Air X wind turbine

[Robthebrit]

Great thread you guys got going here.

I've been doing hours and hours of research on the various wind turbines available for RV type mounts.

We plan on buying one of the Air-X turbines to supplement our 3 100watt AM Solar panels that already do a outstanding job of keeping out 4 AMG 6-volt batteries charged.

What has held me back from getting one of the Air-x's is the mounting situation. The only mount other than a custom made unit is the one they show on the website. That sucker is more expensive than the turbine itself!:Wow1: Something like $800!!

Been talking with a good friend who suggested I buy one of the folding, Telescoping flag poles that is made for big flags used while tailgating. That model is only $150, so it would be much easier on the wallet

I've talked with a few fabricators about fabbing something up to mount it on that would be tied into the camper frame and fold down on the roof of our trailer.

What I'd love to see are some pictures of the mounts you guys that already have the Turbine are using to mount it while stable.

If anyone has any pictures, could you please post them, and once I get mine, I'll make sure to do the same.

I'll take some pics late, my camper mog has a metal frame on the back which holds the spare tire. I have an extension tube that fits to the top of that frame and the turbine mounts to that. The tube stores flat when is not in use.

The air-x makes a hell of a noise when the wind really gets going so you want to mount it as far from the sleeping compartment as possible.

Rob

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Hey Rob, like you we have our bedroom in the front of the RV.

I've been looking at isolating the mounting pole from the frame with some thick rubber, like in the link that jkam provided for the other turbine.

We stayed a few weeks on a sailboat that had a Air-X and I'm fully aware of the noise that thing can make.

Honestly I think I sort of like the whirl it gives off, and much prefer it to a generator or any motor running. I love to hear Mother Nature making us electricity!! Although the sound of our solar panels is even nicer...LOL

 

[Green Ganesha]

I've finally gotten around to mounting my Air-X turbine to the Campa trailer.

I'm using a sectional aluminum mast from http://www.tmastco.com/main/page_products_mast_sections.html. (In the photo above, I've only deployed half of the 40-foot mast.)

As for noise, the turbine spins fairly silently, with a not-unpleasant whir. The real noise comes from when the over-speed lockout kicks in. In my one use, this happened much more frequently than I'd expect. I need to investigate whether the wind was heavier than I realized, or weather the turbine is locking out prematurely.

The mast comes with a base that anchors to the ground. I've added a bracket to the trailer:

The cabling descends through the mast, then attaches to the trailer via a Warn Quick Connect/Anderson Powerpole.

So far, I'm very pleased.

 

[spencyg]

That looks fantastic! Do you have the power cables running through an Ammeter to monitor output? Very cool.

 

[kellymoe]

Very cool Trevor. I'm heading up to the springs at the end of the month, cant wait.

 

[adventureduo]

Awesome, thanks for posting one finally in use. Been waiting a while to see. Was it windy your first time out? Did you get enough power out of it? Oh yeah, thanks for my new wallpaper

 

[biglos454]

very cool man. gives me something to think about.

 

[Cody1771]

thats one impressive setup. how long does it take for you to set up camp? looks like theres more stuff there than i own all together

 

[Green Ganesha]

Very cool Trevor. I'm heading up to the springs at the end of the month, cant wait.

I'll just miss you. I'll be there this weekend, probably Saturday-Tuesday. Should be scorching hot. I'm setting up campsite patio misters to try beating the heat.

 

[Green Ganesha]

thats one impressive setup. how long does it take for you to set up camp? looks like theres more stuff there than i own all together

Thanks! I set up more, the longer I'm staying. That camp was for a weeklong trip, so it was worth deploying all the gear. But the upper portion of the tent is just a five-minute setup, so that's all I absolutely need to go from driving to sleeping.

 

[Green Ganesha]

Awesome, thanks for posting one finally in use. Been waiting a while to see. Was it windy your first time out? Did you get enough power out of it? Oh yeah, thanks for my new wallpaper

Thanks. I didn't clock the wind speed, but it was definitely more than a light breeze. It's rated at 400W max, but all I tested was the voltage.

 

[Green Ganesha]

That looks fantastic! Do you have the power cables running through an Ammeter to monitor output? Very cool.

Thanks! I had a problem with the connection to my battery, so the turbine was running with no load. Next time out, I'll be able to test current and calculate power output.

 

[kellymoe]

I'll just miss you. I'll be there this weekend, probably Saturday-Tuesday. Should be scorching hot. I'm setting up campsite patio misters to try beating the heat.

Too bad, it would be fun to meet up out there sometime. I'm planning on heat too. Last August was opresive but still a fun trip with my dad. We explored the canyons accross the valley during the day, hung out at the springs in the afternoon and then drove up to the top of the North Pass for the night. I usualy stay at the palm spring, I turn the source valve off as soon as I get there and let it start cooling off, by morning it's very cool and a pleasure to soak in during the heat of the day.
Your mister idea sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that.

 

[Green Ganesha]

Too bad, it would be fun to meet up out there sometime. I'm planning on heat too. Last August was opresive but still a fun trip with my dad. We explored the canyons accross the valley during the day, hung out at the springs in the afternoon and then drove up to the top of the North Pass for the night. I usualy stay at the palm spring, I turn the source valve off as soon as I get there and let it start cooling off, by morning it's very cool and a pleasure to soak in during the heat of the day.
Your mister idea sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that.

Yep, too bad, but our paths will cross in Saline Valley again I'm sure.

Just west of the Wizard Pool, on the south side of the road, is my traditional spot.

The misters connect to my trailer's shower outlet, via a standard garden-hose fitting. A compressor pressurizes the air over two 22-gallon tanks. I haven't fully tested the setup, so we'll see how it works this trip. They're fairly low-flow, so hopefully the compressor won't be cycling on-and-off too frequently.