If you’re talking blinding, no. The hood on Freightliner slopes away so any possibility of blinding has been zero. May be a different story for flat nose trucks though.
I took them all down. Would not do it again. You’re best off investing money in a larger battery bank. The changing seasons and long haul beat the crap out of the adhesives/ tape. The hood is still there. Best to copy Walmart trucks and place one or two panels at the top near the fairing. Much easier to maintain.
Buddy , take off those panels ….. if you need to charge your lithium batteries use a Dc to Dc charger and you can charge directly from the truck it’s more efficient that way , when it’s windy those panels will come off ……
@@marcmercado2085I did the same and installed my self for $1500. I was quoted 15k for Apu I'm going to add solar to mine and run generator to charge batteries when are low
Boy that's some backyard stuff right there. I was hoping you knew what you're doing. Not only was taping it down a bad idea, but covering up your panels with the tape, you reduced how much power the panels are going to produce. And before you go spend a bunch of money on lithium batteries. You need to find out what else you're gonna have to do because they do not like cold weather.
I was hoping you actually ask questions before dropping comments. Did you bother to ask if there was a way for water, heat and air to escape from point A to B? Did you bother to ask where the solar cells actually are and a close up of where it’s taped?
I didn't mean to butt hurt you, but you explained and showed what you're doing. Just because you put a video on RUclips that doesn't make you a guru. Anyone with basic solar knowledge knows panels get hot, and they would need ventilation if installed like this. Most of the flexible panels I've seen the cells are within an inch of the edge, and I'd guess you'd want 2" of that 4" tape on the panel. And anyone that has basic life skills is going to know that using tape like you did is not going to last long. And why you drilled holes in your hood is beyond me. You could have just turned them around and ran the wires over the top of the hood. By the way, 2-sided 3m industrial tape would have worked much better.
Curious how long your duct tape lasted. I put 200 watt CIGS panels on the side with industrial 3m tape underneath. And had to change the edge to use gorilla waterproof patch and repair tape.. highly recommend this.. 100x better than duct tape.
@@marcmercado2085Mr Mercado.. thank you.. I camp in a Prius.. I wanted to put a panel on the rear hatch window... Those hood solar panels cost over $300 for just the panel... Solar controller is another $75 Your tips have giving me confidence to diy this for about $150..
@@camposvazquez bigger batteries would do you better than bigger panels. Big batteries store more energy. A dc-dc charger is nice to give your batteries a boost when you’re driving.
Hey would you by any chance be able to make a video of the wiring in general i want to know how to make it charge my battery and i have no idea what to do. Thank you
I would assume to charge your starter battery. Is that right? I have a dual battery set up that has a house battery (lifepo4) and a starter battery. Just asking to get you the specifics.
What batteries you want to charge ??? If you want to charge your bunch lithium batteries use a Dc to Dc charger and you can charge them more efficiently from your truck , let me know if you need more info …..
Hey I saw your truck has electric fans over radiator. Did you put those on there? If you could give some info or do a video on it, that would be cool. I did that to a ford pickup long ago. My cascadia runs kinda hot too, have thought about doing what you have there. Thanks.
It’s not effective. You’re better off hooking a manual clutch fan switch to turn your temps down. Works significantly better. All my electric fans have been removed. I’m sorry to bust your bubble.
@@marcmercado2085 Ya, have you made a video like that? Must be some around, i think i seen a guy do air line switch deal, not electrical switch. Not sure which way is less time, hassle.
A towable boom lift. Removed all roof mounted panels yesterday. It lasted all summer long, but as it rained more and more… the strongest duct tape was no match for Mother Nature. I did scrub and prep the surface well. Had a ton of residue to remove. The ones up top became more and more maintenance, hence the reason for removing it. Knowing what I know now, you’re better off with a larger battery lifepo4 bank than a larger solar array. I’m keeping the hood ones though.
All you need a 200 watts panel to keep your batteries charged. Yuma Cigs solar is the best. Mine read 217 watts today in Tampa, FL. And it's under 10 years warranty. Why add so many panels and make your new truck looks like shit and it won't last?🤣🤣😂😂
Eh. I had a lot of time. It got compromised with the wind, and rain going OTR. Lasted until fall then decided to rip it all out except the hood panels. The original idea was to power up a mini split for the 10 hour but in hindsight, I should have invested more in a larger battery pack.
What is the capacity of the battery and what type it is, what type of inverter you have, and what type of air conditioner you have. How many hours does your air conditioner work?
Please make follow up video.
I am curious to know how that tape will withstand the Wyoming cross wind.
Ripped out all of it minus the hood panels. It was the tape that started to come off, not the panels. The panels had two sided foam tape on em.
Are those special panels that won’t reflect the sunlight when you are driving?
If you’re talking blinding, no. The hood on Freightliner slopes away so any possibility of blinding has been zero. May be a different story for flat nose trucks though.
How did you get those panels on top of the truck?
I took them all down. Would not do it again. You’re best off investing money in a larger battery bank. The changing seasons and long haul beat the crap out of the adhesives/ tape.
The hood is still there. Best to copy Walmart trucks and place one or two panels at the top near the fairing. Much easier to maintain.
Buddy , take off those panels ….. if you need to charge your lithium batteries use a Dc to Dc charger and you can charge directly from the truck it’s more efficient that way , when it’s windy those panels will come off ……
Hood stayed on. Roof, not so much. All the roof has been removed. It was difficult to keep going up there and maintaining it.
damn i wouldn't use tape at all
Nice That’s going to be my next project for my peterbilt. I just added a mini split ac with a generator it’s amazing.
Way better than the cooling capacity of the tripac for sure. What ac system did you go with?
@@marcmercado2085I did the same and installed my self for $1500. I was quoted 15k for Apu I'm going to add solar to mine and run generator to charge batteries when are low
Boy that's some backyard stuff right there. I was hoping you knew what you're doing. Not only was taping it down a bad idea, but covering up your panels with the tape, you reduced how much power the panels are going to produce. And before you go spend a bunch of money on lithium batteries. You need to find out what else you're gonna have to do because they do not like cold weather.
I was hoping you actually ask questions before dropping comments.
Did you bother to ask if there was a way for water, heat and air to escape from point A to B?
Did you bother to ask where the solar cells actually are and a close up of where it’s taped?
I didn't mean to butt hurt you, but you explained and showed what you're doing. Just because you put a video on RUclips that doesn't make you a guru. Anyone with basic solar knowledge knows panels get hot, and they would need ventilation if installed like this.
Most of the flexible panels I've seen the cells are within an inch of the edge, and I'd guess you'd want 2" of that 4" tape on the panel.
And anyone that has basic life skills is going to know that using tape like you did is not going to last long. And why you drilled holes in your hood is beyond me. You could have just turned them around and ran the wires over the top of the hood. By the way, 2-sided 3m industrial tape would have worked much better.
Curious how long your duct tape lasted. I put 200 watt CIGS panels on the side with industrial 3m tape underneath. And had to change the edge to use gorilla waterproof patch and repair tape.. highly recommend this.. 100x better than duct tape.
Need an outdoor tape for sure. Lasted all summer but winter beat the crap out of it.
@@marcmercado2085Mr Mercado.. thank you.. I camp in a Prius.. I wanted to put a panel on the rear hatch window... Those hood solar panels cost over $300 for just the panel... Solar controller is another $75
Your tips have giving me confidence to diy this for about $150..
@@camposvazquez bigger batteries would do you better than bigger panels. Big batteries store more energy. A dc-dc charger is nice to give your batteries a boost when you’re driving.
@@marcmercado2085 thank you.... That puts it in perspective
Seen u have a red fan in front of your hood, please review them, how it does to the coolant climbing up the hill in the hot summer.
It’s crap. Waste of time and money. Better off hooking up a manual fan switch to your clutch fan.
Hey would you by any chance be able to make a video of the wiring in general i want to know how to make it charge my battery and i have no idea what to do. Thank you
I would assume to charge your starter battery. Is that right? I have a dual battery set up that has a house battery (lifepo4) and a starter battery. Just asking to get you the specifics.
What batteries you want to charge ??? If you want to charge your bunch lithium batteries use a Dc to Dc charger and you can charge them more efficiently from your truck , let me know if you need more info …..
Hey I saw your truck has electric fans over radiator. Did you put those on there? If you could give some info or do a video on it, that would be cool. I did that to a ford pickup long ago. My cascadia runs kinda hot too, have thought about doing what you have there. Thanks.
It’s not effective. You’re better off hooking a manual clutch fan switch to turn your temps down. Works significantly better. All my electric fans have been removed. I’m sorry to bust your bubble.
@@marcmercado2085 OK appreciate your reply.
@@truckinkw2 if you’d like a video on how to manually hook up a switch to your radiator fan, lmk.
@@marcmercado2085 Ya, have you made a video like that? Must be some around, i think i seen a guy do air line switch deal, not electrical switch. Not sure which way is less time, hassle.
That's funny. He try to cool the semi truck engine with kid's toys. 😂😂😂
Hey Man, I noticed the red fans in front of your truck. Where did you get that from.
Waste of money. Don’t do it. Better off installing a manual fan clutch switch.
Works significantly better.
How long does it take to charge the batteries with this
Depends on your battery capacity, solar charge controller, your solar panel direction and your panel size.
Where do you have the batteries stored at ?
Hey my friend can you function a Tv with those
You’ll have to do your homework with the watts draw of your tv
How did you install them in the roof?
A towable boom lift. Removed all roof mounted panels yesterday. It lasted all summer long, but as it rained more and more… the strongest duct tape was no match for Mother Nature.
I did scrub and prep the surface well. Had a ton of residue to remove. The ones up top became more and more maintenance, hence the reason for removing it.
Knowing what I know now, you’re better off with a larger battery lifepo4 bank than a larger solar array. I’m keeping the hood ones though.
@@marcmercado2085 your contact number …?
@@ldhphl845 801-310-9142
@@marcmercado2085 I'm shopping lifepo4 bank right now. What's your recommendation?
All you need a 200 watts panel to keep your batteries charged. Yuma Cigs solar is the best. Mine read 217 watts today in Tampa, FL. And it's under 10 years warranty. Why add so many panels and make your new truck looks like shit and it won't last?🤣🤣😂😂
Eh. I had a lot of time. It got compromised with the wind, and rain going OTR. Lasted until fall then decided to rip it all out except the hood panels. The original idea was to power up a mini split for the 10 hour but in hindsight, I should have invested more in a larger battery pack.
What is the capacity of the battery and what type it is, what type of inverter you have, and what type of air conditioner you have. How many hours does your air conditioner work?
I don't use solar panel to power an AC. All you need for that is a Honda EU3000is. Run all day long for 2 1/2 gallons. Depending on the load.