Okay had the awning up last night. Said max winds were going to be 20mph then we got hit with a tornado down the road from us and the winds were bad here.
Other than collecting things 1-200' away from the trailer the awning was torn off the trailer right when I got home from work and pulled in so I did get to see it happen.
Now I need to find new support arms and fix 1 bad area on the trailer and need to know the best way to repair this right. Pulled the lag bolts out on both ends but did damage to one side as seen in the pic. The other pic shows a support arm I took last night. Was too much of a sissy to go up on the roof with all the lightning so I took a pic.
My advice would be to first contact your insurance company. The awning arms alone will probably be more than the insurance deductible.
If you don't have insurance, expect around $1000 for parts plus the cost for repairing the trailer. It may be cheaper to buy a replacement awning than to buy the individual parts that are damaged.
Only one phone call needed, to your insurance agent!
This is a lesson learned the hard way!
For ALL RV owners, NEVER leave the campground/RV park with the awning extended and unattended.
BTW, that goes for pets also!!!
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Full-timed 10+ years
Sold '13 Redwood FB
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Replacement undetermined
Thought about doing that but $500 deductible and new 21' awning cover is $174.00 and bottom clip that broke is 19.00. Leg support that bent is 58.00. Just need to make sure the bolts will hold when put back in.
Then the fiberglass repair needs done and I think I can do it but want it done right. A friend has a body shop so may see what he recommends.
I can see this costing me more than the insurance company.
Only one phone call needed, to your insurance agent!
This is a lesson learned the hard way!
For ALL RV owners, NEVER leave the campground/RV park with the awning extended and unattended.
BTW, that goes for pets also!!!
Thought about doing that but $500 deductible and new 21' awning cover is $174.00 and bottom clip that broke is 19.00. Leg support that bent is 58.00. Just need to make sure the bolts will hold when put back in.
Then the fiberglass repair needs done and I think I can do it but want it done right. A friend has a body shop so may see what he recommends.
I can see this costing me more than the insurance company.
"Just need to make sure the bolts will hold when put back in." That I can confidently say ain't gonna happen. After a bolt/screw is pulled out of a hole it will go back in easily and not hold a thing.
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Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
Might I suggest that if you are going to do the repairs, install a oversized mend plate inside and out, encapsulating the damage. Then install through bolts to hold the awning mount in the same location.
I would think the aluminum structure under the fiberglass is destroyed to the point it will not hold any fasteners even with a exterior fiberglass repair.
Finally have some time to get back to this and the wood that is there is bad at both of the top mounts too. I have dealt with this on boats with epoxy so not to concerned with that.
Now on the holes for the screws.The screws will go in and they are not tight, very loose so there is no doubt that they won't hold. An issue that does bother me and not sure if you can see the screws in the pics I took but they are rusty which means water was getting in there.
Frank G said a mend plate and that has some potential except I am completely lost on how to do that especially when you said inside and out.
Everything came in for the fiberglass repair so that will just be a smelly fix, also got the parts I need that are broken on the awning so I need to get both of the top mounts in place and secure and get it off of my list.
There is a lot we do not know about your unit, does it have an aluminum or wood frame? How badly was it damaged? In my original post on the mater I suggested repair plates inside and outside. To expand further, you can repair the exterior, but it appears the structural component of the awning attachment point is compromised. Installing a nicely painted 2" x 3" X 1/8" aluminum piece on the outside and a corresponding piece on the inside then using carriage bolts through all to secure the awning. No, it is not like it never happened repair, it is a economical strong solution repair.
It is an aluminum frame and I did consider going to a larger diameter bolt and drilling the mounts so they fit. The aluminum rail as a mend plate could work. Need to look at that as it may be the best way to go.
The interior and exterior of this camper is in great shape and big enough that we can live in it with 3 cats and 2 dogs. Have my TV mount done and secure, the fireplace, and a few other upgrades done and cat litter box area through the laundry chute almost done and have to have this happen.
Thanks for the replies. Will check it out more and see how it all comes together.
This was fixed before. Now that everything is here I went to cut the cracked fiberglass out and back fill it with epoxy I see this inserted in the hole as seen in the pic. You can see the thread marks on it.
Now I go over to the other side and the bolts are loose I took an awl and dug in there and found each of those holes have been plugged and plugs look like there is RTV keeping them in place and just can't get them out.
I went back and looked at the other hole where I got the one plug out I can't find that plug at all but I did find pieces of it on the ground and chewed up bad.
This is an aluminum framed unit but the awning is not attached to the frame. Frame is in the pdf.
Frank, let's go back to your original post. 20 MPH winds should be warning enough to bring your awning in. And yes, even if it is tethered. Danny said earlier, awnings and pets come in!
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Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
2018 Mobile Suites 40RSSA
2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
The one other thing you folks haven't considered is the old Bondo repair that was used on car bodies. It's better than glues, forms to whatever shape, is easy to push into places and hardens exceptionally well. The only problem is once you mix it, you have to move fast before it hardens. Usually make it in two batches, or more for big jobs. For this application it's a lot better than dowels. I'd still put aluminum plates on both sides of the wall, drill through and used bolts to hold the awning mount.
My concern is not with awning or cosmetics. The structure of the trailer appeared to be damaged, which will necessitate disassembly of the area, replacing or adding sister support, reassembly, and THEN address the cosmetics and awning. And might consider offsetting the awning to new original supports if workable.
Your body guy should have the stuff you need. Forgot the name but it comes in a 2 tube connected dispenser (like a caulking gun) that mixed them as you squeeze the trigger. Not cheap and even less working time than fast condo but hard, drillable and probably could even thread it. Used on the front of my alpine years ago and still can't tell where the repair is.
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39 foot Forest River Vengeance dragged by GMC 3500.
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