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Arctic Fox Roof

SoonDockin
Explorer II
Explorer II
I plan to install solar panels soon. Its a solid roof. Is there any reason I cannot just anchor stuff wherever I need to? A couple of screws and lots of dicor?
2022 Ram Laramie 5500 60" CA New pic soon
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Dry Bath
Sold 2019 Ford F450 King Ranch (was a very nice truck)
13 REPLIES 13

SoonDockin
Explorer II
Explorer II
Good to know. I will probably call them just to confirm when shopping for my solar panel mounts. Waiting on my batteries and inverter to show up so I can get the alternator charging working first.
2022 Ram Laramie 5500 60" CA New pic soon
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Dry Bath
Sold 2019 Ford F450 King Ranch (was a very nice truck)

gitpicker2009
Explorer
Explorer
I spoke with Northwood a few months ago about this very thing and they said to put them anywhere but use self leveling sealant underneath every contact point and on top of those points.

SoonDockin
Explorer II
Explorer II
True, I don't think my OCD would allow me to put anything up there without screws.
2022 Ram Laramie 5500 60" CA New pic soon
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Dry Bath
Sold 2019 Ford F450 King Ranch (was a very nice truck)

deltabravo
Nomad
Nomad
SoonDockin wrote:
I have considered using 3M VHB tape with those plastic no drill mounts and eternabond on top of the edges to hold it down.


That's a very bad idea. Doing that method you are only attaching the mounts to the roof membrane and not the roof structure.

Mounts need to be screwed to the roof.

Solar on my AF 811
2009 Silverado 3500HD Dually, D/A, CCLB 4x4 (bought new 8/30/09)
2018 Arctic Fox 992 with an Onan 2500i "quiet" model generator

SoonDockin
Explorer II
Explorer II
Well even more interesting ideas. I will call Northwood just to get their opinion. I have considered using 3M VHB tape with those plastic no drill mounts and eternabond on top of the edges to hold it down.

I like the idea of a elevated rack for a bunch of solar panels. I am focused on getting the rest of the system up and using my dual extra heavy duty alternators to start with. Solar will be the last thing I do.
2022 Ram Laramie 5500 60" CA New pic soon
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Dry Bath
Sold 2019 Ford F450 King Ranch (was a very nice truck)

RICKIM
Explorer III
Explorer III
Iโ€™ve had two AF 1140DBs with 400 watts of panels on each. Use double sided sticky tape to set your brackets at their locations with two pan head 1x10 SS screws in each bracket. Installation is fine anywhere on the roof, just keep in mind a walking/access path during install.
Put self leveling Dicor around all brackets and screws and youโ€™ll be fine. All my panels and components were purchased thru AM Solar (this is how they install them)โ€ฆ..Iโ€™ve never had a problem or a leak anywhere due to my installs.
Good luck! Rick
2018 AF1140DB, 400W solar, Trimetric, Lifeline GPL-31XTโ€™s, rear deck,
2019 5500 Ram Crew, DRW, 6.7L-CTD, Custom TC bed, on board air, Front Rack

dieseltruckdriv
Explorer II
Explorer II
n0arp, I mistakenly assumed they would use similar construction. I would not use my mounting methods on a roof you described.

Except for putting down the Eternabond wherever you are going to breach the roof.
2000 F-250 7.3 Powerstroke
2018 Arctic Fox 27-5L

Geo_Boy
Explorer II
Explorer II
Contact Arctic Fox for their recommendations.

n0arp
Explorer
Explorer
If itโ€™s the 1140 in your signature, you will need to use molly bolts, well nuts, or other expanding anchors.

The roof is solid... foam, sandwiched between two thin layers of lauan. Foam doesn't tend to hold screws very well, and the luan is too thin. The expanding anchors and lots of sealant works well.

It's also lacking in the truss department, and completely different construction than their trailer roofs.

If you go up and over the AC unit, you can fit a lot more up there. We have been running with 1800W for nearly 15K miles now, and nothing has budged, loosened, or leaked. As an added benefit, the rack pushes branches and other high debris up and over, rather than wreaking havoc on your roof protrusions. It adds less than an inch to total height, with the AC unit nestled up between the rails, and you can use residential or commercial panels that are both cheaper per watt and if you buy the right panel, have better tolerance to shading.



You should have the cathedral roof on the 2018, but from everything I've seen and read the only thing that changed regarding construction is the shape of the foam block they vacuum the lauan to. This is a cutaway of the roof according to Arctic Fox during an interview with Truck Camper Magazine regarding the change in 2017.

2000 Country Coach Magna 40',
4380W solar, 22.8kWh LiFePO4@48V, 450AH AGM@12V
2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 2.0T, cloaked on 37x13.5s

SoonDockin
Explorer II
Explorer II
Good to hear you folks have had success. I was up on the roof the other day thinking I can get about 800 watts or possibly more up on that big roof.

Thanks!
2022 Ram Laramie 5500 60" CA New pic soon
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Dry Bath
Sold 2019 Ford F450 King Ranch (was a very nice truck)

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Not that I can think of. My three are on the TTโ€™s leading edgeโ€ฆno issues.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

dieseltruckdriv
Explorer II
Explorer II
I put down a strip of Eternabond where my mounts would go, then used the Dicor on the mounts. I did this three years ago on this 5er, and just looked them over last week and found no issues.

I did the exact same thing on my previous 5er, also an Arctic Fox, with zero issues on that one also.
2000 F-250 7.3 Powerstroke
2018 Arctic Fox 27-5L

corvettekent
Explorer
Explorer
That is what I did on my 5th wheel. No problems and they have been installed for 8 years now.
2022 Silverado 3500 High Country CC/LB, SRW, L5P. B&W Companion Hitch with pucks. Hadley air horns.

2004 32' Carriage 5th wheel. 860 watts of solar MPPT, two SOK 206 ah LiFePO4 batteries. Samlex 2,000 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter.