acker1 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. Interested in the support poles and how they were made. I can fix most things but cannot visualize new projects. I can copy others ideas! Pics would help.
DICK
I don't have pics, but you can get the idea from the pic ependydad posted. You'll need a set of telescoping poles; ependydad's are aluminum, I used PVC 'cause it's cheaper (1.5 and 1.25 Schedule 40 PVC fit together well enough; I bought a ten-foot length of each, cut each in half. Fit together with six-inch min. insertion, I can get up to 9.5-foot poles). The inner section has a series of through-holes drilled every 1.5-or-so inches for adjustability; the outer has a through-hole a couple inches from one end; a pin goes through the holes to set height needed. ependydad has a bracket attached to the awning arm to fix the upper end of the pole (there's a guy on the Forest River Owners Group forum who makes/sells these, another guy there who sells poles). My upper end is less fancy - another couple holes near the end of the inner pole with a bungie hooked/stretched over the awning tube. I filed a bit of a "saddle" in the top of the pole to cradle the awning tube.
I've also seen painter's poles from Home Depot/Lowe's used, but they can be pricey if you get one's with sturdy-enough clamping mechanisms. I have a fiberglass adjustable pruning pole that could be adapted, as well, but PVC is cheap and easily worked...