DIY Seasonal tilt?
- Thread starter robknotts
- Start date
Bluedog225
Texas
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2019
- Messages
- 3,010
I’ve seen some balanced on a single pivot. That takes a lot of steel. Maybe break it up into sections and lift them one at a time with an engine hoist? Or a manual winch.
The rack itself is (in theory) a single 40' long pipe mounted on sleeved posts and rotates freely. The question for me is the adjustment. 24 panels are not lightweight. One person moving the array from one season to another might benefit from electric or hydraulic assist? A cleverly balanced fulcrum? I don't know.
Zwy
Emperor Of Solar
Worm gear drive with a hand crank. I have an old hand winch around here off a grain auger, it was used to raise and lower the auger. It would be perfect for what you are looking for. Mount it on one end.
Another choice is an arm on the end that connects to a trailer jack. The arm will give some leverage multiplying the force of the jack.
400bird
Solar Wizard
If your pivot point is near the balanced center of the panels it should be easy enough to make the adjustments.
At each support leg I would add an adjustable brace with just a couple holes (for winter and summer tilt) remove all the edge supports, with he center one last, make the move, then reinstall the braces with the center one first.
At each support leg I would add an adjustable brace with just a couple holes (for winter and summer tilt) remove all the edge supports, with he center one last, make the move, then reinstall the braces with the center one first.
PunchySunshine
Solar Enthusiast
I've seen these knuckleheads:
Bluedog225
Texas
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2019
- Messages
- 3,010
And I wonder about their understanding of the conex. They loaded a wall with soil (bad idea) and put a fair amount of weight in the middle of the wall.
