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Xringer · 05-29-10, 03:32 PM

Got some work done today.

Removed the drive and took the post off the old dish deck..

Found the left-over steel was too long. Had to saw about 1" off it.
It's about 4x4" with 1/2" thick walls. Took a while with my old badly worn SawsAll blades..

Here is where I stopped when the thunderstorm started..

I'm not sure if it's too far south and will be blocked by the house or garage,
but it's going to stay there until we get a good solar-day, so I can see
if it's in a 5 or 6 hour spot..

This evening, I got the 2 steel cross sections done.. Hard steel bed frame angle iron is hard stuff..
It's all cut and drilled for mounting to the disc and has some holes spaced out at 38"
for holding the two vertical 10 foot super-struts.
The mounting holes in the panels are spaced at 38".

I also made sixteen 1.5"x1.5"x square aluminum 'washers' (.25" thick) that will sit on the U-channel,
to keep the bolts from pulling the panel sheet metal down into the channel.

I'm having problems with the 1/4-20 bolts. Everything I have is either too short,
or too long. They bottom-out inside the channel. (Unless it hits a hole).
I might just saw off the too long ones..

05-29-10, 03:32 PM	#62
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Got some work done today. Removed the drive and took the post off the old dish deck.. Found the left-over steel was too long. Had to saw about 1" off it. It's about 4x4" with 1/2" thick walls. Took a while with my old badly worn SawsAll blades.. Here is where I stopped when the thunderstorm started.. I'm not sure if it's too far south and will be blocked by the house or garage, but it's going to stay there until we get a good solar-day, so I can see if it's in a 5 or 6 hour spot.. This evening, I got the 2 steel cross sections done.. Hard steel bed frame angle iron is hard stuff.. It's all cut and drilled for mounting to the disc and has some holes spaced out at 38" for holding the two vertical 10 foot super-struts. The mounting holes in the panels are spaced at 38". I also made sixteen 1.5"x1.5"x square aluminum 'washers' (.25" thick) that will sit on the U-channel, to keep the bolts from pulling the panel sheet metal down into the channel. I'm having problems with the 1/4-20 bolts. Everything I have is either too short, or too long. They bottom-out inside the channel. (Unless it hits a hole). I might just saw off the too long ones.. Last edited by Xringer; 05-29-10 at 10:21 PM..