FW Antenna rubbing holes in rubber roof

Coach-man wrote:
.... replace the crank up/down antenna with a fixed mount antenna. Never have to worry about cranking it down when you leave, and does not mess with your roof!

Our new 5th wheel has one of those fixed mount antennas and they absolutely stink. Reception is poor and the picture is "pixelated" whenever another car or truck or large bird goes by. You can't adjust or turn the antenna for the strongest signal. We are thinking about removing the fixed antenna and having one of the old standard Winegard amplified antennas installed.

My solution would be to have the dealer get you the proper wedges or just simply not crank the antenna down all the way, leave it an inch or so off the roof.

This is an interesting thread. While doing a pre-purchase inspection of the Grand Design we purchased on Friday I noticed that the antenna was already starting to rub on the roof. The curvature of the room prevented the antenna from sitting on the rubber 'feet' and the roof already shows a wear pattern. I brought that up and it will be addressed, but I suspect this is a rather common problem that many may not be aware of.

I purchased a rubber roof repair kit from CW. It has a cleaner, adhesive, and some rubber roofing material. There are only a couple of contact points on the roof, make some patches with the rubber material from the kit, clean the surface, I first used some TSP, a brush and plenty of water. Apply the adhesive and apply the patches. This will make a good base for the antenna to rest on. A better solution is replace the crank up/down antenna with a fixed mount antenna. Never have to worry about cranking it down when you leave, and does not mess with your roof!

K'sKamper wrote:
The antenna is rubbing holes in the rubber roof of our Fifth Wheel. I talked to the manufacturer of the antenna and apparently there should have been wedges installed due to the slope of the roof. They suggested we either re-install with the wedges or glue a piece of metal to the roof under the area where the antenna touches when traveling. Can anyone tell me what I can use to glue a piece of metal to the rubber? I tried outdoor duct tape to tape a piece of aluminum to protect the roof but the duct tape does not stick very well.

Why not have antenna manufacture send you the CORRECT pieces that are missing from yours??

When our 2001 alpenlite was new I saw the issue on rubbing as we travel so before eternabond was made I found a similar product that had a textured finish in a roll and cut squares to apply when the antenna would rub. Same deal just pull on the back and install. Still does the job.

chevman

Think I will do the caulk, aluminum plate then Eternabond.

Thank you everyone.

laknox wrote:
Why not just put 2-3 layers of Eternabond over the rub area? Either that, or use the Eternabond to hold the metal down?

Lyle

I put a layer of Eternabond down last year and the glue sort of melted and slid.

I've used self stick felt pads (cut to fit) from the hardware store. Never lost one and they work great.

BarneyS wrote:
I would use some 4" Eternabond tape. It will not come off unless you use considerable effort to take it off. I would probably put a bit of caulking down first to bed the metal plate in and then use the tape around the edges to make sure it does not come off. Any tape left over you can save for roof repairs if needed.
Barney

That's what I did on mine when it looked like it might be rubbing a bit. Worked the treat.

Forget the metal...just more issues

Use the Eternabond Tape to cover area on roof where antenna makes contact.
Stuff is strong, tough, durable and compatible with roof material