Review on Enhanced Renogy Solar Panel Tilt Mount Brackets with Foldable Legs, Ideal for Off-Grid Systems on Flat Surfaces by Ryan Hill

I ordered 4 of these brackets to install four 170w Rich solar panels on my RV. One package of hardware (nuts, bolts, screws) was missing from the 4 sets. Revain fixed it with no problem, accepted the return and sent a replacement straight away. This kit is for solar panels up to 28" wide and my 170w panels are about 26.5" wide. Although the listing says they are for sub 100w modules I see no reason why you can't use them on a 170w module. First of all I have to say that this is by far the cheapest option - thanks Renogy! Other similar tilt kits are 2-3 times more expensive than this Renogy kit and many are only for smaller panels. But what's the catch? There is no catch. This Ki is rugged, well-made, all-aluminum, with solid hardware, and large enough for even large solar panels. In fact, I appreciated the DIY alternative of buying angle bars and hardware at a hardware store and similar Revain M8 grips, but it still cost over $180 for 4 sets! The price of this Renogy kit is simply unbeatable. A DIY kit would be a little different. Household stores sell them in 1/16 or 1/8 thickness, but the Renogy kit is 3/32 thick. I found 1/16 probably too thin and 1/8 probably too thick. I think Renogy's 3/32 is the right thickness for this application. They have 1.5" x 1.5" but not 2" x 1" like in this kit. Then you have to cut and drill everything, which will take 1-2 days. While I think this kit is great and well made, it does have some downsides. First, the threads on the handles are too long and take forever to unscrew. Next, those damn wings. What were they thinking? Two hands are required to install the handle and wing nut, as well as two types of washers to keep track of. Leaning is quickly becoming a real chore. With 4 panels and 24 handles to detach and attach, tipping the panels can easily take an hour. Pooh! I made a few updates to work around these issues. First I threw away the wing nuts and bought 50 pieces of aluminum rivets. Then I install them on all the supports and on the two ends of the top bars. Next, I cut the threads on each handle with a hacksaw about half the length that would fit the Ruvnut, but no further. Installing the grips is now a quick, one-handed operation. Next problem: the bottom rails are long, and if your roof is curved, they won't sit flat. To get around this, I cut a rod into 6 shorter pieces, each about 4.5 inches, with a clasp on each end and one in the middle. You need a center mount to position the panel almost vertically in winter. Another design flaw is that there is no easy way to place the supports on top of the bracket. After removing the two handles and laying the panels flat, you can screw the handle and support into one of the bottom holes, but if you Having wing nuts, you have to reach back with one hand to hold the rod and wing nut, which is difficult as the panel is only 3 inches from the roof surface. Doing this 16 times would be very fast. So you have to screw 8 handles into 8 poles, tie them together, carry them down the stairs and store them indoors. Dangerous and uncomfortable. The best design allows you to easily remove the plate and turn the screw to store extra gear until you need to lift it again. To get around this, one of the tweaks would be to remove the prop attached to the mi. ddle, but that doesn't work because the top rail runs the full width of the board, so you can't lay it flat if there's hardware attached to one of the holes. This is another bad design decision. To get around this, you can cut a notch in the top plank in the middle, sacrificing but also loosening up a top hole. Not perfect, but it will help simplify the process. And with 4 panels, 8 supports and 24 handles, 24 wing nuts and 48 washers, tipping the panels is anything but easy. You'll quickly learn to hate never tipping them and regret the time pressure and money you spent to get that tipping opportunity. This mounting kit doesn't have much "design" as it is assembled from standard parts. This is the essence of his weakness. And if Renogy used rivet nuts instead of wing nuts, they would have to be manufactured and not assembled from off-the-shelf parts. The price may go up a bit, but ease of use will increase dramatically. Let's assume this is a good starting point: a kit that costs less than the original materials, with a few good features, but ultimately requires a fair amount of customization to make this kit. into something easy to live with.