Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 06, 2025 ...

My two 9k btu mini splits pull less than that at full blast if you are looking for a way to increase efficiency. I was camping yesterday and they used 5kw overnight keeping things warm with a 45°F outdoor temp.  The mini splits are also inverter drive compressors, so they "soft start" just by the way they work. You can turn them on and watch the load ramp up as it speeds up the compressor.  They also vary the load as they are running and only pull a few hundred watts once the temperature is stable. I only have 2 8D lead acid batteries and I haven't tested the run time, but the Victron runs them both without any issue.

This is awesome.  What's your estimate of the weight of the whole array?  Any concerns about running into axle capacity constraints?

I bought some 8 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick aluminum that I am going to run the length of the coach in two separate runs. This will allow me to attach that to the studs as well as the luan underneath and then I Will drive #14 tappers through it all to secure the feet of the rack. That will give me a lot more holding power than if I were to just run the mounts right into the roof. It will also help with zipper affect.  I have 10 feet for each side of the rack.

Quote from: Elliott – October 14, 2023, 07:12:09 pm

I bought some 8 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick aluminum that I am going to run the length of the coach in two separate runs. This will allow me to attach that to the studs as well as the luan underneath and then I Will drive #14 tappers through it all to secure the feet of the rack. That will give me a lot more holding power than if I were to just run the mounts right into the roof. It will also help with zipper affect.  I have 10 feet for each side of the rack.

How are you attaching the 8 inch wide aluminum to the roof?

What is the height of the rail above the roof?

Thx
Tim

#12 tappers and enternabond tape along all edges

Sorry, rails are 14" high

Looks great!

Question for you.. I believe you said in an earlier comment that the rack did not move much, if at all, when pulling on it. Are you planning to brace it side to side/ front to back? Structurally, triangles are best, as squares/rectangles can collapse. Even a cross-member from the top of the passenger side to the bottom of the driver's side works great to prevent sway.

Another note.. while I have a different brand of rack, re-torquing has been a necessity. Almost lost the front panel due to a clamp coming loose driving through Pagosa. I ended up adding some lock-tite to each clamp bolt to, hopefully, prevent the bolt from loosening.

Well it's 11:30am here and I'm pulling in about 2100w. I have one AC unit running and I'm still charging the batteries at about 12amps.

With the help of the awnings, I think this rig should be able to go into 100° temps and still be comfortable with just one AC unit going.

Very Kool project.  The little Starlink dish looks like a small fixed aileron at the trailing edge of your "wing".  It will help hold the rear of the coach down at speed.

I've done some rough paper napkin aerodynamic calculations and predict that the lift created by your panels at 75 mph will reduce the weight load on your tires resulting in a 0.00658% decrease in tire wear.  Driving into a stiff headwind will, of course, enhance this economic benefit (but will also adversely affect your MPG).  See diagram below:

Elliot. What type of starlink dishy do you have. Is it the smaller one or the $2500 Mobil one.