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Old 04-26-2015, 01:24 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Haven't timed it either, but the first one or two times it took a few minutes because I wanted to make sure I did it "right". Now it takes less than a minute and I don't even think about it.

Loosen the knobs
Open the latches
Switch it to open
Pull it down
Slide the arms up until they latch
Lift one side
Lift the other
pull down on the sides while tightening the knobs to make it taut
Stow the strap

Wait a minute. I just thought about it.
Hey, that's how I do it too. To make it even easier the first three steps can be done in any order as with 5 and 6. Although with the original 5.0 it seemed easier to lift the low side first.

Mark
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Old 04-26-2015, 01:47 PM   #42
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I photographed Tammy showing new owners how to raise and lower the awning at the rally last year.
I was surprised that she alternated raising each arm maybe a couple feet at a time. I had been raising one arm half way, then the other, then back to the first.
So, I asked her and she told me to raise each arm a bit at a time. I now raise each about 1/3 at a time.
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Old 04-26-2015, 02:18 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
I photographed Tammy showing new owners how to raise and lower the awning at the rally last year.
I was surprised that she alternated raising each arm maybe a couple feet at a time. I had been raising one arm half way, then the other, then back to the first.
So, I asked her and she told me to raise each arm a bit at a time. I now raise each about 1/3 at a time.
I've seen that too. I guess the idea is that the slider will bind or the assembly could twist too much if one arm is all the way up and the other is all the way down. Personally, we haven't had any problems just raising it all the way.
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Old 04-26-2015, 03:12 PM   #44
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Great minds, etc.
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Old 05-20-2015, 05:46 PM   #45
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Catastrophic awning failure

My awning came completely off last weekend. The fabric ripped straight along where it connects to the trailer. Please learn from my misfortune and always use some sort of strap near the top of the arms.

It appears that the fabric became brittle after four years. I have not built a garage for it yet, so it has been sitting outside in the northwest Washington weather. I didn't notice any brittleness prior to the incident, but after it ripped, it was very evident that it had lost a lot of strength from the cracking along the tear. I never suspected that it would degrade to a failure point in only four years.

I cleaned the awning and made sure to properly stow it two weeks earlier. The knobs were tight and latch correct when we picked up the pieces, so I don't believe that I made a mistake with the setup. The plastic locks along the arms were open, but from this event I found that the locks are basically worthless. They are so far down arms that a break away force easily pops them open. I think the only thing that would have prevented our situation would have been to put straps at the top of each arm. And if Velcro is used, make sure it has sufficient tensile strength.

We were eight miles from the Maryhill State Park for the terrific Escape/Fiberglass trailer weekend gathering there. Going 55 MPH with gusty wind (there are wind turbines on the ridges nearby because of the persistent wind in the area). Conditions were apparently sufficient to initiate a failure in the awning fabric. Again, regardless of the source of the failure, those top straps sure would have been nice. Some startled horses alongside the road got my daughters attention and she spotted the awning flying off. We were able to stop and collect it. The connectors at the bottom of the arms broke at both ends of the rods that clip to the trailer. The rods were still securely clipped in. I am glad that the arm failure points created a quick break off so that it flew off without causing damage to the side of the trailer. The awning and arms flew to the side of the road, leaving the upper part of the arms dangling. I unbolted the arms and packed the parts in the trailer. There were some scrapes to the awning assembly and we will need to replace the fabric and the riveted on parts at the bottom of the arms. We were very lucky given such a catastrophic failure.
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Old 05-20-2015, 06:01 PM   #46
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Sorry to hear of your mishap but glad it wasn't any worse.

I'd taken the previous posts to heart and installed a sturdy velcro strap despite some folks not thinking they're necessary. I'd just taken our small trailer cover off a couple of days ago. My wife asked me to just drape it over the awning to protect it from UV. Guess she was right, she'll be happy.

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Old 05-20-2015, 06:03 PM   #47
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Robin, good that you are all right and it is only the awning. Don't feel you are alone though as this is the most common mishap that insurers hear about, which is why they don't want to cover them. I have to wonder if our 2011 19' that we just sold might have such brittleness. We did make a big point to the buyer about getting straps. Think I will have to bring that up again after yours!
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Old 05-20-2015, 06:37 PM   #48
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I have some concern about using some products to clean the awning. I used Scrubbing Bubbles once, but it contains chlorine, so I very thoroughly rinsed it. Instructions for cleaning are on the awning roller.
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Old 05-20-2015, 07:50 PM   #49
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After reading all this I switched to a heftier tie-down.
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Old 05-20-2015, 08:27 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Loosen the knobs
Open the latches
Switch it to open
Pull it down
Slide the arms up until they latch
Lift one side
Lift the other
pull down on the sides while tightening the knobs to make it taut
Stow the strap
For those that want something to print out, with pictures, I captured screen shots of Tammy deploying the awning. See attached.
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File Type: pdf AwningDoc.pdf (48.8 KB, 98 views)
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Old 05-20-2015, 08:35 PM   #51
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Having two different awnings blow open in high winds ( thank you Washoe Valley in Nevada) I'd never use anything stretchy to secure one. I've got broad Velcro bands which are easy to put on and take off
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Old 05-20-2015, 09:50 PM   #52
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I like the photo of Ron's thick Velcro straps. It looks like they are below the mounting bracket, which some would argue that it should go through. But being so close to the bracket there is no moment arm, so I think the placement would be just as effective. I saw a couple trailers using the Camco straps last weekend, and think they are probably right at the minimum required. I agree anything stretchy like a bungee chord may not work because it would allow enough movement for tearing or unraveling to occur and then the forces multiply. It was hard to imagine the forces involved with the awning pulling away until actually experiencing the failure and seeing how easy it was for the bottom metal parts to break.
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Old 05-20-2015, 10:06 PM   #53
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Awning latch

Quote:
Originally Posted by robinwstebbins;
It appears that the fabric became brittle after four years. I have not built a garage for it yet, so it has been sitting outside in the northwest Washington weather. I didn't notice any brittleness prior to the incident, but after it ripped, it was very evident that it had lost a lot of strength from the cracking along the tear.

Not surprising. UV breaks down and destroys outdoor fabrics and vinyl quite quickly.

A good treatment with 303 on the entire awning, but especially along the stress points like the awning rail, does a great job of preventing UV breakdown. I've used it for many years. As long as you treat the surface about 3 or 4 times a year, the material you're treating will last indefinitely.

I recently sold my convertible that I had regularly treated with 303 (needed to get rid of it before getting the pickup and the trailer) and the vinyl, rubber and convertible top were as good as new -- on an 11 year old car.
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Old 05-20-2015, 11:02 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robinwstebbins View Post
It looks like they are below the mounting bracket, which some would argue that it should go through. .
Yep, I'd argue that too.

Ron
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Old 05-20-2015, 11:09 PM   #55
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Thanks Donna
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Old 12-19-2015, 05:17 PM   #56
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Clearly, it didn't take much, just a kiss.

Just discovered I have a busted bottom awning bracket. Have no idea how I did this but must have happened sometime when I was backing the trailer under my canopy in the yard. Guessing I dinged it just enough to crack the pot metal, then sometime on a rough recent trip someplace the lever thing just fell away. The bracket replacement costs $25.29 plus $15 shipping from Carefree in Colorado. Clearly pot metal. Hope to get mine at a local dealership.
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Old 12-19-2015, 05:28 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
For those that want something to print out, with pictures, I captured screen shots of Tammy deploying the awning. See attached.
Nicely done Donna - excellent resource to have.
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Old 12-19-2015, 05:37 PM   #58
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I had my awning "open" unexpectedly on the way home from Osoyoos. I always use 4 sets of straps, one set midway and second strap at the top thru the hull bracket. Well it seems something "unlocked" my awning and it unfurled while still closed. Other than 2 small holes I was able to secure the awning for the trip home. I now attach a tension band to the lock mechanism to keep it in the locked position. Pictures tomorrow.
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Old 12-20-2015, 06:49 AM   #59
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Here is a picture of my awning "lock" lock.
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Old 12-20-2015, 08:26 AM   #60
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Thanks for sharing the awning "lock". a very creative idea/engineering.

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