👍 Good info on that R Rover, I'll bank that, thanks. I'd be proud of that install too, nothin' wrong with that. Hope you got your dues. Uh Oh...another one... you gonna' be known as the AZ GC Expert if you keep this up.
I just bought a power queen lipo 4, 12 volt battery. The unboxing, instructions, and even the plastic pouch are identical. Also the sheet of stickers are the same. Just different logos. Must be a huge factory in China. Great vid!
That's awesome! If I were the owner I would have opted for a roof array instead or the very least built a set of drawers that would raise the panels level with the back rest so you have a place to toss your tools in. But that's me.
Nice to hear you say the over current is to protect the wire, so many do not understand that. You have your self a little niche there but you might need to estimate what you think and double the time estimate to the customer until you do more. Stay safe Sir.
I'm not a big fan of solar/electric. Prefer old fashioned gas/diesel for power source. But I enjoy watching you work. Can you strap a Briggs on to a wheelchair? 😁
39:36 - Scene straight out of a 1960's Bond film...... our hero disguised as a lowly maintenance worker golf cart driver at the evil bad guy's fortress.
Check out Deboss Garage where they are using electric axels for semi trucks and retrofit pickup trucks. It wouldn't be a far stretch to a diesel electric RV.
That ,what "bothers" me ,at some point but expected,is the vibrations on the solar panels,when it moves..Ok it is a (very..) low profile vehicle with solid tyres and absolutely,no suspension,witch causes the intense vibration on some kind "gravel" rough surface..Second is that it could have a "high rack" (may be as a "roof"or canopy like thing..) so it could have ,at least two more panels (may be three with some "extension" ,to the front and the rear,of the aluminium "chassis") This kind of "vehicle" is like a "clear kanvas" to make things on it.. Really liked the kind of the aluminium profile and fittings you found for it..Strong and tight space clearance and I believe sturdy structure specially if you install the rubber bases under them Very efficient for the vibrations..Better (may be "softer"..) with something like them but not the rubber ones but silicon based..At the end of the video (witch I saw it a little later..)you mentioned them all..Good Job..I liked as I liked the solar panes' fitment on the Trailor RV some time before and the ATV conversion for your mother (I liked it most !!).. Anyway ..my thoughts..Thank you for sharing with us..Greetings from Greece..
I wouldn't mind having a CarryAll and put solar panels over the toolbox in the back, plus over the cab. That way you probably wouldn't have to charge it up... If you slid the panels back as far as possible, you'd have less shadows...
yes, but I did not know if the opening in the deck was important or not, and being a mechanic myself, almost everyone will put something on the rear deck as a table and a glass solar panel is the last thing they should put anything on. With the wood deck there, it is not a concern.
Sorry but i have a question that doesnt have any relation to this video. I trust your judgment. I am going to go look at a 2008 Tiffin Allegro 32 ba, any advice ?, problems/issues to look for ?. Appreciate any info you can give us. Great videos by the way, love them. 72,000 miles, all maintenance records, new awning, new tires, new batteries and many other upgrades including suspension. Asking price is 32k.
I am by far, not a "golf cart" expert. However if I remember correctly, the older carts used coils of heavy wire to control speed, kind of like a variac. Would a digital speed controller help conserve battery power? Just trying to gain knowledge.
Each battery can provide 200 amps so 400 amp is max those batteries can provide in parallel. Sure that motor will only ask for a max of 150 amps or so. You could have done 2 100 amp continuous amp discharge batteries since each can do 100. if they put out 150 total each battery will do 75. Just thought I would let you know for future.
I did not know the max draw of the cart, especially towing a trailer, and it's possible the owner may want to remove one of the batteries for another cart and save a lot of money if they find 2 batteries are much more capacity then they need
That's kind of a dirty trick to not tell you the thing wasn't operational before you started working on it. I'm using a Renogy 50a 12/24v DC/DC converter with MPPT solar controller built in to charge my 306aH "tool box generator" from the vehicle alternator and it works really well, but gets HOT! Kinda worried about the long term durability of it, as heat is the #1 enemy of electronics. I'd tell the owner to mount a whiskey compass on the dashboard with a note saying "Park Facing North." Is that a Foretravel U320 in the background? It looks a lot like the one we're fixing up right now.
I don't think it was intentional at all, the break is likely in the wire nest I showed, but I could not say there wasn't another, so running new wires makes more sense to me.
My 48v club car has the same two battery tap for lights and horn. When I replaced the batteries last year, I stayed with lead acid due to the poor performance of lithium batteries in cold climates. I was talked into lithium for one of my motorcycles and it was a mistake. No start in cold climates unless I leave it on a charger
I will give you some advice save the boxes the batteries came in! I’m dealing with LiTime right now in an issue with the battery. They are in China so all communication is by Email only. While they were very nice and think one of my cells failed..I have spent a week emailing back and forth. Now having to send the battery off to Portland. They paid for the shipping…but had no idea about Haz Mat shipping and the IATA regulations and stickers I needed for the box. Thankfully I was a Haz Mat specialist in my old job I knew what stickers I needed and how to pack it. I also feel that the LiTime batteries are not durable enough to be bouncing around in a trailer battery compartment. The blue tooth and the app was really glitchy and froze on me which made me realize there was more going on. My feeling is something came loose internally and that is why it failed.
Great video, a few questions. I take it you don't trust the BMS overcurrent protection so that is why you added the fuses off the batteries? Couldn't you have just moved the solar panels further back towards the rear of the cart to eliminate as much of a shadow from the seat back as possible?
@@AZExpert I had a RV solar installer help me switched my RV over to Lithium. He said an inline fuse wasn't needed because my batteries BMS provides over current and short circuit protection. It seemed strange to me, but I was new to the lifepo4 world. I just ordered a 300-amp terminal fuse to throw on the battery, it just makes sense.
@@AZExpert I've heard that the circuit breaker needs to be rated for the voltage on the circuit it's used on, and so a CB rated for 12 volts DC would (for some reason) not be suitable for a circuit of a higher voltage, like 36 volts DC. So many rules huh...great job on the refit.
@@TerrydeAlaska I'm dubious as stuff below 48. circuit breakers open from overcurrent, so while 40 amps at 36 volt is much higher wattage than 40 amp at 12 volt, the amp is what will trip it. its just an intentional weak spot in the wiring basically. higher voltages mean the possiblity of jumping across points so maybe above 48vdc is important but most glass fuses I see in 12vdc systems have 120vac printed on them.
@@AZExpert I think you're right, its only an issue when you have a lot of panels in series and the voltage goes over 48 volts DC! Most of the CB I saw on amazon similar to yours are rated for 12V - 48V DC. The do have others rated from 500 to 1000 volts DC for large arrays. We learn so much from your videos and I really do appreciate you taking the time and effort to keep putting out these great videos. I think there is a lot of interest in putting solar on a golf carts and it will help a lot of people. Cheers!
I feel smarter now after watching this. If it is that challenging for an "expert", then what's that mean for non expert me? You have two batteries in parallel, and only attach the controller to one battery because you don't want to run an extra wire, but now you open the batteries and the harness to imbalances and possible damage. Who puts a lead acid battery charger to a lifepo4? At most you only see 200w in full sun light and even mentioned that it could be charging while driving. That would not be possible unless that motor figuratively used less than the solar provided but I would guess it uses quite a bit more, probably more than a thousand. You don't like boost controllers, and neither do I, but you never needed one to begin with. It's only logical to run the panels in series regardless; if the controller can handle the voltage; due to the reduction in amperage and therefore cost and size of wires needed. The rats nest of wires and bypassed protections are a clear indicator of past electrical issues, but you just add additional protections that you yourself said would only protect the wires and not the components. Even though you weren't specifically tasked with cleaning that up, I still don't understand why you would energize that chaos and put the new components in danger like that. If I wanted my cart converted, I wouldn't want to hear that you let the old system fry the new one, kinda defeats the purpose of "converting" it. I can't even imagine how long it took you to do this job either; give me the components and it would be done in an hour. The plastic bumpers aren't any good if the wood is flopping around. The bumpers should isolate the panels from the ridged mount instead, and by placing them on the wood, it creates more points for the wood bouncing around to effect the panels. Running a washer/bolt between the panels is not recommended either as any flex between the panels will concentrate the stress in that one spot aswell. Not to mention if those nuts or bolts have a coating or are of dissimilar metals to the aluminum, it will not only eat away the aluminum, but also create a dead short between them if for whatever reason they became energized. There is a proper way to ground those panels for just that case. Sorry for the rant, but some of that was built to fail and people should be careful.
I would like to say I appreciate your candor, but your rant was mostly to make yourself feel better. You made assumptions and typed endless strings of nonesense thinking you did and said something. I have found that unhappy people find faults that do not exist and invent scenarios to disassociate internal personal and interpersonal failures from themselves. Please understand, overcurrent protections are to reduce fires from wires overheating and melting, not to protect components from failure. The entire cart is steel with aluminum diamondplate on it. The bumpers keep the wood from bouncing and give support to the middle of the rack. The solar "imbalance" is negligible but does reduce unneeded lengths of wire which would add more imbalance than how I wired it. I do not think you even understand solar cells if you think the screws will short them out and I am 100% confident given a hour, you would not have the batteries removed and new ones installed. While you may not have intended it, your comment sounds very mean spirited and arrogant, and I would hope people that find themselves around you in person are treated better and with more kindness than a stranger on the internet.
@AZExpert I appreciate your response, although you again failed to understand. I never claimed it would short the solar cells, just the aluminum frames. Also, you focused more on pointing out my harsh nature and not the facts or supporting material in my original response. How hard would it be for a man of such higher morality than little ol harsh me, to admit that dissimilar metals cause corrosion and that by placing bumpers between two objects is lazy in a case such as this. You are essentially using the solar panels to hold the wood down. The wood should be secured and the bumpers only used there if the frame, on which the panels sit, is flexing or warping. I didn't see that issue raised in the video.
@@robertmathis5707 Why would I admit that disimilar metals is a concern when the harware from the manufacturers for the solar panels ship steel based hardware for their aluminum frame? I have zero concerns about electrolysis from disimilar metals on this install. The bumpers cushion the 2020 frame as much as reduce the rattle of the wood. If it were my cart there would not be any wood. You are welcome to spend other people's money and time how you wish when you get the opportunity but your way does not mean it's better, it just makes you feel better because of your preception. I know the hardware to secure the wood, would rust and corrod as wood does hold moisture which is an important part of corrosion, which means the wood wood be more apt to rot and also be difficult to remove. I am unmoved by your appeal to my criticism as harsh, because I matched your written energy. None of your points are interesting or even thoughtful merely naysaying to feel knowlegeable.
@AZExpert You are right! Why would you admit that when 6 months down the road, it's the owners problem that he leaves it sitting in open view of the sky for charging, and it gets rained on. Water pools on flat panels and energizes the aluminum frame as the water gets between and shorts the panels interior to the exterior. Some panels are better than others, but how much (twisting and flexing) do you think before that frame and the glass separate on the edges allowing water intrusion? A bouncing piece of wood basically pushing on small points of the panels will only compound the issue. 36v dc isn't deadly, but what will the voltage do from those solar panels if they short to the frame? Also, you honestly think that instead of using all those bumpers, it's more expensive to (redneck engineer) screw on a small piece of metal or plastic that can be rotated to lock down the wood?
Your videos are a journey of knowledge and inspiration. Continue to delight us with your amazing videos!🦕🥩🏆
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I enjoyed the builds. Congrats on your new Golf Car career. 😊
The golf cart was a bit of a side-hustle but i do like it!
👍 Good info on that R Rover, I'll bank that, thanks. I'd be proud of that install too, nothin' wrong with that. Hope you got your dues. Uh Oh...another one... you gonna' be known as the AZ GC Expert if you keep this up.
The ending was hilarious!!
I liked this video. Of course I just did a golf cart upgrade to a LIFEPO4 battery. Love it. A nice pre Hurricane Milton project.
Interesting build. Very nice engineering!
Love the Austin Powers reference
Thank you, my daughter helped with that :)
You've got yourself a real can of worms with this build
I just bought a power queen lipo 4, 12 volt battery. The unboxing, instructions, and even the plastic pouch are identical. Also the sheet of stickers are the same. Just different logos. Must be a huge factory in China. Great vid!
It is definitely my opinion that most of these batteries are made by a few factories for sure ;)
"...foreshadowing" Get's me every time 🤣🤣🤣
That's awesome! If I were the owner I would have opted for a roof array instead or the very least built a set of drawers that would raise the panels level with the back rest so you have a place to toss your tools in. But that's me.
I did my golf cart years ago solar panel on the roof and 4 12 volt lithium batteries , works well in Arizona if you want information let me know.
Amazing work James.
Fun video, lots of work in that job. I'm surprised you didn't use the Vatrer batteries. Love the A.P. closing plus.😅
Nice to hear you say the over current is to protect the wire, so many do not understand that. You have your self a little niche there but you might need to estimate what you think and double the time estimate to the customer until you do more. Stay safe Sir.
I'm not a big fan of solar/electric. Prefer old fashioned gas/diesel for power source. But I enjoy watching you work. Can you strap a Briggs on to a wheelchair? 😁
That cart looks like it has a better frame than my GD travel trailer .
Great job. Don
Great video again. Would like to see what is going on of that Foretravel in the back : )
for the shading issue, try paralleling the panels, check the min voltage of the mppt. paralleling part of the array is better for things in the shade
39:36 - Scene straight out of a 1960's Bond film...... our hero disguised as a lowly maintenance worker golf cart driver at the evil bad guy's fortress.
Nice...
Check out Deboss Garage where they are using electric axels for semi trucks and retrofit pickup trucks. It wouldn't be a far stretch to a diesel electric RV.
The Kwik connect is a a175 amp Anderson plug a small 12 volt battery with a controller
That ,what "bothers" me ,at some point but expected,is the vibrations on the solar panels,when it moves..Ok it is a (very..) low profile vehicle with solid tyres and absolutely,no suspension,witch causes the intense vibration on some kind "gravel" rough surface..Second is that it could have a "high rack" (may be as a "roof"or canopy like thing..) so it could have ,at least two more panels (may be three with some "extension" ,to the front and the rear,of the aluminium "chassis") This kind of "vehicle" is like a "clear kanvas" to make things on it.. Really liked the kind of the aluminium profile and fittings you found for it..Strong and tight space clearance and I believe sturdy structure specially if you install the rubber bases under them Very efficient for the vibrations..Better (may be "softer"..) with something like them but not the rubber ones but silicon based..At the end of the video (witch I saw it a little later..)you mentioned them all..Good Job..I liked as I liked the solar panes' fitment on the Trailor RV some time before and the ATV conversion for your mother (I liked it most !!).. Anyway ..my thoughts..Thank you for sharing with us..Greetings from Greece..
I could see doing flexible panels instead, put their sizes are odd and most failures I see in solar panels are from flexible panels.
I wouldn't mind having a CarryAll and put solar panels over the toolbox in the back, plus over the cab. That way you probably wouldn't have to charge it up... If you slid the panels back as far as possible, you'd have less shadows...
Moving the panel array all the way as far back as it can go would help with the seat shading as well.
yes, but I did not know if the opening in the deck was important or not, and being a mechanic myself, almost everyone will put something on the rear deck as a table and a glass solar panel is the last thing they should put anything on. With the wood deck there, it is not a concern.
What model and brand of extendable ladder do you have for getting on top of RVs for roof inspection?
Sorry but i have a question that doesnt have any relation to this video. I trust your judgment. I am going to go look at a 2008 Tiffin Allegro 32 ba, any advice ?, problems/issues to look for ?. Appreciate any info you can give us. Great videos by the way, love them.
72,000 miles, all maintenance records, new awning, new tires, new batteries and many other upgrades including suspension. Asking price is 32k.
always check the floor of the water compartment, the slide floors on the exterior, the entry step and of course the roof
@@AZExpert Thank you very much for the FAST reply. Keep great vids coming !.
well with all you do its experience.. or just a pita.. Ive done a lot of those
Great job, but I did notice your hair line is a little higher after this projection 😂😂😂
I am by far, not a "golf cart" expert. However if I remember correctly, the older carts used coils of heavy wire to control speed, kind of like a variac. Would a digital speed controller help conserve battery power? Just trying to gain knowledge.
yes the old ones did, this speed control seems to be electronic
Each battery can provide 200 amps so 400 amp is max those batteries can provide in parallel. Sure that motor will only ask for a max of 150 amps or so. You could have done 2 100 amp continuous amp discharge batteries since each can do 100. if they put out 150 total each battery will do 75. Just thought I would let you know for future.
I did not know the max draw of the cart, especially towing a trailer, and it's possible the owner may want to remove one of the batteries for another cart and save a lot of money if they find 2 batteries are much more capacity then they need
@@AZExpert Yep he can use them for many things, even to have emergency power at home.
That's kind of a dirty trick to not tell you the thing wasn't operational before you started working on it. I'm using a Renogy 50a 12/24v DC/DC converter with MPPT solar controller built in to charge my 306aH "tool box generator" from the vehicle alternator and it works really well, but gets HOT! Kinda worried about the long term durability of it, as heat is the #1 enemy of electronics. I'd tell the owner to mount a whiskey compass on the dashboard with a note saying "Park Facing North." Is that a Foretravel U320 in the background? It looks a lot like the one we're fixing up right now.
I don't think it was intentional at all, the break is likely in the wire nest I showed, but I could not say there wasn't another, so running new wires makes more sense to me.
My 48v club car has the same two battery tap for lights and horn. When I replaced the batteries last year, I stayed with lead acid due to the poor performance of lithium batteries in cold climates. I was talked into lithium for one of my motorcycles and it was a mistake. No start in cold climates unless I leave it on a charger
yes, I do not recommend lithium for starting engines
I will give you some advice save the boxes the batteries came in! I’m dealing with LiTime right now in an issue with the battery. They are in China so all communication is by Email only. While they were very nice and think one of my cells failed..I have spent a week emailing back and forth. Now having to send the battery off to Portland. They paid for the shipping…but had no idea about Haz Mat shipping and the IATA regulations and stickers I needed for the box. Thankfully I was a Haz Mat specialist in my old job I knew what stickers I needed and how to pack it. I also feel that the LiTime batteries are not durable enough to be bouncing around in a trailer battery compartment. The blue tooth and the app was really glitchy and froze on me which made me realize there was more going on. My feeling is something came loose internally and that is why it failed.
that's disappointing to hear
Would the the Litime 12v100ah group24 be a good RV fit . I was just looking at these batteries to replace my lead acid batteries.
by all accounts they are very good batteries and a great value.
Great video, a few questions. I take it you don't trust the BMS overcurrent protection so that is why you added the fuses off the batteries? Couldn't you have just moved the solar panels further back towards the rear of the cart to eliminate as much of a shadow from the seat back as possible?
BMS cutoff is not strictly speaking overcurrent protection like a fuse or a breaker
@@AZExpert I had a RV solar installer help me switched my RV over to Lithium. He said an inline fuse wasn't needed because my batteries BMS provides over current and short circuit protection. It seemed strange to me, but I was new to the lifepo4 world. I just ordered a 300-amp terminal fuse to throw on the battery, it just makes sense.
Nice job! Just wondering if that solar circuit breaker is rated for 36 volts DC?
I did ask, but 36vdc is very rare
@@AZExpert I've heard that the circuit breaker needs to be rated for the voltage on the circuit it's used on, and so a CB rated for 12 volts DC would (for some reason) not be suitable for a circuit of a higher voltage, like 36 volts DC. So many rules huh...great job on the refit.
@@TerrydeAlaska I'm dubious as stuff below 48. circuit breakers open from overcurrent, so while 40 amps at 36 volt is much higher wattage than 40 amp at 12 volt, the amp is what will trip it. its just an intentional weak spot in the wiring basically. higher voltages mean the possiblity of jumping across points so maybe above 48vdc is important but most glass fuses I see in 12vdc systems have 120vac printed on them.
@@AZExpert I think you're right, its only an issue when you have a lot of panels in series and the voltage goes over 48 volts DC! Most of the CB I saw on amazon similar to yours are rated for 12V - 48V DC. The do have others rated from 500 to 1000 volts DC for large arrays.
We learn so much from your videos and I really do appreciate you taking the time and effort to keep putting out these great videos. I think there is a lot of interest in putting solar on a golf carts and it will help a lot of people. Cheers!
You do know you will need to fix all the wires because it all worked before you got it.
Li Time are very good. Just ask Will.
Why didn’t you just build an aluminum ladder rack for the solar? If you put one solar bank over the drivers seat, it would provide shade.
I was not asked or paid to build a cab with a roof
Switching back to Aptera videos, sorry.
Your channel is a source of endless laughter and fun. Keep inspiring us with your fun and lighthearted content!🐹🥇🎗
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Very informative, as always. Sadly, the work you did far exceeds the value of that buggy.
The owner does not think so and wanted me to build another
Just a little dry rot
Where's LaMont?
Hope he pays you for all the extra time and supply and parts cost!
I feel smarter now after watching this. If it is that challenging for an "expert", then what's that mean for non expert me? You have two batteries in parallel, and only attach the controller to one battery because you don't want to run an extra wire, but now you open the batteries and the harness to imbalances and possible damage. Who puts a lead acid battery charger to a lifepo4? At most you only see 200w in full sun light and even mentioned that it could be charging while driving. That would not be possible unless that motor figuratively used less than the solar provided but I would guess it uses quite a bit more, probably more than a thousand. You don't like boost controllers, and neither do I, but you never needed one to begin with. It's only logical to run the panels in series regardless; if the controller can handle the voltage; due to the reduction in amperage and therefore cost and size of wires needed. The rats nest of wires and bypassed protections are a clear indicator of past electrical issues, but you just add additional protections that you yourself said would only protect the wires and not the components. Even though you weren't specifically tasked with cleaning that up, I still don't understand why you would energize that chaos and put the new components in danger like that. If I wanted my cart converted, I wouldn't want to hear that you let the old system fry the new one, kinda defeats the purpose of "converting" it. I can't even imagine how long it took you to do this job either; give me the components and it would be done in an hour. The plastic bumpers aren't any good if the wood is flopping around. The bumpers should isolate the panels from the ridged mount instead, and by placing them on the wood, it creates more points for the wood bouncing around to effect the panels. Running a washer/bolt between the panels is not recommended either as any flex between the panels will concentrate the stress in that one spot aswell. Not to mention if those nuts or bolts have a coating or are of dissimilar metals to the aluminum, it will not only eat away the aluminum, but also create a dead short between them if for whatever reason they became energized. There is a proper way to ground those panels for just that case. Sorry for the rant, but some of that was built to fail and people should be careful.
I would like to say I appreciate your candor, but your rant was mostly to make yourself feel better. You made assumptions and typed endless strings of nonesense thinking you did and said something. I have found that unhappy people find faults that do not exist and invent scenarios to disassociate internal personal and interpersonal failures from themselves. Please understand, overcurrent protections are to reduce fires from wires overheating and melting, not to protect components from failure. The entire cart is steel with aluminum diamondplate on it. The bumpers keep the wood from bouncing and give support to the middle of the rack. The solar "imbalance" is negligible but does reduce unneeded lengths of wire which would add more imbalance than how I wired it. I do not think you even understand solar cells if you think the screws will short them out and I am 100% confident given a hour, you would not have the batteries removed and new ones installed. While you may not have intended it, your comment sounds very mean spirited and arrogant, and I would hope people that find themselves around you in person are treated better and with more kindness than a stranger on the internet.
@AZExpert I appreciate your response, although you again failed to understand. I never claimed it would short the solar cells, just the aluminum frames. Also, you focused more on pointing out my harsh nature and not the facts or supporting material in my original response. How hard would it be for a man of such higher morality than little ol harsh me, to admit that dissimilar metals cause corrosion and that by placing bumpers between two objects is lazy in a case such as this. You are essentially using the solar panels to hold the wood down. The wood should be secured and the bumpers only used there if the frame, on which the panels sit, is flexing or warping. I didn't see that issue raised in the video.
@@robertmathis5707 Why would I admit that disimilar metals is a concern when the harware from the manufacturers for the solar panels ship steel based hardware for their aluminum frame? I have zero concerns about electrolysis from disimilar metals on this install. The bumpers cushion the 2020 frame as much as reduce the rattle of the wood. If it were my cart there would not be any wood. You are welcome to spend other people's money and time how you wish when you get the opportunity but your way does not mean it's better, it just makes you feel better because of your preception. I know the hardware to secure the wood, would rust and corrod as wood does hold moisture which is an important part of corrosion, which means the wood wood be more apt to rot and also be difficult to remove. I am unmoved by your appeal to my criticism as harsh, because I matched your written energy. None of your points are interesting or even thoughtful merely naysaying to feel knowlegeable.
@AZExpert You are right! Why would you admit that when 6 months down the road, it's the owners problem that he leaves it sitting in open view of the sky for charging, and it gets rained on. Water pools on flat panels and energizes the aluminum frame as the water gets between and shorts the panels interior to the exterior. Some panels are better than others, but how much (twisting and flexing) do you think before that frame and the glass separate on the edges allowing water intrusion? A bouncing piece of wood basically pushing on small points of the panels will only compound the issue. 36v dc isn't deadly, but what will the voltage do from those solar panels if they short to the frame? Also, you honestly think that instead of using all those bumpers, it's more expensive to (redneck engineer) screw on a small piece of metal or plastic that can be rotated to lock down the wood?
what a mess to begin with.....dude shoulda just planned for a whole rebuild then it would be good for what another 10 or 20 years?
I think it still is good for 10 years