Manual Awning ripped off

[GypsyFamilyRV]

So, last weekend, we had a squall come tearing through. Before I could even get out to bring the awning in, the wind flipped it up onto the roof.

It's a dometic manual awning, the fabric and the main awning bar seem to be fine, but the arms and supports on the sides are bent and mangled. Getting ready to order new ones, but here's my question.

When the wind flipped it up, it ripped the screws out of the side of the RV, at least some of them. What (if anything) can I use to fill those holes and 'plaster' over the top of it, to give it enough strength to re-mount the new arms? Or am I SoL and will need to move the awning a few inches to either side to be able to put the screws into new holes?

Thanks!

Sean

[retiredusps69]

You don't say what the awning was attached to the trailer with. Sheet metal screws? Are you talking about just the arms? I have used Gorilla Glue and saw dust make a paste and fill the hole if it goes into wood.Just dampen the hole and use more glue than saw dust. Drill pilot holes when dry. If the screws go into metal studs you can get a Nut Cert tool that goes up to 1/4 20 machine screws if you need them that large. It comes in a kit with many sizes of threads.They work very well on blind holes.

[Pull Toy]

On one of my previous rigs I drilled thru to the interior wall, and used a carriage bolt and washer from the inside, and a lock washer and castle nut on the outside.

In my case it looked "Factory". Of course that depends on where your holes are.

Good Luck,

[travelin texans]

On one of my previous rigs I drilled thru to the interior wall, and used a carriage bolt and washer from the inside, and a lock washer and castle nut on the outside.

In my case it looked "Factory". Of course that depends on where your holes are.

Good Luck,

I did the same with exception on the inside the carriage came in at the baseboard so I got a 1x6" piece of oak from HD routed the edges, stained/urethaned it & looked like a piece of factory trim. The other arm was into the 5er basement so didn't go to the trouble of finishing the piece of oak. Those arms were solid as a rock after that modification.

[GypsyFamilyRV]

You don't say what the awning was attached to the trailer with. Sheet metal screws? Are you talking about just the arms? I have used Gorilla Glue and saw dust make a paste and fill the hole if it goes into wood.Just dampen the hole and use more glue than saw dust. Drill pilot holes when dry. If the screws go into metal studs you can get a Nut Cert tool that goes up to 1/4 20 machine screws if you need them that large. It comes in a kit with many sizes of threads.They work very well on blind holes.

The arms were screwed into the side of the rig with about 2" screws, I don't think they're sheet metal. I'll grab a picture tonight and post.

Thanks!

[chuckster57]

If the holes are too elongated, you can glue a nice dowel in the hole and when you put the screw back in it will expand the dowel and grab like a hollow wall anchor.

[Royalwapiti]

If you are not going to re-use the holes you could plug them. I like to use plastic plugs for projects like this. Go to Amazon and look around for plastic plugs. They usually come white. Here are some like what I have used in the past.

https://www.amazon.com/WIDGETCO-White-Hole-Plugs/dp/B00TQ8UQQ0/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=plastic+plugs&qid=1564157620&s=gateway&sr=8-7

You can just drill a bigger hole and push them in, or glue them.

[cavediver]

That happened to a trailer, here at Wekiwa Springs state park last week. It wasn't you was it?

Jack