2 questions about awning

[Jason.rhodes86]

First, is it normal while it is retracted to appear to have a slight sag in the middle? Second, what is used to attach the fabric to the rod? Mine is coming off at one end and it looks like maybe just some type of adhesive held it on. I’ve attached pictures of both. Thank you

[dutchmensport]

I went back and reviewed your previous posts to determine if this was a brand new camper or not. It's not brand new, so it's possible the previous owner let water pool in the awning and the weight of the water has stretched it. At least, it looks stretched to me. If it's stretched, there's really nothing you can do to tighten it back up. Your awning arms extend only so far and then, that's it.

Another possible cause of awning stretching is if wind caught the awning and billowed it up or down kind of violently. This can also stretch them. Without knowing the previous history of the trailer, it's hard to tell what happened. But it sure looks stretched to me.

The awning is attached on the trailer. There is a track the awning end slides through. The awning end itself has a small diameter rope and then the awning fabric is looped around the rope and then sewn up with a seam. The rope sewn fabric is then slipped in the track and pulled all the way through.

The part that attaches to the awning roller is done the same way too. Depending on your awning, it may have 2 grooves in the roller or only 1 groove in the roller it has to slip into.

The groove on the camper itself is held on with a bazillion screws and then there is a plastic cover hiding those screws.

Not knowing what type of awning you have, here's an internet search with some diagrams that shows how they put together. You'll have to sift through this mess to find yours. Click here.

[bsmith0404]

And to answer your first question, yes manger awnings will sag a bit in the middle when rolled up. Some brands put a center cup that they roll into to support the center and stop the sag. I’ve never seen one completely now or buckle so it’s more cosmetic than anything.

[Jason.rhodes86]

Maybe where it is sewn on has come undone because the part that is coming off is just fabric attached to some rubber which is on the actual roller. So maybe some adhesive will work. Thanks

[flybouy]

On our previous trailer had a manual awning that was 21' IIRC. The roller tube sagged in the middle and when rolled out the bow faced the trailer which made the center of the fabric loose in the middle. The first thing I did was add an awning center rafter tensioning support arm with a cradel on top. When rolled up the awning was supported by the cradle. Opened, the rafter support swung down from the sidewall. The rafter would go into the center of the rafter and the tension was adjustable. The leg swung down with a foot that was adjustable for ground height.

I had an "Add-A-Room" that we used for longer stays and the system supported the weight without issue.