Hi Buckland,
Just returned home with our new FWC Eagle. I too have garage height issues and chose not to permanently install a solar panel. We had a plug installed on the rear wall/drivers side with the wires terminating in the 2 battery location, not sure of what the next step might be. I woke up last night with thoughts of a similar install, hoping for a "portable" mount with my thule rack system. Can you tell me the make/model of the solar panel and controller? Do you know approximately how much it weighs and are you happy with its performance?
How did you attach it to the Yakima bars (brackets?) and do you remove the entire rack or just the solar panel when you arrive at your destination?
thanks, Gus
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quote name='buckland' date='31 December 2011 - 04:21 PM' timestamp='1325373686' post='62084']
Hi I installed a solar 90watt panel (mono crystal)for my 2011 eagle ... I decided to not permanently mount it as I have an idea that suits me. I installed a second Deka AGM battery. It is a 8A24/79Amp/525CCA. I installed the controller in the battery compartment. I sent wires tover the top of the water tank to the wires coming from the roof.
I instead installed a plug on the exterior drivers side wall so that I could plug in the panel at camp sites. I also bought a speaker lift tripod, which I use only the center crank pole to raise the roof... te tripod I have set u as a solar panel tripod with a 16 foot 10 gauge wire that I can plug in at site....keep the camper in the shade when possible and panel in sun... if in the desert I can just put the panel on the roof. At present I travel with the panel in the pull out bed...fits great and safe. I am building a box for beneath the over hang (over cab) so that the panel will be there along with tripod on trips as this box will also be used to support the air foil in front. I do this as well as I have set up a rack in the garage window where the solar panel sits for the winter...plugged into the camper so both batteries are kept charged thru NE winter. Below is a copy/paste of a few correspondences while going through the process as well as a photo of wires in roof.... if you go that way just drill a hole from the box inside up through roof.
"Absolutely.... on top of the water tank seat... on the left... is a 2" x 12" vertical panel piece...2 screws... it pops off and the top of the water tank and the wires from the roof junction box, the red/black coil is there.
I have already put in the plug on the drivers side wall below the water tank inlet door.... wired through where those others are...across the water tank sand into the battery box, where I have also put the solar controller.... made the battery box today for the second battery.
I can't put the panel permanently on the roof as it comes in > 1/2" too tall for me to drive the camper into the garage. Okay though as now it can be on the roof when I camp and in the garage window during the winter!"
...there is an aluminum plate (top of box?) in the roof, welded to the frame where my plug was mounted and that's where the wires should be. I don't recall seeing a black plastic cover on my ceiling over the bed, maybe because my wires were already terminated at the plug."
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View attachment 13389FWC told me my second battery would be mounted on it's side next to the first battery. It ended up under the rear dinette seat. It's hooked directly to the first battery, no switches, doubling the capacity."
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