I am not a structural engineer, you will be able to judge my welding as I progress, and what I will post is in no way a recommendation. End of disclaimer.
The first part of my project is to make a suitable foundation for my solar cells. After drilling 6 15" holes, checking the alignment and wondering how close to E-W they really were, it was off to ebay to purchase a used transit with a working compass. Friday, I will do my first and perhaps only survey job with the plan that Monday I drill a total of 12 holes including properly aligning the first crooked six.
N-S the holes will be 7'6" apart and E-W 10' apart for a total of 12 holes. Four mounting bolts will be on each concrete pier which attach to a plate welded to the end of a 3" pipe. This is from an engineering drawing published by a solar racking company. We have very strong winds on the farm and my last trip to the MREA fair helped me understand that solar panels flexing in the wind is not the best practice. Obviously the bolts need to be closely aligned.
From what I have experience so far, this may be the most difficult and time consuming part of the entire project.
For some years I have followed this board and learned from many of your mistakes and successes. I hope this will be of some value to others.
Dennis
