Awning issues

[decodancer]

I dont want to spend $600 or more for a new awning if I dont have to but my current one has a few issues. The worst is that the rear support is no longer attached to the side of the trailer. The screws have come out and there is really nothing solid to screw into. I can set it up by standing and staking the poles but as a solo woman, this is a challenge. This past week I was staking one side and the other fell and ripped about two foot long on a seam. I can sew but see repair tapes advertised. Do they work? There is a small cubby at the rear of the camper. Might I be able to access and solidify the panel from there? I have a 19 foot 1988 Terry Reseve TT.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Assuming the support that will no longer secure to the trailer was screwed into wood or metal framing - and not simply into the exterior RV skin, it CAN be repaired pretty easily - if the material has not rotted or rusted away.

A wooden peg can be inserted into a wood-based frame and epoxied or glued into place securely, then the awning support re-attached. Similar methods are also available for metal framed mounting.

[jfran304]

For repairing the tear in the awning I found some clear reinforced tape at Walmart. It was in the same section as the Duct tape. I cleaned the awning with Krud Kutter and taped both sides. I did this in 09 and it is still holding.

Where the awning supports attach to the camper can you drill the holes out and then refill them with some kind of epoxy? If you can you might be able to drill new holes in the epoxy to hold the screws in.

Good Luck,
Jon

[decodancer]

I'm afraid that there is nothing but skin to screw into. I thought I might be able to put something solid in throught the rear hatch. There does not appear to be any way to put plywood in short of cutting out the skin and I have no idea how to do that. I have done basic bondo and fiberglass repair so might attempt if thats my only option. Thanks for your help.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by decodancer I'm afraid that there is nothing but skin to screw into. I thought I might be able to put something solid in throught the rear hatch. There does not appear to be any way to put plywood in short of cutting out the skin and I have no idea how to do that. I have done basic bondo and fiberglass repair so might attempt if thats my only option. Thanks for your help.

There pretty much HAS to be some form of solid framing at the lower edge of your RV - apparently the original awning installer was more interested in a fast job than a proper one! Do a carefully check at points above and below where your awning supports are now fastened - I'd bet you will fine a solid interior framing member to properly re-mount and secure your support mount.

[want2camp]

You're gonna have to get your back dirty and lay on the ground and look up at the underside of your rig. There may be a protective fabric cover to keep road debris off the bottom of the rig. If so you need to poke around close to the outer wall, there should be wood framing there. If there is no cover then you should easily be able to see what is there and where the screws holding the awning bracket come through the skin. Did they simply mount it to low and miss the framing? Or worst case scenario, is the wood framing rotted away leaving nothing for the screws to anchor to?

[ahicks]

Not liking the chances that there USED to be something solid there for that foot to attach to. Rot may have stricken again. To check, you might take an ice pick and push it in through one of the original bolt holes at an angle to one side or the other (not angled up or down). If you have a solid piece of material there, this should be pretty difficult. In that area, there should have been a 2x2 used to frame the bottom of that wall. The awning bolts should have penetrated it? If necessary to repair, I would remove the water heater for easy access to that immediate area. FWIW

[JBDISCOVERY]

DECODANCER,
if at the end of your investigation of a solid mounting point you find that there is none, you might try the following: I needed a mount point for my awning but where the mount needed to be there was a hole in the side wall. I bridged the hole and provided solid support with a 1/8 inch thick square of stainless steel sheet. The margin around the hole was gluded with 3M 5200 marine glue. The bridging allowed the side wall to support the mount by spreading the load out over a wider area.
Regards

[decodancer]

The investigation will start again on Sunday. I'm trying to finish making a residential replacement fridge look like it belongs in much larger space. Thanks for the tips though, I don't think there is much of anything left in that area so will try your suggestions.