diy solar

diy solar

How to attach solar panels to roof rails?

RudyGreene

New Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2023
Messages
38
Location
Tennessee
I'm getting ready to attach two 100W rigid solar panels to the roof of my minivan. My goal is to be able to attach and remove the solar panels each fall/spring since I only live in my van part-time during the winter. One option is using powerful magnets (https://cuttingedgepower.com/products/magnetic-spm), but I feel like I'd always be worried about them staying attached in high winds.

The better option seems to be attaching the solar panels to the roof rails. I can't seem to find any examples of doing this without some custom fabrication. Is there any type of standard fittings to help do this? Or are there cross bars I can connect to the roof rails which provide easy solar attachment points?
 
Or are there cross bars I can connect to the roof rails which provide easy solar attachment points?

If you have roof rails that run parallel to the side of your van then I image they manufacture cross rails specific to your vehicle. My van came with cross rails.

I’m also interested in mounting a 100w panel on my roof rack.

I had a buddy who just bolted panels onto his roof rack and just glued the bolts or something. I can’t quite remember.

I think that 12v panel mounting brackets would be sufficient to attach to a roof rack.

I’m curious to see where you go with this. Right now I just have a little battery maintainer solar panel I put on my dash when I’m parked. But I’m not living out of my van or anything.
 
I don't currently have any cross bars, but standard ones from Thule, etc can be fitted to the rails. I'm trying to determine what type of cross bars will connect to solar panels with minimal fabrication (if any). Ideally, I would bolt the solar panels to the cross bars and just clamp them to the roof when needed.
 
Other way around. A couple rails that fit the panel holes, some bolts through the car rails held in with Nylock nuts, and wing nuts. You don't want to be trying to lug the whole assembly around if you can avoid it.

Best order of operation would be car rails, cross frame, then panels.
 
@Rednecktek Yes, I'm trying to find cross bars that I can bolt to the solar panels. That's the question this thread is attempting to answer. Do you have a solution?
 
Aluminum box tube from the hardware store, drill, bolts, nylock nuts, wing nuts.

Drill holes in the ends of the box. Drill holes to line up with the mounting holes on the panels. Mount short bolts through the box facing up through the holes in the panels, wing nuts.

Mount long bolts on the ends to drop through drilled holes on the rails, wing/nylock nuts.

Place rails on roof. Place tubes on rails with bolts sticking out the bottom of the car rails and short bolts facing up to go into the panels.

Place panels on tube rails, nut down to tube. You'll probably need to wiggle things a bit so don't tighten down to the car rails.

Once panels are tight, nut down tubes to car rails.

Plug in MC4 plugs.
 
@Rednecktek Thank you for the details. This seems to be a different solution than using the Harbor Freight cross bars you suggested earlier. I'm able to follow up until the point you're connecting the box tubing to the rails. On my van, the cross bars attach to the rails by clamping on the sides (same as how the Harbor Freight cross bars work). There is no way to screw something to the rails. Do I need to replace the factory rails with something different in order for this to work?
 
Last edited:
Something like these are not a bad way to do it. I know you don't have a Sprinter, rather introducing you to trail that might be worth going down. These will get you from the factory roof track straight to solar panels.

 
Last edited:
Somethings like these are not a bad way to do it. I know you don't have a Sprinter, rather introducing you to trail that might worth going down. These will get you from the factory roof track straight to solar panels.

Excellent find! Looks like I need to figure out how to replace my factory rails with some sort of L-track or strut channel.
 
Excellent find! Looks like I need to figure out how to replace my factory rails with some sort of L-track or strut channel.
It might be a bit of rabbit hole but here's a few resources.

Rack Attack has been very good to work with.


There's also Tnutz.

 
@Rednecktek Thank you for the details. This seems to be a different solution than using the Harbor Freight cross bars you suggested earlier. I'm able to follow up until the point you're connecting the box tubing to the rails. On my van, the cross bars attach to the rails by clamping on the sides (same as how the Harbor Freight cross bars work). There is no way to screw something to the rails. Do I need to replace the factory rails with something different in order for this to work?
You would drill holes through the HF rack for the square tube to sit on. Now that I'm home let me throw together a krappy MSPaint sketch to help explain...

All the bolts would have nuts on the other side holding them in place in the square tube so you don't have to waste time fenagling the bolts into all the holes. Make 2 of those rails (one for each end of the panels) and you'll be good to go.
 

Attachments

  • roof rack.jpg
    roof rack.jpg
    47.1 KB · Views: 13
Last edited:
You would drill holes through the HF rack for the square tube to sit on. Now that I'm home let me throw together a krappy MSPaint sketch to help explain...

All the bolts would have nuts on the other side holding them in place in the square tube so you don't have to waste time fenagling the bolts into all the holes. Make 2 of those rails (one for each end of the panels) and you'll be good to go.
Thanks for illustrating; that makes sense now. I was originally thinking you meant use the square tubing in place of the cross bars. I don't love how clunky it'll look being so high above the roof, but this does seem to be the most straightforward way to accomplish my goal.
 
You can always put the square tube under the car rails too with the long bolts sticking out the top. Some 1x2 rectangular tube would work well too. You just need something a little more rigid than flat bar and angle would get in the way of itself.
 

These may work.

What model minivan? Might be cheapest just to drill into the cross bars and use standard z brackets.

The pricey Thule crossbars come with T slots so you can easily bolt them on. The Harbor Freight one linked above probably have them too under that rubber channel.

 
Last edited:
I'm getting ready to attach two 100W rigid solar panels to the roof of my minivan. My goal is to be able to attach and remove the solar panels each fall/spring since I only live in my van part-time during the winter. One option is using powerful magnets (https://cuttingedgepower.com/products/magnetic-spm), but I feel like I'd always be worried about them staying attached in high winds.

The better option seems to be attaching the solar panels to the roof rails. I can't seem to find any examples of doing this without some custom fabrication. Is there any type of standard fittings to help do this? Or are there cross bars I can connect to the roof rails which provide easy solar attachment points?
I’d suggest a single 200w panel too if you can swing it.
 
Back
Top