awning reinforcement fix to make it reliable and fool proof

[jaybro]

I was just wondering if anybody came up with a fix for their awning to make it sturdy. maybe riveting extra metal to the arms or something. I know people tie it down with straps. I will be buying a brand new 2970rl in a few months and we are people that use the heck out of awnings. it would be trash to us if we cant use it in the rain. im very disappointed in this issue as most people are. we had the old style on our other camper and we could be out in thunderstorms with no problem.

[jaybro]

wow. I was hoping someone figured something out by now.

[TucsonJim]

They normally work just fine in the rain. If they fail in the rain, it's usually due to operator error. Many owners fail to loosen the knobs on the bottom of the awning to allow for "automatic" dumping. An even better solution is to put a "pitch" in the awing as soon as you set it up. Simply pull down on one side and tighten the knob. The tilt will allow rain water to run off before it accumulates. This video gives a good tutorial on how to use them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_9QUgGynTs

Jim

[Dave and Monica]

You can purchase or make some awning support poles to work along with tie downs that make it much sturdier but not totally fail proof.

Dave

[TucsonJim]

You can purchase or make some awning support poles to work along with tie downs that make it much sturdier but not totally fail proof.

Dave

Yep, there is a guy on FB selling them. Busted Knuckle Awning Poles.

Jim

[Aridon]

Rain itself isn't an issue. Wind however is.

Those arms are super flimsy and if you live in an area prone to high wind gusts, especially during storms it can be tricky if you don't have an auto retract awning on your RV. I don't believe GD has auto retract awnings on their units.

That leaves not using it when you aren't home, tying it down and or reinforcing it.

I'll be honest. I lost an awning due to my own stupidity once (it was auto retracting and I put it back out like an idiot) and those arms are like $750 for the pair. Those crappy, thin POS metal arms are that expensive. My first thought is to not screw with it because replacement is way more than it should be.

[danedubr]

Are you supposed to tighten those knobs before retracting or loosen them. The dealer told me keep them tight when retracting but I have seen two youtube videos from dealers and they loosened them before retracting and then tightened them once the awning was out.

[TucsonJim]

Are you supposed to tighten those knobs before retracting or loosen them. The dealer told me keep them tight when retracting but I have seen two youtube videos from dealers and they loosened them before retracting and then tightened them once the awning was out.

According to the Dometic owner's manual, the knobs are supposed to be snug, but not tight when you return the awning. Here's a link to the owner's manual:

http://liferebooted.net/life-reboote...g%20Manual.pdf

Jim

[danedubr]

Thank you. I did not get that manual with the documentation package, and obviously no one at the dealership read the manual.

[TucsonJim]

I didn't get the manual either and was asking the same questions you are. I keep seeing failures of the awnings, and it's no wonder when people don't get the literature they need to properly use them.

Jim