Adding Solar to 2002 FWC Hawk

[want2board]

Hey all, I want to add a solar set up to my 2002 Hawk. It doesn't have any pre-run wiring or an entry/input from the panels. Has anyone drilled into the body/taken down walls to run wiring/anything of that sort for solar installation? I've got the Yakima racks I'm going to attach the panel to.

Thanks!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Welcome to the cult.There's a wealth of info on this site.
Search under the ''Ultimate solar thread" under electrical ,charging,batteries and solar.

When I installed my panels on my ATC Bobcat ,I attached them to the camper roof rack
and drilled a hole about 5/8"through the roof at the right rear corner.
Added a piece of plastic tubing well covered with a good silicon sealant.
Then ran the wires through the tube down the back interior wall behind the lift panel.
You want to make a large loop of wire so that when the top is raised the wire will stretch out.

Then I routed the wires out the right side of the camper at the "shelf" area,forward and back in where
the battery box is located under the forward storage seat.I have a side dinette so the battery is located up front under the seat.

It's a fairly straight install. Other members use the Yakima rack system.
Good luck.
Frank

 

[Toddhom]

Getting your wires down to wherever you install your charge controller and then to the batteries is just a small part of what you need to do. I just did this to my 2004 Eagle. I used an existing wire that went to the roof as a “pull wire”. It was installed by making two small incisions in the headliner. I’m not sure I’d want a lot of wire running on top of my roof. Ask questions

 

[Vic Harder]

My Puma wasn't pre-wired. I put in 2 8g wires. I started from the inside, laying down on the bed and feeling where the roof/ceiling structure is with my fingers. I wanted to make a hole as far forward (toward front of truck) and as close to the lift panels as possible. That way I could run my wires along the backside of the lift panels... same as what the factory does. I made the holes in the ceiling liner using a hot soldering iron tip. This makes a clean hole that is self-sealed and won't run. I moved some of the insulation aside with a small screwdriver and then made the first drilled hole with a 1/8" drill, checking to see where it came out on top.

Where on top was important too, as I had a specific roof mounted gland in mind. It's about 4" square in size.

Once that small hole was made, I enlarged it to 1/2" and made another matching hole. These were lined with rubber grommets and the wires pushed through. Connection to the MC4 wires coming from the solar panel were made by cutting off the MC4 connectors and using wire nuts to join the wires. Used 3m 4200 to seal everything up and 4 #8 screws for good measure.

Back inside the camper, the wires are taped to the back of the lift panel using Gorilla brand duct tape, and then run behind the carpet for bit, then behind the 4" x 48" trim along the length of the bed area. There should be a yellow wire there already for the ceiling lights and fan that you can follow along.

Once you get the wires down into the area of your battery box, there are more things you will need... controller, monitor, etc