How are fixed frame solar panels crated?

There are not many companies that will ship a single fixed frame solar panel or even small orders (1-4 panels). You will often find a large minimum order requirement or pallet only quantities available. Fine if you are putting a lot of solar on ypur house roof, but if you only need a few panels aboard your boat not ideal.

Part of this is down to shipping costs but also potential damage to the panels. In fact when we first started to ship fixed frame solar panels the damage was happening on occasion as the panels were shipped flat and even with a "Do Not Stack' cone on top panels would be "double stacked" and damaged either in transit or by careless forklift drivers.

Damaged panels meant delays & frustration

One company we spoke to would always add a sacrificial panel on the bottom of the stack of panels as the forklift drivers would nearly always damage that one, crazy! Not a solution for us, so fast forward to a new warehouse we work with in Chandler, AZ and all of our orders are being successfully delivered in one piece - no damage reported :)

All of our orders are being successfully delivered in one piece - no damage reported :)

There is a crating fee associated with each order but this covers the cost of a full, wooden, custom-built pallet. The panels are even shipped 'vertically' (or I guess more technically on their side) so as to avoid being "double stacked", they take up less space and are easy to manage with a forklift.

The wooden box/crate is made to the dimensions of each panel and lined with foam to stop the panel(s) rattling around. The heavy base keeps it from toppling over and the last side piece of wood is screwed down and labelled so it's easier to unscrew / dis-assemble on delivery.

Business address v. residential address for delivery

It is typically around $40-50 less expensive to ship the crated solar panels to a business address v. a residential address. Also if the business address has a forklift and/or loading dock this can help reduce the cost a further $40-50.

Have a question about our shipping policy or need a freight quote don't hesitate to get in touch with us info@sunpoweredyachts.com

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