Abstract:
A racking system for holding solar panels and other similar panels in a fixed position and that can easily adjust to terrains which are not level and adapt to variations in solar panel size without different hardware and without significant manual effort is disclosed. Adjustable channels hold the panels in place and the entire assembly process can be completed without the need for bolts, screws, washers, and nuts.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/924,384 titled “A Highly Adjustable And Adaptable Solar Panel Racking System”, which was filed on Jan. 7, 2014 and which is incorporated fully herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a racking system for holding exterior mounted panels such as solar panels and other similar panels in a fixed position, and more particularly, relates to a racking system that can easily adjust to terrains which are not level and adapt to variations in panel size without different hardware and without significant effort. Channels hold the panels and the entire assembly process is completed without the need for bolts, screws, washers, and nuts. 
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
       [0003]    Racking systems for holding exterior panels such as solar panels are commercially available in numerous forms. Most common commercial systems hold 20 solar panels in arrays of solar panels that are typically 5×4, 4×5, 10×2, or 14×2 foot configurations. 
         [0004]    Present systems generally fall into 2 categories for holding each solar panel in place. The first wherein the solar panels sit on top of structures and are attached to the structures using holes in the bottom of the solar panel frame mated to holes in the solar panel racking structure(s). Between 4 to 12 sets of fasteners (such as bolts, nuts, and washers) are used per panel to affix the solar panel to the racking structure. In the second category, solar panel frames along the edge of the solar panel are clamped between the top and bottom edges in a racking structure in 2 to 8 places on the solar panel. 1 or 2 sets of fasteners per clamp tighten both the solar panel and the racking structure adjacent to the solar panel. 
         [0005]    The problem with present systems is that they require a tremendous amount of fasteners in the form of bolts, U-bolts, screws, washers, and nuts required to both assemble the racking structure and to hold the solar panels in place. A great deal of time is required in the assembly of each racking system and the affixing of solar panels to the racking system. Getting each system ‘square’ to accept the solar panels (which are manufactured “square”) has been shown to take many man-hours for some systems and installations. 
         [0006]    Adjustability in these systems usually is in the form of multiple alignment holes but moving from one set of alignment holes to another on a heavy frame is practically impossible and so is not usually done in the field particularly once the solar panel is affixed to the racking system; and therefore proper squaring and height adjustment for alignment between adjacent racks is almost never done. Small variations in the size of the solar panel itself and mounting hole positions in the solar panel frame can also require significant time to recover from the variations. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, what is needed is a racking system for holding solar panels and other similar panels in a fixed position and that can easily adjust to terrains which are not level and adapt to variations in solar panel size without different hardware and without significant effort. Adjustable channels should hold the solar panels in place and the entire assembly process should be completed without the need for traditional fasteners such as bolts, screws, washers, and nuts. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a frontal view of an assembled 5×4 panel racking system according to the present invention populated with 20 panels; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded frontal view of a 5×4 panel racking system not populated with panels; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side view of a 5×4 panel racking system according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    The present invention features an innovative racking system  10 ,  FIG. 1 , for holding solar panels  12  and the like in a fixed position. Solar panels  12  are held in place by sliding the solar panels into channels  14  running, in the preferred embodiment, in a ‘north-south’  16  orientation and spaced appropriately apart in the ‘east-west’ direction  18 . The channels  14  provide continuous support along 2 sides of the solar panel  12 . The channels  14  and channel spacing  18  are sized to accommodate and allow for small variations in solar panel width/length and thickness. Solar panel dimensions between channels can vary as much as ¾″ without the need for any changes in racking system setup and so variability by a manufacturer and between manufacturers can be accommodated easily. 
         [0013]    In the preferred embodiment, divider members  20  space the solar panels  12  approximately 2″ apart in the ‘north-south’ direction  16 , to provide a slot for snow and ice to fall off each panel for better cold weather performance. The 2″ separation also produces wind eddy currents around and through the 2″ slits that reduces the amount of snow gathering on the solar panels during snow storms where wind is present. The 2″ separation also acts as wind ports to significantly reduce the wind load on the whole solar panel array—essentially preventing the solar panel array from acting as one large wind sail. The divider members  20  also provide continuous support along the bottom edge of the solar panel between the north-south oriented channel rails so no intermediate north-south oriented support members are needed—thus keeping complexity and cost down. Without intermediate north-south oriented support members to block the bottom of the panels, maximum heat exchange can be achieved between the bottom of the solar panel and an optional thermal heat exchange system mounted under the solar panel. Mounting of an optional heat exchange system is also greatly simplified. 
         [0014]    Eyelets (not shown) are configured to hold electrical wiring and may also be attached to the divider structure  20  to provide a convenient way to buss wiring around safely and neatly in the east-west direction under the solar panel array. Dividers are made to the approximate length of the solar panel edge they support and are, in one preferred embodiment, primarily 1″ “angle iron” with a spacer block at each end to maintain the approximate 2″ spacing between each solar panel. With the north-south oriented channels  14  providing continuous support of the solar panels  12  on 2 sides, and the divider members  20  providing continuous support on the other 2 sides, all 4 sides of the solar panel are supported. Snow loads in the northern climates are easily accommodated with this structure. 
         [0015]    Flat metal bands (not shown) attached in the north-south oriented channels  14  may be provided and are shaped to extend into the channel slightly to act as “springs” to keep solar panels from rattling when there is space between solar panel edge and the edge of the support channel  14 . Eyelets  22   FIG. 3  designed to hold electrical wiring may also be attached to the bottom of the channel  14  to provide a convenient way to buss wiring around safely and neatly in the north-south direction under the solar panel array. Additionally, the eyelets  22   FIG. 3  may also be used to support tubing for an optional liquid-based heat exchanger system mounted under the solar panels or in place of solar panels. 
         [0016]    Lock pins  24   b  and  24   a  at the top and bottom of the north-south oriented channels  14  respectively hold panels securely in place once the channel  14  has been populated with solar panels  12 . Lock pins  24  can be easily converted to secure, locking lock pins in areas where solar panel theft may be an issue. Instead of or in addition to lock pins, a cable can be threaded through holes in the vertical edge of the north-south oriented channels and this cable can have a locking mechanisms at each end and/or be electrified as part of an active security system. If a cable is used, the cable must be secured at each end. No further fastening of the solar panels is required, such as with bolts, washers, and nuts. 
         [0017]    Solar panels  12  can be loaded into the north-south oriented channels  14  either from the top  26  (‘north’ side or highest point) or bottom  28  (‘south’ side or lowest point) of the north-south oriented channels  14 . If the solar panels  12  are being moved to the solar panel racking system on a trailer or some similar means where the panels are off the ground, it may be logistically easier to load the panels from the top  26  (“north” end) since the top  26  is typically about 8 feet off the ground and inclined higher than the “south” end  28 , and the panels  12  will naturally slide downward toward the bottom end  28  once inserted into the channels  14 . If the solar panels  12  are already on the ground, it may be easier to load the panels from the bottom  28  (“south” end) since the bottom end  28  is typically about 3 feet off the ground. Lock pins  24  to secure one end of the panels  12  in a channel  14  can be inserted into the north-south oriented rails  14  at the farthest point away from the loading point ahead of the racking system assembly. 
         [0018]    Panels  12  are loaded by first inserting a 2″ divider  20  into and between two adjacent north-south oriented channels  14  followed by a solar panel  12 . The divider  20  and a first solar panel  12  are pushed into the channel  14  far enough to accept another 2″ divider  20  and then another solar panel  12  is pushed into the channel  14 . This process continues until all solar panels  12  for that channel combination  14  with divider members  20  are inserted in the north-south oriented channel pair. The final 2″ divider  20  is inserted to complete the process and the final lock pins  24  are inserted to secure the solar panels  12  in that channel  14 . For a system with 4 solar panels  12  per north-south oriented channel set between two (2) adjacent channels  14 , a complete load time of 2-3 minutes is achievable. 
         [0019]    Each north-south oriented channel  14  includes a downwardly projecting flange  30 . Compound sliding structures  32  (‘sliders’) attach the north-south oriented channel beams  14  to the lower east-west oriented H-beams  34 . These are compound structures because there is one ‘slider’ element  38  that slides along the east-west oriented H-beam  34 , and another ‘slider’ element  36  that slides along the projecting flange  30  of the north-south oriented channel beam  14  with a lock pin  40  acting as a hinge pin between the 2 slider elements  36 ,  38 . Hinge pin  40  allows the north-south oriented channel beams  14  to be easily adjusted to any practical angle required for the optimal solar panel positioning while providing enough structural rigidity. The hinge point at  40  is created by a metal plate or flange  44  attached downwardly and perpendicular to the body of the north-south oriented slider  36  that slips with minimal play into a slot  48  made between 2 parallel metal plates attached perpendicular to the body of the east-west oriented slider  38  with holes drilled in the parallel plates to allow a lock pin  40  to pass through the holes and create the hinge. 
         [0020]    One channel beam slider  32   a  is attached toward the north side of each of the north-south oriented channel beams  14  and one channel beam slider  32   b  is attached toward the south side of each of the north-south oriented channel beams  14 , with lock pins  42  through appropriate mounting holes in the channel beam slider  32  and the channel beam  14 . 
         [0021]    Each channel beam slider element  38  has a long and narrow vertical slot  48  between two parallel pieces of metal such that the bottom vertical edge  44  of the channel beam slider element  36  fits snugly into this slot. The channel beam slider element  38  has a hole  52  in the center of the slot  48  to accept a lock pin  40  for locking the north-south oriented channel beam  14  at a fixed position. The north-south oriented channel beam  14  has one hole  54  drilled near the north end of the channel beam  14  to mate to the north-most slider element  36 , and several (5 for example) holes  56  drilled near the south end of the channel beam  14  in the present implementation to offer multiple mating points between the beam  14  and the slider element  36 . The advantage of this ‘slider’ system is that it enables extremely easy, fast, and customizable assembly of the solar racking system. 
         [0022]    In the present implementation, 1″ angle iron is used to make the slider slots  48  and the angle iron side not contacting the north-south oriented beam faces ‘up’ to create a shelf for the channel beam  14  edge to rest on before the beam  14  is aligned to the slot. Once the channel beam  14  vertical edge  30  aligns to the slider slot  48 , the channel beam vertical edge  30  drops into the channel slider slot  48 . Thus, when assembling the racking system, the north-south oriented beam  14  can be quickly fitted into the slider slots  48  and can slide easily north and south  16  in the slider elements  36 . 
         [0023]    The north-south oriented channel beam  14  is then aligned to the north slider mounting hole  54  and a lock pin  42   a  locks the north side of the north-south oriented channel beam in place. The heights and angles of the north-south oriented channels are adjusted with ‘adjusters’  58  to get the proper height and angle during which the south side of the north-south oriented channel  14  simply slides into and rests inside the slider slot  48  of the south most slider element  36  during the adjustment process. With the distance between vertical legs  60 / 62  of the racking system  10  fixed regardless of solar panel angle, a larger north-south oriented angle will require a longer distance between the channel slider lock pin holes  54 ,  56  and, conversely, a smaller north-south oriented angle will require a shorter distance between the channel slider lock pin holes  54 ,  56 . Once the channel beams  14  are in the desired position and orientation, a lock pin  42   b  should be inserted into the south channel slider element  36  and the closest of the 5 mounting holes  56  in the channel beam  14  to complete the assembly of the channel beams. If one of the 5 mounting holes in the channel beam is not aligned to the channel slider hole in the slot, the vertical leg adjusters  58  can be used to align the holes  56  for the lock pin  42  to be inserted and locked. 
         [0024]    Horizontal H-beams  34 , orientated with the ‘H’ rotated 90 degrees so the sides  64  (H-beam flanges) of the ‘H’ are at the top and bottom, are used to hold the weight of the north-south oriented channel beams  14  and the panels  12  loaded into the channels  14 . Eyelets  66  configured to hold electrical wiring may also be attached to the vertical part  68  of the H-beam  34  to provide a convenient way to buss wiring around safely and neatly in the east-west direction under the solar panel array. 
         [0025]    The channel H-beam slider  38 , which is the bottom part of the compound slider that attaches the north-south oriented channel beam  14  to the east-west oriented H-beam  34 , can be affixed at various intervals along the H-beam  34  using lock pins  70  to hold the north-south oriented channel beams  14  in place. Because these channel H-beam sliders  38  can slide to any position on and along the H-beam  34 , the same racking system can accommodate a wide range of solar or other panel sizes and orientations. Using any number of different methods, such as colored markings along the H-beam  34 , tic marks scribed into the H-beam metal, different position/offset holes, etc., the channel H-beam sliders  38  can be positioned to the correct location on the H-beam  34  based on the solar panel  12  size and orientation and locked to the correct position using lock pins  70  inserted through appropriate holes  71  drilled in the H-beam channel sliders  38  and the holes  72  drilled at various locations in the H-beam  34 . 
         [0026]    ‘Leg’ sliders  74  are attached to the bottom flanges  76  of the east-west oriented H-beams  34  to position and support the legs  60 / 62  of the solar panel racking system. In most implementations, it is anticipated that 4 legs will be used for a typical solar panel array so 2 leg sliders will be on the back (northern) H-beam and 2 leg sliders will be on the front (southern) H-beam. Similar to the channel sliders described above, the leg sliders  74  are affixed at specific points along the length of the H-beam. Because these leg H-beam sliders  74  can slide to any position on the H-beam  34 , the same racking system can accommodate a wide range of solar panel sizes and orientations. Using any number of different methods, such as colored markings along the H-beam, tic marks scribed into the H-beam, different position/offset holes, etc., the leg H-beam sliders  74  can be positioned to the correct location on the H-beam  34  based on the solar panel size and orientation and locked to the correct position using lock pins  78  through appropriate holes drilled in the lower or bottom flange  76  of the H-beam  34  and in the leg sliders  74 . 
         [0027]    In general, the leg sliders  74  are positioned along the H-beam  34  to approximately evenly divide the weight of the supported system so that the overhang weight (that portion of the panel system that overhangs outside the leg sliders) balances the weight between the 2 sliders—thus minimizing drooping and size/strength requirements on the H-beam  34 . In the current implementation, the leg sliders have a 6″ long 2.5″ diameter metal pipe portion attached to the portion of the leg slider  74  sitting against the bottom  76  of the east-west oriented H-beam  34 . After the lower leg portion of the solar racking system has been assembled, there should be 4 vertical legs properly spaced/adjusted and ready to accept the east-west oriented H-beams  34 . The 4 vertical legs have a 2″ diameter pipe  82  at the top which fits snugly into the 2.5″ diameter pipes on the leg sliders  74 . The east-west oriented H-beams  34  are lifted up and, with the leg sliders  74  in their proper places, the H-beams  34  are placed on top of the appropriate vertical legs  60 / 62  with the vertical leg pipes  82  fitting into the leg sliders  74 . A hole  84  drilled through the leg slider pipe  74  is aligned with a hole  80  drilled through the top of the vertical leg  82  and a lock pin  86  is inserted through the aligned holes to lock the leg  82  into the leg slider  74 . 
         [0028]    Both the channel H-beam slider  38  and the leg slider  74  slide over the flanges of the east-west oriented H-beam  34 —the channel H-beam slider  38  on the top flanges and the leg slider  74  on the bottom flanges. Thus the upper and lower sliders  38 ,  74  on the H-beam can be positioned completely independent of each other. This independence enables a large degree of logistical flexibility when choosing when and where to assemble the sliders onto the H-beam and what configurations can be created with the same hardware. Due to stacking efficiency, it is likely that the H-beams  34  will be shipped to the assembly location without any sliders  38 ,  74  attached. To keep the weight of the H-beam  34  down to a minimum for lifting into the vertical legs, only the 2 leg sliders  74  will be attached to the H-beam  34  before placing the H-beam  34  onto the vertical legs  82 ; the channel H-beam sliders  38  can then be slid onto the H-beam  34  after the H-beams  34  have been locked in place on the vertical legs  82 . 
         [0029]    The part of the sliders  38 / 74  that slides over the flange of the H beam  34  can be manufactured from a number of materials such as steel, aluminum, or structural fiberglass. In the current implementation, the slider is manufactured from steel by bending 2 ends of appropriately sized flat-stock back 180 degrees with an offset just a little larger than the thickness of the H-beam flanges and a width just a bit wider than the width of the H-beam flanges. The slider should be snug but yet travel freely along the H-beam and have enough play to accommodate slight variations in the H-beam flange width and thickness. Presently, it is contemplated that the leg slider  74  will be 6″ long (in the direction of the H-beam) while the channel H-beam slider  38  about 3″ long. 
         [0030]    The ‘sliders’  38 / 74  accomplish 2 important goals. First, they enable the manufacturing process to use either ‘off the shelf’ materials such as ‘H’ beams or easily manufactured parts to be ‘cut-to-length’ as needed for a particular solar panel size and configuration. Other than drilling some holes and optionally adding markers, no customization of the H-beams or channel beams are needed. Second, the sliders allow for easy customization/adjustment using the same major components even after the solar rack is partially or fully assembled. For example, the same racking system can spread the channels rails from 64.5″ to 66.5″ to accept solar panels from different manufacturers by simply using different lock pin holes for the channel H-beam sliders. This capability will yield lower overall material costs and reduced labor costs as well as create a better and more easily adaptable solar panel array solution. 
         [0031]    In the present implementation, the east-west oriented H-beam  34  is preferably 27 feet long to accommodate 5 channels of solar panels with 4 solar panels per channel (20 solar panels total) with the long solar panel dimension in the east-west oriented direction. The north-south oriented channel beams are preferably 14 feet 2 inches long. 
         [0032]    Each leg of the solar panel rack has a height adjustment range of about 10″ in this implementation. In the case where the solar racking system is installed on level ground, the total length of the legs in front (south) and the legs in back (north) will place the north-south oriented channel beams at an 18 degree angle from horizontal, which is considered an ideal fixed angle for solar installations in the mid to northern United States. By using the height adjuster screw  58  in each leg, it is possible to change the angle by +/−5 degrees if a different angle is deemed better where the solar array is being positioned. These same height adjusters in each leg can be used to compensate for a terrain that isn&#39;t level so that all solar panel arrays can be perfectly aligned in a row despite changes in terrain, giving a visually pleasing result. The longer part of the leg assembly can be swapped out for longer or shorter pieces if the terrain slopes by more than the adjustability within the default legs. Because the height adjuster mechanism  58  in each leg uses a threaded rod to accomplish the height adjustment, the entire fully-loaded and fully assembled solar panel array can be easily adjusted to the final height and angle by simply turning the handles on the height adjustment mechanism. Additionally, the use of a threaded rod means very fine/precise adjustments are possible. 
         [0033]    In this implementation, handles  86  are permanently attached to the height adjustment mechanism but a variation of the height adjuster would have a nut attached to the threaded rod and a wrench could be used to turn the height adjustment mechanism. 
         [0034]    After final adjustments are made, a lock pin  86  is inserted at the top of the leg through a hole  80 / 84  in the leg and an aligned hole on the leg slider  74 . In contrast, other available racking systems today have either no ability to adjust height (height fixed by attachment points done in advance of the solar rack assembly—such as cement footings, auger screws, or rooftop brackets), or are typically multiple aligned bolt holes that require supporting the weight of whatever has been assembled in order to change bolt holes (and is seldom done because of the weight issue). 
         [0035]    The legs  60 / 62  in the present system are preferably made with 2″ diameter steel schedule  40  pipe. A 6″ long piece of 2.5″ diameter schedule  40  pipe is part of the leg slider (discussed above) and the top of the leg fits snugly into that 2.5″ diameter receiver pipe  74 . The top of the leg  82  is an 8″ long piece of 2″ diameter pipe that has a 1″ threaded rod  58  12″ long welded into the bottom-center of the 8″ long piece of pipe. When the 8″ long piece is in the 6″ leg slider piece, the 8″ long piece can rotate freely inside the 6″ piece and acts as a bushing for the height adjuster mechanism. 2 4″ long ⅜″ thick rods  86  are welded on opposite sides of the bottom edge of the 8″ long piece and act as handles so the 8″ piece can be rotated easily. 
         [0036]    The bottom of the leg is another 2″ diameter piece of steel schedule  40  pipe that has a 1″ nut  88  welded into the top-center of the pipe to accept the 1″ threaded rod welded into the 8″ long piece of the leg assembly. In most scenarios, the 1″ rod will be threaded about half-way into the bottom leg so minor variations in the terrain or attachment points can be easily compensated by threading the 1″ rod either in or out. The bottom leg is cut to the appropriate length that, when combined with the 8″ long piece of the leg, meets the requirements for the total length of the leg with the adjusting rod threaded half way into the bottom piece of the leg. A hole  88  is made 3″ from the bottom of the bottom leg to lock the leg into a 6″ long 2.5″ diameter receiver pipe  90  that is mounted to whatever the racking system will be permanently attached such as a ground engaging foot or ballast member (not shown but well known in the art). Once the hole in the leg  88  is aligned with a corresponding hole  92  in the leg bottom receiver pipe  90 , a lock pin  94  is installed so the bottom leg cannot rotate in nor be pulled out of the bottom receiver pipe. 
         [0037]    Leg support pipe assemblies  96  are used to firmly support the 4 legs in the vertical position before the east-west H-beams are placed on top of the legs. These leg support pipe assemblies have a flange on one end that slips between 2 parallel flanges welded to the side of the bottom vertical leg at a fixed distance from the bottom of the leg so the same support pipe assemblies can be used even if the bottom leg length needs to be changed; a lock pin through holes in all three flanges locks that end of the support pipe assembly in place. The other end of that length of support pipe has a ¾″ nut centered at the end of the pipe and welded to the end. Just like the legs have height adjusters, each support pipe assembly has an adjuster to adjust the total length of the support pipe assembly. The other end of the support pipe assembly is the length adjuster assembly that is comprised of a 6″ long ¾″ diameter pipe with a ¾″ threaded rod welded into one end that is enclosed by a 6″ long 1″ diameter pipe. ¾″ washers are welded onto the ends of the 1″ diameter pipe so that the ¾″ diameter pipe is held in-place in the 1″ diameter pipe. The 1″ diameter pipe and the 2 washers act like bushings/bearings; the ¾″ diameter pipe and the threaded rod can rotate freely inside the 1″ diameter pipe but cannot travel in the direction of the threaded rod. 
         [0038]    A flange is welded onto the washer opposite the side where the threaded rod comes out of the length adjuster assembly, and this flange will go between 2 flanges welded onto the bottom receiver pipe of an adjacent leg or to flanges somewhere on the base attachment system. After the support pipe assembly length has been properly set, a lock pin through holes in all three flanges locks that end of the support pipe assembly in place. The ¾″ threaded rod is threaded about half-way into the leg support pipe with the ¾″ nut welded to the end of the pipe and the total length of the support pipe assembly is set by the distance between sets of flanges with the vertical legs perfectly positioned. 2 3″ long ¾″ rods are welded on opposite sides of the ¾″ threaded rod close to the ¾″ washer and these rods act as handles so the length adjusters can be rotated easily. As an alternative to the 3″ long rods permanently welded to the adjuster mechanism for adjustment, a nut welded in-place close to where the ¾″ rod is welded into the ¾″ diameter pipe can be used in conjunction with a removable wrench for height adjustment. 2 holes drilled through the inner ¾″ diameter pipe aligned to 1 hole drilled through the outer 1″ diameter pipe of the length adjuster assembly enables the length adjuster to use a lock pin to fix the length adjuster to 1 of 4 positions once the desired support pipe assembly length has been achieved. 
         [0039]    Using the leg support assembly pipes with the threaded rod length adjusters, getting the 4 vertical legs of the solar panel array adjusted is easy by simply ‘dialing in’ or “tuning” the length of support assembly pipes to get the 4 vertical legs perfectly (or near perfectly) level (vertical) and at the right relative separations. This leveling and squaring process can all be done before the east-west oriented H-beams and north-south oriented channel beams are lifted into place. Once the legs are set up properly, the east-west oriented H-beams can then be lifted onto the vertical legs and pinned in-place with the lock pins. The north-south oriented channel beams can also be put in place as discussed earlier. If one of the 5 southern channel holes for the channel slider lock pins do not line up, one or more of the support pipe assemblies can be adjusted to zero in (adjust) the lock pin holes and the final lock pins inserted into the channels sliders. 
         [0040]    With the entire rack assembled, it is recommended that leg support length adjusters be adjusted slightly to take any slack out of the system and then the final lock pins can be inserted into the leg support length adjusters. 
         [0041]    The racking system is fully assembled without the use of any bolts, nuts, washers, screws, etc. It has been shown that this racking system, for a 20 solar panel array for example, can be fully assembled, including loading solar panels, by 2 individuals in approximately one hour compared to existing systems that typically take 2 individuals 4-6 hours for assembly. 
         [0042]    Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the allowed claims and their legal equivalents.