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Old 06-06-2018, 07:15 AM   #1
bgauweiler
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Awning Rail Separation

I have a 2015 Keystone Cougar 28SGS and my awning is doing the same thing (seems like a manufacturer's defect on installation). My rig Just turned 3 years old now, so I doubt I'll be able to get the dealer or Keystone to fix it under warranty.

Any suggestion on how to fix it myself?
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Old 06-06-2018, 08:27 AM   #2
travelin texans
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That piece of trim above the fabric should have a plastic insert covering the screws, about every 4" to 6", that hold it on, roll up the awning then unroll a foot or so to relieve the fabric tension, work the plastic loose, remove the screws 1 at a time & either use 1 size larger stainless steel screws with a dab of silicone or just the silicone on the existing screws & tighten them down.
Not sure what's smeared under that trim in the picture, looks like construction adhesive, if so clean it up before tightening.
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Old 06-06-2018, 08:49 AM   #3
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I had the exact same problem on the exact same trailer model. Mine is a 2016. It appeared to me that the screws were overtorqued when installed and were striping out of the thin wood sidewall. I first removed the stripped screws, which were #8s, and carefully drilled out the hole in the rail to accommodate #10s. Be very careful not to drill into the wood. In all but two places the #10s seemed to hold securely. In those places I installed #12s. Then I installed about five or six additional screws in between the existing ones. I had about two feet pull loose on the aft end and about a little more than a foot on the forward end. Afterword I caulked the top edge of the rail. It seems to be holding well.

The stuff that appears to be smeared on the bottom of the rail in the photo is the butyl tape that was placed under the rail during installation.
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Old 06-06-2018, 06:15 PM   #4
bgauweiler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MerlinB View Post
I had the exact same problem on the exact same trailer model. Mine is a 2016. It appeared to me that the screws were overtorqued when installed and were striping out of the thin wood sidewall. I first removed the stripped screws, which were #8s, and carefully drilled out the hole in the rail to accommodate #10s. Be very careful not to drill into the wood. In all but two places the #10s seemed to hold securely. In those places I installed #12s. Then I installed about five or six additional screws in between the existing ones. I had about two feet pull loose on the aft end and about a little more than a foot on the forward end. Afterword I caulked the top edge of the rail. It seems to be holding well.

The stuff that appears to be smeared on the bottom of the rail in the photo is the butyl tape that was placed under the rail during installation.
Did you remove the awning to make the repair or were you able to drill out the rail and replace the screws with the awning in place?

Thanks in advance,

Bernie
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Old 06-06-2018, 09:38 PM   #5
travelin texans
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You don't have to remove the awning, the rail is above the fabric, if you don't have a tall ladder you can get to it laying on the roof.
In my opinion I wouldn't drill just use same length stainless steel screws possibly 1 or 2 diameters larger.
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Old 06-07-2018, 05:44 AM   #6
oldschoolhdmike
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just noticed this on my 293sbh.....not near as bad as this yet, may need to fix before it gets to bad....
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Old 06-07-2018, 07:24 AM   #7
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Your picture looks exactly like the one I took of my awning last year. Luckily it was still under warranty, so I just had the dealer fix it, but they told me that they did exactly as MerlinB described. It has held up well so far.
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Old 06-11-2018, 02:44 AM   #8
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Thanks to this post i actually looked at mine and noticed the same thing. Click image for larger version

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guess i will get to the repair this week....
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Old 06-13-2018, 01:56 AM   #9
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Going to larger screws is only a temporary fix at best.
Luan doesn't have the strength to hold screws with any tension on them.
Its not a manufacturer defect either, its just plain old simple lack of planning/listening from what LIppert told me.
I have a 2 month old 292MLS that on my first time out was doing this.
Why?
Self drilling screws made for METAL were being used. The only problem is the maker doesnt use a aluminum header beam to attach the awning to. So on mine out of 45 screws, only 8 hit a metal wall stud.
You need to use trifold rivets using ones designed for 1/2 to 5/8 wall thickness. Those will spread out and use the wall itself as support and not just a weak hole.
Lippert flat out told me the manufacturers NEVER listen to their recommendations!!!
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Old 06-13-2018, 09:38 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Weekender 1 View Post
Going to larger screws is only a temporary fix at best.
Luan doesn't have the strength to hold screws with any tension on them.
Its not a manufacturer defect either, its just plain old simple lack of planning/listening from what LIppert told me.
I have a 2 month old 292MLS that on my first time out was doing this.
Why?
Self drilling screws made for METAL were being used. The only problem is the maker doesnt use a aluminum header beam to attach the awning to. So on mine out of 45 screws, only 8 hit a metal wall stud.
You need to use trifold rivets using ones designed for 1/2 to 5/8 wall thickness. Those will spread out and use the wall itself as support and not just a weak hole.
Lippert flat out told me the manufacturers NEVER listen to their recommendations!!!
I agree with your cause, but don't agree with the fix.

I installed our slide toppers, screws provided were coarse threaded sheet metal screws non self drilling. I drilled small pilot holes, lots of sealer then screwed in with an adjustable clutch drill driver on a low setting, just enough to make tight, no issues.
With screw holes about every 6" or less, each is not carrying much tension. Those toppers were out all winter, on the Oregon coast.
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Old 06-14-2018, 06:00 AM   #11
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I agree with Russ. If butyl tape was used under the awning rail and if the screws were installed properly, the awning rail should stay secure. The most common cause of separation is wind or excess rain weight which pull the rail away from the trailer. Preventing that kind of damage is more important than beefing up the rail attachment points which could move the "weakest point" to the trailer wall, which is much more expensive to repair.

Every awning rail separation I've seen has been caused by leaving the awning out when it should have been pulled in to "weather the storm" .
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:41 AM   #12
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Wind vs the awning is something I'm always unsure about, and maybe a bit paranoid. I have a 195RB, I never feel confident in how much gusting it can take. I know it's difficult to quantify "how much wind...", but when those brief rains roll through that normally come with increased winds do you guys tend to roll up? How about overnight, or when you're leaving for several hours? We usually dry camp, so I don't want burn battery power unnessesarily, but. ..
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:58 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Jetfixer03 View Post
Wind vs the awning is something I'm always unsure about, and maybe a bit paranoid. I have a 195RB, I never feel confident in how much gusting it can take. I know it's difficult to quantify "how much wind...", but when those brief rains roll through that normally come with increased winds do you guys tend to roll up? How about overnight, or when you're leaving for several hours? We usually dry camp, so I don't want burn battery power unnessesarily, but. ..

Simple rule “ when in doubt, DONT PUT IT OUT”.
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Old 08-19-2018, 06:01 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetfixer03 View Post
Wind vs the awning is something I'm always unsure about, and maybe a bit paranoid. I have a 195RB, I never feel confident in how much gusting it can take. I know it's difficult to quantify "how much wind...", but when those brief rains roll through that normally come with increased winds do you guys tend to roll up? How about overnight, or when you're leaving for several hours? We usually dry camp, so I don't want burn battery power unnessesarily, but. ..
When I'm not using it, I roll mine in. So, at night, rolled in. When I'm gone, rolled in. When it's looking likely or is storming, I roll it in. At the most, when camping in heat with no shade, I may leave it out enough to act as a topper over my kitchen slide. But that's it. YMMV. but this works for me.
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Old 08-19-2018, 06:21 AM   #15
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My awning is out ONLY if we're under it or inside the trailer and need the awning to shade the curb side of the trailer. Other than that, it's rolled in. Like ctbruce, we sometimes roll it out a couple of feet to shade/protect the entry door and steps, but always, always roll it in completely if we're not going to be at the campsite. Even if we take a walk around the campground, if there's any chance of wind or rain, we roll it in.

There's no reason to lose an awning to wind or rain damage, as said earlier, if in doubt, don't roll it out......
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