What did you do to your rig today?

[bagmaker]

Are we talking 110km/h travelling wind or some storm type wind when parked up?

[jon_d]

Are we talking about Peter's new Iveco or something else?

Pete, did it have a panel on it at Taggerty? I can't recall.

Is there a photo of the before and after?

[pet-els]

90kph top speed.

No not on at Taggerty.
PeterH

[jon_d]

so, what happened?

[BruceS]

The darn thing wanted to stay in NSW I reckon....

[Dot]

G put the new tyre dog thingies on the bus and they are working..

[Mrcoolabah1au]

Wow

[T1 Terry]

Took the only 25mm aluminium tube left hanging on the roof of the Iveco. After the drive from Hay to Binnaway to day. All rivnuts had pulled out and the 120 amp panel was not to be found. As I'm at bob r's He taped the ends of the wires [ex panel] to the battery.
Unfortuneatly he does not require the Engel now, so I'm off in the morning to places north.

PeterH

Not good Peter, did the rivetnuts pull out of the aluminium roof bar or out of the 25mm square tube? Were the original mount plates used or a different mounting method all together? In hind sight it appears the bolts should have gone all the way through with large diameter flat washers to spread the load. Wasn't the bar the panel was mounted to originally facing down and hitting the cab roof? Looking at the photo it now appears it faces up at the front so when it was altered by the manufacturer they appear to have over corrected. It appears the wind pressure under that panel must be fairly high to actually rip the rivetnuts out of the aluminium, I wonder if the actual aluminium frame around the panel would be strong enough to withstand the continual buffeting? I'm guessing that gust when a truck passes the other way was the culprit as it sounds like it tore off rather than just blew off.

T1 Terry

Terry the rivnuts pulled out of the round bar and the 25 mil r h s I think the wind was the culprit.
Yes the bolts probably should have gone through the round bar.

Bob

I didn't get to actually do any of that job as I was flat chat trying to get the solar panels on the 5ér and wired up. The 2 x 120w panels had to be relocated from their original mounting position on the 5ér to make room for a 720w array mounted in the same spot. One panel was mounted on the high spot up the front of the 5ér and Peter warned that Travelhome had told him they had previously lost panels mounted up there. First report I got from Brian was the single panel had blown off and I thought it was that panel but it seemed well connected when I tested it.
Those rivnuts produce quit a large collar when pulled up so they either ripped quit a large hole in the aluminium tube or the forces involved sheared them off bolts and all. I think Native Pepper's suggestion of an air scoop on the leading edge is a good one, that way the panel will suck down on the roof rather than the pressure under it trying to tear it off, add solid 3mm aluminium flat bar bolted through the round bar and hopefully that will make the replacement stay attached.
Some photos Margaret took from a ladder up against the 5ér

720w to replace the 240w there originally.jpg

720w where the original 240w (2 x 120w panels) were fitted

180w mounted between the sat dish and air con.jpg

Additional 3 x 60w panels

Looking forward from the air con, the highest point on the 5ér roof.jpg

Looking from the air con forward, this is the highest spot on the rig. You can sort of see the panel on the Iveco slopes up at the front

Original 120w panel remounted.jpg

The 120w panel remounted on the high section of the 5ér

Panel mounted on roll bar extension on Iveco.jpg

The second 120w panel relocated to the roof bar on the Iveco, now residing somewhere else

T1 Terry

[pet-els]

The next one, I will use 4" ss hinges riveted to the front bar and the leading edge of the panel. Then raise the rear of the panel up till about15-20* slope and using aluminium angle bolted to the panel [girlock nuts] and the bottom riveted to the Bar.
The panel I had on the Ford was like that and it was fitted to a Rhino aluminium rack.
Even stayed fitted after my off road exercise.

PeterH

[T1 Terry]

Is that to increase the downward pressure so you get more traction Peter? Apparently it didn't work with the Ranger, still went bush