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Topic: Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellite) (Read 8 times) previous topic - next topic
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Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellite)
Yahoo Message Number: 1655
If anyone has experience or opinions regarding Solar Panels, Bilstein Shocks Vs. stock shocks, or built in DSS Vs. other DSS alternatives please feel free to impart your knowledge and/or experience.

Thanks!! Andy
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1656
The solar panel is a must if you like to boondock (no hook-ups) for two weeks at a time. My house batteries are never low on power.
The Bilstein shocks make it so my rig has virtually no sway going thru intersection gutters at an angle or in windy conditions. They make a 14,000 motorhome feel like a good handling SUV.
I don't have a satellite dish...just no interest for me.

Rob 2000 26.5 MB
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1667
I have installed Bilsteins and two 3-Amp solar panels flat on the roof, on our '83 22' Chevy. The shocks are excellent, reducing all chassis motions and tightening the ride and handling. I have also improved the sway bars.

With two coach batteries and one solar panel, we would never run short of power in a maximum stay of 4 days dry-camping. Never tried longer in one place. We are conservative, keeping lighting to one or two lamps at a time, and don't watch a lot of TV (& no DSS). We rarely use the furnace, having a small catalytic heater that uses no electricity. I added the second panel for a bit more potential capacity during winter camping, or longer stays.

Note if the weather is bad or if we are in the trees, even covering the whole roof with panels would be ineffective. Solar is an option that needs to be considered in light of where and when you will be camping. That said, we have never regretted having them. One trip awhile back when I was forced to cut the alternator belt while 300 mi from home, I wired all three batteries and 2 PV panels in parallel temporarily. We had no trouble with the sunny return trip, even though I stopped and restarted the engine several times. The batteries still had good charge when we returned and were not damaged.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1671
Steve,

I'd appreciate if you would share the fastening method you used for the solar panels on the roof and also how you routed the wiring.

To date, not having a generator has been just fine and conversely, I love having just that little bit of extra storage space for some very important 'stuff'!

Ditto on the Bilsteins, one of the better investments I've made over the past year!!

Also, replacing the front sway bar bushings will be one of the first spring projects as soon as the snow melts!

... Wayne
Solar Panel, Bilsteins
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1674
Wayne, our '83 front lounge has the fridge next to the couch, and next to that a wardrobe with upper closet, then the entry. Our panels are adjacent to the fridge vent on the roof. I mounted the charge controller (simple LED type) on the rear wall of the closet, against the ceiling. I put a hole in the upper corner of the closet into the fridge compartment.

The lead-in from the parallel-wired solar panels goes through the fridge vent screen, and immediately to the rear through the hole I made to the charge controller. I then sealed the hole with caulk. The output from the charge controller continues to the upper rear corner corner of the closet, then drops down the rear corner, through the closet floor (into the furnace bay), and on through the m'home floor. Below the floor I have it routed to the battery bank, and connected directly to the batteries via a supplied in-line fuse.

Next to the charge controller input I mounted a barrier-type terminal strip, and soldered a 10W 0.1 Ohm wirewound resistor to it.
I cut the positive input to the charge controller and connected the resistor in series here. Using the digital multimeter I keep in the motorhome, I can spot check current draw this way, 0.1 Volts per Amp. If your charge controller has a meter, you won't need this.

The mounting kit for the panels included the hardware I used - I don't remember what the bolts are called, but they expand to lock to the hole, and have a rubber plug that weatherseals them. The mounting holes are simply drilled through the aluminum skin and the thin plywood beneath. After marking and drilling the holes, you install the bolt assemblies and screw them down tight. You then remove the screws, and the rest of the fastener has become part of the roof. Seal with silicone, put the pre-wired panel in position, reinstall and tighten the screws. Pretty straightforward.

Suspension -

I guess you read my post on 'handling' from 9/27? The front sway bar bushings I used were from Energy Suspension, graphite-impregnated polyurethane, and the center bushings have lube fittings. This mod improved transient response and kept the front cornering flatter. In the rear I used a sway bar from Hellwig, listed for the G20. Clearances are tight, and I had to relocate exhaust hangers that were in the way, but the whole m'home corners flat now, really feels more agile and secure in the mountains.

Note that I noticed the least result from replacing the worn parts in the steering linkage - the pitman arm and idler. Where that figures in is emergency handling, especially if one front wheel goes in a rut or off the shoulder in a turn. Before behavior was unsettling and scary in such an event, and now you hardly notice it. Replacing these parts helped steering precision too, but driving in crosswinds or being passed by semis is still not like driving in a car.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Solar Panel, Bilsteins
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1678
Steve,

Thanks for the detailed information!

It sounds like the refrigerator and wardrobe are swapped in our units, the refrig is next to the door in mine, but little enough difference.

My biggest concern/worry (the thought is actually the stuff bad dreams are made of!) was putting a hole in the roof but it sounds like the mounting bolt system is about as good as it gets. I'm wondering if this mounting system is industry standard or more of a custom solution based on the mfg of your solar panels? I thought there might be some 'space age' adhesive that would provide enough strength without needing to drill holes.

With regards to routing the wiring in the motorhome floor, what are your entrance and exit points? I haven't scrutinized that part of the construction but the areas I've seen appear next to non-accessible. Also, my batteries on are on the opposite side from the wardrobe closet and I was wondering if the distance would introduce a noticeable voltage drop due to the length of the wiring? I suppose the charge controller could be mounted in the overhead storage bays but using the chimmney flue opening sounds ready made for getting the wires inside.

Yes, I did read your previous post and called Energy Suspension. I need to give them the diameter of the bar and the bracket hole diameters for them to give me the part numbers. I sort of thought they would have had them available based on the chassis model but guess not. I'm not exactly 'un-handy' but I think I'll get through these projects before I start messing with the exhaust brackets!!

...
Wayne
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1773
My experience with Bilsteins:
1. Had original  Ford shocks on our new 1996 24' Born Free and changed  to Bilsteins, then added Steer Safe. Net result was  an excellent ride and almost no effect from passing  18 wheelers.
2. Had Bilsteins installed in
 original build of our 2001 Lazy Daze 26.5' mid-bath. Ride is better than our earlier Born Free. On some very uneven roads there is some "road steer" back through the steering wheel. We are going to put on a couple of thousand more miles before deciding on Steer Safe addition. On the other hand, we may decide on Steer Safe on basis of control of possible front tire blowout alone, as our Lazy Daze without the Steer Safe is quite close to the steering of our Born Free with the Steer Safe.
(To avoid some responses, I know abour Safe-T-Plus and prefer Steer Safe.)

Don
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1774
My experience with Bilsteins:
1. Had original  Ford shocks on our new 1996 24' Born Free and changed  to Bilsteins, then added Steer Safe. Net result was  an excellent ride and almost no effect from passing  18 wheelers.
2. Had Bilsteins installed in
 original build of our 2001 Lazy Daze 26.5' mid-bath. Ride is better than our earlier Born Free. On some very uneven roads there is some "road steer" back through the steering wheel. We are going to put on a couple of thousand more miles before deciding on Steer Safe addition. On the other hand, we may decide on Steer Safe on basis of control of possible front tire blowout alone, as our Lazy Daze without the Steer Safe is quite close to the steering of our Born Free with the Steer Safe.
(To avoid some responses, I know abour Safe-T-Plus and prefer Steer Safe.)

Don
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1775
My experience with Bilsteins:
1. Had original  Ford shocks on our new 1996 24' Born Free and changed  to Bilsteins, then added Steer Safe. Net result was  an excellent ride and almost no effect from passing  18 wheelers.
2. Had Bilsteins installed in
 original build of our 2001 Lazy Daze 26.5' mid-bath. Ride is better than our earlier Born Free. On some very uneven roads there is some "road steer" back through the steering wheel. We are going to put on a couple of thousand more miles before deciding on Steer Safe addition. On the other hand, we may decide on Steer Safe on basis of control of possible front tire blowout alone, as our Lazy Daze without the Steer Safe is quite close to the steering of our Born Free with the Steer Safe.
(To avoid some responses, I know abour Safe-T-Plus and prefer Steer Safe.)

Don
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1799
Hello Jack, Road Steer, sometimes called Rut Wander, is feedback from the front wheels that turns the steering wheel. The effect is steering of the vehicle that the driver did not directly induce.
It is somtimes incorrectly confused with Bump Steer. Bump Steer is a condition that moves the steering wheel when the vehicle encounters an irregular highway surface, usually during a curve, that is caused by "less than Perfect" steering linkage geometry design. I have not noticed Bump Steer in either of the two Ford Econoline cutaway cab chassis that we have owned.

Road Steer or Rut Wander is most noticeable when driving on roads that have been worn by the use of tire chains or studded tires. We have a lot of those here in Washington state.

Don
Solar Panel, Bilsteins, DSS(satellit
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 1800
Hello Jack, Road Steer, sometimes called Rut Wander, is feedback from the front wheels that turns the steering wheel. The effect is steering of the vehicle that the driver did not directly induce.
It is somtimes incorrectly confused with Bump Steer. Bump Steer is a condition that moves the steering wheel when the vehicle encounters an irregular highway surface, usually during a curve, that is caused by "less than Perfect" steering linkage geometry design. I have not noticed Bump Steer in either of the two Ford Econoline cutaway cab chassis that we have owned.

Road Steer or Rut Wander is most noticeable when driving on roads that have been worn by the use of tire chains or studded tires. We have a lot of those here in Washington state.

Don