech bracket?
Do the roof rails have any play, or do they feel rock-solid?
Seconding ScottWood's question, the top bracket seems to be used just for load spreading across the rubber surface rather than all the weight going through the little roof pin.

Thanks

 

1) Wish I had a better picture, but unfortunately I don't. This is a picture of the first hole we drilled (that we properly screwed up) — definitely want to match the factory alignment of the hole because you'll never be able to use a tool on the hardware if you put the hole too close to the interior of the panel frame. Lesson learned on this one. I cut down a large fender washer to help fudge the mistake. The rest were easy after figuring that out. This gives you a general sense of the holes position though.

2) No issues at all. Everything miraculously lined up in a logical way. There were enough slots in the rails that we were able to tuck the first adapter stud flush up against the edge of the first slot in the rail and just go from there. Even for studs that ended up in the middle of a slot, we used washers on all of them so it was inconsequential. Really can't stress that this wasn't a big deal at all. P4100T looks to be about the same spacing arrangement we had on ours.

3) They are super-duper rock solid. Yanking on them with all my strength caused the van to rock on its tires. We live in Philadelphia and frequently drive on horrible pot hole roads and cobble stones and nothing up there is moving at all.

4) I think you could probably get creative in finding another way to distribute the load from the rail across the |_| shape of the bottom part of the adapter, but with the upper part of the adapter you are spreading the load from the rail (and the compressive force of the fasteners) down all the way to the surface of the van roof. That's a lot more solid than putting say a washer on top of the bottom adapter piece or some other workaround. It likely could work, but it might not be where I'd save money - and I love saving money.

 

Are you doing a 24v system?
I like this set up a lot but I'm not having any luck finding solar panels wide enough for the roof that are 12v and from a reliable brand.

 

These are 2, 24V panels wired in series for a total of 48V. The solar charge controller steps the 48V down to 12V for use in the solar system.

 

Nice Setup, I looked at doing this with strut but went with 8020 and associated parts etc from DIYvan in Hood River Oregon. Nice folks up there. His setup keeps the panels flush with the top of the 8020, for a super clean low profile install. It's on the pricy side, but I guess I like the look of 8020.

They also provided the vent spacers, floor insulation for my build etc.

 

Hey guys,

For anyone doing this rack in Canada:
CariD has insane shipping costs for the VanTech mounts (see below)
The VanTech website doesn't ship to Canada.

However, if you call VanTech (631 486 9303) then they can ship to Canada at a very reasonable rate (I think my order was $180 + $25 shipping).

 

It ought to be fine to use aluminum square washers instead of stainless steel ones, right?

So I'm doing this with the DIYVan adapters, which I think are shorter than the Vantech ones, and a pair of 200W Newpowa panels. I got a panel up on the roof today to check the fit, and there's just no way I'm going to be able to get a box wrench on those bolt heads. I can barely get two fingers on one. So I'm probably going to get a bunch more square washers to increase the room I have to work. Unless someone else has a better idea?

Thanks for writing up these instructions, btw! Helped me a lot.

 

Does anybody know the bolt size used for the Vantech® H45-46 - Top and Bottom Adapter Kit? One of my lock nuts came deformed and I want to buy some new ones but of course I left the lock net where I have my van stored and do not want to take 2 trips tomorrow morning (one to the van than one to HD/Lowes) to grab the lock nut on my way to the store.

 

5/16" X 1-1/4"

Here's the Installation instructions with parts list on page 2

 

Thanks


Thanks. That saves me about 30 mins today

 

Never mind--I managed to get the panels installed as described in the original post, without additional square washers. I did have to add extra round washers at the top of the bolt in a few cases, where the bolt didn't line up with a hole in the unistrut, so would have bumped into the bottom of the strut before completely tightening. But overall, I just had to take my time, tighten the bolts a tiny bit at a time given the limited clearance, and pause frequently to prevent my hand from cramping. Thanks again for the instructions.

 

Our Promaster mounting clips and pads are made in the USA, made of stainless steel and less expensive than the vantech parts. We hope to earn your business.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
541 490 5098

Promaster Roof Attachments, Clips and Pads | eBay

Patent Pending. This kit can be used to attach roof rails, our 8020 towers to the 'nail heads' on top of the van. It's lighter and easier to paint then plated steel. If using slotted channel it is possible that you will need to enlarge the slots in the strut just a to make them fit.

www.ebay.com

 

Amazing post!!

@Hein -- your offering is $44 per pair but the Vantech is $30pp, right? Is there a reason I shouldn't get the cheaper one?

 

@Scalawag Thanks again for posting this! I have a couple questions...

1.)Do you think I could use a 5' and a 6' joined at one of the mounts for a total of 11'? Just want to have a full-length rail system on my Ext!
2.) I only need 4 x vantech top+bottom mounts since they come in pairs right?

 

The $30 Vantech mount is for 1 mount. 1 top piece and 1 bottom piece. If you mean they come in pairs to cover 2 mounts, no it only is 1 mount.

 

Great call out, thank you!!

 

Gonna order from Hein! I'll post my copycat setup here when I finish, thanks again for sharing.

 

Curious Camper is making some mount too and its way cheaper than any option i seen. $15 USD for a pair of mount plus shipping(link). I haven't use there but seems like the same concept.

Roof Rack Feet - A Cost Effective Solution

We needed 10 roof rack feet for a custom roof rack to hold our solar panels and storage. After factoring in shipping, we were looking at over $300 CAD from the current suppliers - that's still not including any mounting brackets. After a lot of trial and error our 3D printer seemed up for the...

www.promasterforum.com

 

Recently followed the guidance in this post to mount 800 watts of solar panels and two Max Air fans on the roof of my 2018 Promaster 3500. DIY Unistrut Solar Panel Roof Rack | Fit 800 Watts on a Ram Promaster Van! Only change was buying two square panels instead of the retangle from the same source and off setting the fans to the sides. Very little tolerance but is doable.

 

Scalawg, What is that bubble/dome on your roof?