Securing the awning when extended. ie: tying the awning down

[cenders]

I'm new to the electric awning world. Just bought a Fuzion 310 fifth wheel. On my old trailer I'd extend the manual awning and then take the legs off the trailer and nail them to the ground with 12" spikes. Rock solid.

I hear that you can rope tie the awning down but I've also heard that is bad for the system and could lead to problems.

I also saw somewhere that a guy made adjustable PVC pipes and used those as legs down to the ground and tied that all together.

Thoughts? I'd love to leave them out overnight and not have to worry about wind.

[Mark TC]

I time mine down with dog cork screw stakes and small ratchet straps. I do not put a lot of tension on the straps. This is my second TT and have no problems


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[therink]

I also tie down my power awning with no problems. I set the pitch, tighten the tensioner knobs and tighten the tie downs enough to stabilize the awning and hardware so all is firm. In light to moderate winds, this keeps the awning stable and quiet.
I do keep an eye on weather conditions and pull it in of winds are too much.

[crash]

I have never tied ours down ,When it gets windy enough to start moving the awning I always pull it back in ,rather be safe then have to replace it.Just my 2 cents

[Tbristol]

Originally Posted by crash

I have never tied ours down ,When it gets windy enough to start moving the awning I always pull it back in ,rather be safe then have to replace it.Just my 2 cents

I agree, it takes less than a minute to bring the awning in when you retire for the night. Less than a minute the next day, or when leaving the campsite. Gotta love the electric switch. :-D

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[spicercars]

I would never tie the awning down. Like the others said it only take a few seconds to roll it up. And if its tied down by the time you untie it to roll it up you will have a heck of a time and possibly do some damage.

[Essness]

Heres another thread with some info........

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16706

[abneynormal]

I screw almost everything down with 10" torx head screws. my 10x10 canopy and also my awning. i bought one of those dog screw awning rope kits and tossed the dog screws. I took 2 shelf l brackets and modified it to hold a small clevice I use my 18volt impact and screw her down 2 screws per ell bracket. get some fender washers for the screws that go through the canopy holes. the ropes held the night the flag pole broke in 2 pieces. I use 3.5 inch torx screws on my rug. NOTE: if they are giving high winds i reach up and un hook my s hooks from the awning and roll it in when leaving un attended.

[TDF5G]

I don't have an electric awning on my rig. If we are going to be set up for several days, I will set the arms on the ground and stake them down. Then I don't bang my head ducking (or forgetting to duck) going under the arms. I've never strapped the awning down though. Sometimes we put tarps up on the arms to block the cold wind in the fall.

I usually put the awning up at night in the spring & summer. Of course as most people do, I keep an eye on the weather. Sometimes I leave it out overnight to keep chairs and things dry if possible from rain or dew. Normally we can leave it out overnight in the fall.

I've been camping in RVs for 20 years now mostly in the midwest and as most folks know the weather can change very quickly and dramatically in the midwest. I've seen a few awnings damaged or completely removed/destroyed by the wind at campgrounds.

From experience, I've learned to roll the awning up when I see the storm approaching, usually from the southwest. The high winds are most usually at the front of the storm before the rain. It's really hard to put it up when the wind is blowing. Been there done that.

[Nate301]

Originally Posted by abneynormal

I screw almost everything down with 10" torx head screws. my 10x10 canopy and also my awning. i bought one of those dog screw awning rope kits and tossed the dog screws. I took 2 shelf l brackets and modified it to hold a small clevice I use my 18volt impact and screw her down 2 screws per ell bracket. get some fender washers for the screws that go through the canopy holes. the ropes held the night the flag pole broke in 2 pieces. I use 3.5 inch torx screws on my rug. NOTE: if they are giving high winds i reach up and un hook my s hooks from the awning and roll it in when leaving un attended.

Do you have a picture or link of the 10" screws you use?

Thanks

[kilolima]

I use 5gal buckets some h2o tie a slip knot just enough to take out the slack...never had a problem. If it gets serious, takes me less than 15 seconds to slip the ties and stow. The wind goes 5-8 to 3 to 9 to calm in a 1 minute period then calm for 5 minutes yada yada yada I don't like the loose unsecured rattle! If I leave, at all, or at night...I stow it. Been doing the tie downs for over 30yrs, no troubles.

[{tpc}]

I have 2 ratcheting straps and 2 stakes with led lights in them for this purpose. I've tested it out once to see that I could do it, and in a pinch because they are just stakes, I could pop them out easy.

I've never needed to use them. On a real windy day, I roll it in.

[Desert185]

I've been told by people more experienced than me to roll the awning up when leaving the campsite...that includes when going to bed. Sounds like a good plan to me. I've seen little airplanes that were flipped over by the wind even though "tied down". These awnings have a lot of area and can create an enormous amount lift given the right amount of wind. Might be better to lay some old tires on the awning, as they spoil the lift while adding some weight. My understanding is that bias ply tires work better than radials...FWIW.

Rolling up vs tieing down also means less paraphernalia that I have to carry.

[14george]

I roll mine up when leaving and before going to bed

[FTWingRiders]

Originally Posted by cenders

I'm new to the electric awning world. Just bought a Fuzion 310 fifth wheel. On my old trailer I'd extend the manual awning and then take the legs off the trailer and nail them to the ground with 12" spikes. Rock solid.

I hear that you can rope tie the awning down but I've also heard that is bad for the system and could lead to problems.

I also saw somewhere that a guy made adjustable PVC pipes and used those as legs down to the ground and tied that all together.

Thoughts? I'd love to leave them out overnight and not have to worry about wind.

I've made a set of the adjustable PVC pipes. IMHO they work great. This is my first camper with electric awning, and to honest I don't trust it. The slightest wind gets the whole thing shaking. With the poles I'm rock solid. I'm up on a lake a few weeks every year with an occasional afternoon thunderstorm and this set up works well FOR ME. I realize I might be in the minority here, but wanted to share my side. I wish I could have bought the old fashion set up.

[jsmith948]

Originally Posted by Desert185

Might be better to lay some old tires on the awning, as they spoil the lift while adding some weight. My understanding is that bias ply tires work better than radials...FWIW.

Rolling up vs tieing down also means less paraphernalia that I have to carry.

What Ply rating tire? I wouldn't want to be guilty of overloading

[Essness]

I like to use "Z" rated tires because I'm concerned about the speed of the wind...........

[GaryWT]

I like to leave mine open as if rain comes, I don't want things getting wet but from time to time we close it. If we expect bad weather we will put things away. I have been woken in the middle of the night by wind and it is so easy to close if nothing is connected to it.

[x96mnn]

I tie mine down during the day the same as others described, ratchet straps and dog stakes. At night I do take it in. Although it only takes a minute to take in, where I am at wind is often accompanied by rain in which I want the awning out if it is day. Yes my camper is nice in side but after most Canadian winters I like to be outside as much as possible.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by jsmith948

What Ply rating tire? I wouldn't want to be guilty of overloading

High aspect ratio to spoil lift vs awning payload is a critical balance. If you suffer from payload anxiety, use less tires that are wider. The awning's coefficient of lift and angle of attack should also be considered.

I'm sure some college kid in Oklahoma or Kentucky (or even Silver Springs, NV) wrote a thesis on the effectiveness of tires on a roof to prevent airborne roofing. There has to be the advantage of carbon credits involved in this somewhere.

Maybe CWTheMan will chime in with his tire knowledge and data.