A&E Awings

Buster52 wrote:
You act as if you have a vested interest the product and this is the last time I will reply to you about the subject.

Sorry to disappoint but I have no "vested interest" in A&E Dometic or any other awning manufacturer, I'm just an RVr like everyone else. As to what you said and what I posted in response, our words are both there on the screen for others to decide who exactly said what. ;)

As for your particular concern about your Sunchaser awning possibly unfurling while in transit there are, as I mentioned earlier, many solutions available ... just do a Google search for "RV awning lock" and you'll see all sorts of solutions, both DIY and those sold commercially. This is one of those solutions that would likely address your concerns.

Have a good life.

Thanks ... I'll try! :B

Dometic's A&E 8500 is a good awning for today. However, I agree, the old Carter awnings were the best.

SoundGuy, in your own words you said.

If for example you indeed have an A&E Dometic Sunchaser awning you could hardly go wrong by replacing it with a Dometic A&E 8500.

The Awning I have is the Sunchaser. To me you are implying there maybe a problem or shout coming with the Sunchaser. Why else would I replace it. Even though my awning is 13 years old, I do not plan on changing my awning. It is in good shape and doesn't need to be replaced. I do see a problem with the product that may cause damage to it and my rig. It has no positive lock of the arms other then the ratchet on the roller to keep from unrolling while driving. The person who owned it before me was a bungy rapped the arms. Being lightly constructed it is easy to move and setup. I have read on other blogs that the light construction is acceptable to wind and rain damage, not the opening while traveling that was my fear.

You act as if you have a vested interest the product and this is the last time I will reply to you about the subject.

Have a good life.

Buster52 wrote:
SoundGuy. In your reply (and slamming me for not putting down what model my awning it is) ...

Sorry, I'm not "slamming" anyone for anything, merely pointing out that you're going to criticize a manufacturer for a poor quality product you could at least be fair and correctly identify just what product it is instead of painting the manufacturer, in this case A&E Dometic, with a broad stroke that infers the products the company builds are junk simply because they wear the name A&E Dometic, which is simply not true, one case in point being their 8500 series awning which is a great product that's been in their lineup for years.

... you admit that they make a low quality awning that should be replaced no matter what shape it is in.

Actually that's not what I said at all ... rather, I said that manufacturers often produce a variety products built to differing price points, which in turn may dictate differing levels of quality. And no I did not say "they make a low quality awning that should be replaced no matter what shape it is in" ... rather, I said that assuming you have an A&E Dometic Sunchaser awning (which you never bothered to tell us in your original post) that if you wanted to upgrade to a better quality awning you couldn't go wrong with an A&E Dometic 8500 series awning. If you're in fear of the awning opening inadvertently (which is an different issue entirely and an issue you also never mentioned in your original post) then it's not the so-called "quality" of the awning you should be concerned about as any awning can potentially open under travel ... rather, what you want is some alternative method, DIY or otherwise, that will ensure that it can't.

SoundGuy. In your reply (and slamming me for not putting down what model my awning it is), you admit that they make a low quality awning that should be replaced no matter what shape it is in. The awning is in good shape and I do not plan on replacing it. My big concern is will it open while traveling. What holds it together while moving looks like it could cause problems. And on my the two arms do not aline as I think they should. Mine maybe missing a spacer that I saw on an other awning just like mine.

I think I have found the model. 8275000 Series Sunchaser II. They are calling the plastic strap a travel lock.

I have it in storage right now, so I cannot say what model it is. The arms are not made of Aluminum but made of I think is 14 gauge sheet metal. Were the two arms come together there is a plastic band that you squeeze that lets you slip one arm into the other. There is no lifting the arm to latch it in the top of the arms. You depend on the ratchet on the awing drum and the plastic strap to keep it together while you drive. How ever owned my rig before used a small bungy to help hold then together. One advantage to it, it is light and easy to move.

Buster52 wrote:
The awing on my new/used 5th wheeler looks cheap. I have had a Carter and Carefree awing. Carter is the better built, but the are not around anymore. Now I have a A&E awing and I find it to be cheaply made.

As with just about anything these days manufacturers often build similar products to meet different price points (and therefore different quality levels) and Dometic A&E awnings are no different. It's a little disingenuous to paint all A&E awnings as "cheaply made" when you haven't even identified just what model you have. I once replaced a Carefree of Colorado power awning with a terrific Dometic manual awning but it was "terrific" because it was their best 8500 series awning and far superior in construction to their Sunchaser series which was built to meet a lower price point. I now have a Dometic A&E 9100 series power awning on our current Freedom Express and it meets all our expectations. You'd do yourself a great favour by knowing what you're complaining about rather than just painting a particular brand of awning as "cheaply made" without knowing the facts. If for example you indeed have an A&E Dometic Sunchaser awning you could hardly go wrong by replacing it with a Dometic A&E 8500.

Buster52 wrote:
The awing on my new/used 5th wheeler looks cheap. I have had a Carter and Carefree awing. Carter is the better built, but the are not around anymore. Now I have a A&E awing and I find it to be cheaply made. The arms are thin sheet metal. So thin you think you going to brake it when snapping then together. My Carter and Carefree are aluminum and much better made. Is the A&E awing made strong enough to last for years or something placed on my trailer to sell it?

A&E factory installed on 1998 Champagne, still there, no rips, tears, snorts etc. Nothing to "snap" together. Good Luck

Jim

I found out real quick when I had to replace my awning when a tornado decided to take it out that the new replacement is NO where's the quality of the older ones. The fabric they use now is real cheap plastic type material. Within a couple of months it started pulling away from the stitching and bubbling.