electric awning support poles

Good point, othertonka. The other nice part with the tie down poles is that I'm able to slope my awning so that water can't collect.

One Caution with the procedure is if your electric awning has a "wind sensor", make sure you turn the sensor switch off. if you don't the sensor will try to close your awning if the wind comes up, which it won't be able to do because you have it tied down.

I use a very similar setup. A guy on the Forest River Forums (OldCoot) was making and selling aluminum versions of them. He doesn't sell the poles any longer, just the mounting brackets.

We never trusted our power awning until we had these. I now can safely leave my awning out into quite impressive winds (I've had it out in 32mph winds - per the weather history for the location we were at). The awning was rock solid and no stress on the arms. The fabric did flutter and I ultimately put it in that time- but that was excessive.

But, the first thing that I do when I get to camp are my awning poles and tie down my awning. I'm able to leave it out until we leave (which is unheard of with a power awning).

I love it. We can actually leave chairs and stuff setup without them getting wet. And, most importantly- I get brownie points from the wife for hanging her Mickey Mouse lights from the awning rail.

57 Panhead wrote:

MitchF150 wrote:
Not to diminish your goal of finding your post and your goal to tie down your awning, but from my own experience, once the wind gets to the point that you have to tie down your awning, you should just roll the awning up anyway... ;)

I have a 12 year old manual awning that I can just extend and leave the arms attached to the RV or move them out like a "car port" setup..

Mitch

The problem Mitch, is that with the kind of electric awning we have it doesn't take much wind to start shaking it around. With a manual awning you can leave it out safely in winds that would have me bringing mine in. We don't get to use it much as I seem to be bringing it in to often. With the kind of setup I'm looking for I could sustain as much wind as a manual with the legs down. I love the idea of deploying the awning with the push of a button but given the choice to do it over again I'd opt for a manual awning.

Thanks

Steve

These are the same ones I made and use all the time. Mine is electric and once I tilt the awning I put these up. If it really windy....it takes only a few minutes to take down and roll uo and by that time....everybody with a manual awning are rolled up also. I use a ratchet strap over the awning tube attached to a screw in stake that people use for dogs. I also drilled a hole at an angle in the bottoms of the supports so I can use a tent stake if needed. They work great and easy to make and are light.I think I drilled about 20 holes in each support approx. 1 1/2 inches apart.

I am very unhappy with our electric awning...in reality, the weakest point for my awning is where it mounts on the roller...I have now ripped it twice in the same place...at $200 a pop,and a $250 deductible...I have gotten good at replacing the fabric...if it happens again I will remove the electric and install a manual...

I like the ease of unfurling the electric awning but in all the years I had a manual awning, I never had one rip at the roller or the drip edge mount...

Regards

Yeah, I guess I didn't realize how sensitive those electric ones are.. Sucks to have to tie them down just for slight winds.. I wonder if you can even get a manual awning on a new rig these days? Probably not, since they all seem to have gone to the electric ones..

Mitch

That looks like an excellent way to keep our electric awning from flopping around in the slightest breeze. We might actually use it if I make some of those. :) Thanks.

Lots of threads about them on the Forest River forums...

57 Panhead wrote:
Sorry folks, the post I was looking for was on another forum.

Thanks for the heads up!

Sorry folks, the post I was looking for was on another forum. If anyone is interested it is located here:

Adjustable PVC awning support.

Thanks to those who replied.

Steve