thumping of slide awning in high gusty wind

[iquilt888]

During a trip back from New Mexico we ran into some really strong gusty winds. As we were driving along we could hear this thumping sound along the side of the coach. After going through a list of "...it could be..." we decided it was the wind catching the awning.

Now with all that said how do we stop the awning from potentially blowing off? Or coming unrolled while moving down the freeway?

Any suggestions or thoughts will be truly appreciated.

[iquilt888]

No the topper over the slide just covers the slide.

With all the suggestions that you good folks have given my plan, at the moment, is to have the tension checked when I go in to have the annual systems check.

Want to thank everyone for all the good ideas and thoughts.

[OhhWell]

Is your slide topper one of the kind that extends out beyond the slide with arms to provide shade for the windows or is it one like the picture above that is just to cover the topper.

Unless it has arms to extend past the slide, the awning lock thing isn't going to do you much good. Have the tension checked like others have suggested.

[sowego]

We have indeed had our large slide out awning flap in the wind. One year on the way to Sturgis, SD for the Steam Show we were in 80 mph winds out of the W/NW...it did pull the slide awnings up a bit, made a horrible noise. Since we were enroute we just slowed down to less than 40 mph, pulling into the Sam's Club in Rapid City and boondocked to wait out of the wind. It can damage the slide topper but ours was ok. There are locks available but we've not installed them yet because generally...if the wind is blowing hard enough to pull out the awnings...it's time to pull off the road!

[Koop]

Clay L wrote:
A&E slide toppers are available with an anti billow arm. When the wind attempts to open the awning it rotates slightly until the arm hits a plate on the side of the RV.
If yours has that option I suspect you are hearing that.

I agree. I had this happen on my last coach in high winds on I-8 in California. It sounded like something was thumping in cabinet next to the drivers seat. It was the arm hitting the plate.

Also, on that trip we saw an RV on the side of the interstate with it's patio awning ripped off of the side of the coach.

[DiamondDan]

iquilt888 wrote:
It is a slide topper. As for the make I don't know and my motor home is currently in storage so can't even run out and look. I suppose it makes a huge difference? Just my luck.

Same problem on the slide topper. I had the shop tighten the tension a bit, and since then, no problems.
-dan

[Jerry_Keller]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
I have used this one as have a lot of my friends, it works !!!

Had it happen to me then I installed this and had no problems since.

AWNING LOCK

This is the one I bought and used.

[traveylin]

First trip out in new mh the topper popped open. The latch that folks above have described was installed at the trailing edge of the topper, the mfg said it had to be on the leading edge. Fixed...Popped open again going north out of Dalhart Tx and I had to get up on top in wind and traffic to correctly furl it to the right position. Mfg looked at it and adjusted tension.
Road conditions that have a 40 mph wind from the drivers side cause this to happen. My response is either to wait out the wind another day or take a bungee and tie the topper lock in position. You need a ladder and a note telling you to untie before running out the slide

pops

[GREGORYJ]

Most topper awnings have a small arm mounted on one end of the roller to prevent
unusually high head or cross winds from pulling the awning out while driving.
If there is one on your awning , it should be adjusted to point straight up
when awning is in. If there was one one there, it may have come off or broken off.

[mena661]

2gypsies wrote:
The OP states that his problem is with the slide topper, not the awning. We've never heard of the topper unrolling.

Mine did during some really high winds. The winds actually ripped it right off the MH. My fault really as my first instinct was to stay at the CG another day to avoid the wind.

kalynzoo wrote:
Dropping your speed significantly, often to 45mph, can eliminate the pull on the awning and give you better control of the rig.

I was at a standstill when the slide topper started blowing open and slamming shut and never drove over 20 mph the entire time when it finally ripped off. The rig was perfectly stable actually.

[thgoodman]

What brand and type of awning do you have. I have a Gerard (sp?) which has a metal cover over the opening between the roll and the face of the awning when the awning is closed. That's the opposite of most RV awnings. My roll is mounted directly to the MH, not the swing out portion of the awning frame. The cover is held closed with a magnate.

I had the problem with the cover blowing open going down the road and then SLAMMING shut. Sounded like a blow out.

Gerard replaced the magnet with a stronger one and now it only opens when it's REALLY windy, usually resulting in me soiling my nickers. It seems most susceptible with a quartering tail wind.

[Clay_L]

A&E slide toppers are available with an anti billow arm. When the wind attempts to open the awning it rotates slightly until the arm hits a plate on the side of the RV.
If yours has that option I suspect you are hearing that.

[kalynzoo]

Slow down. I know this sounds simplistic, but I really don't mean to be flippant. Often we encounter gusty winds between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The news if full of pictures of big rigs flipped over on the Conejo Grade and the same is true of the Palmdale Highway. At 60mph encountering a 60mph headwind can be eye-opening. Angled cross winds can similarly give you an unwelcomed thrill. Dropping your speed significantly, often to 45mph, can eliminate the pull on the awning and give you better control of the rig.
Again, JMHO based on real life experiences.
Happy Trails

[2gypsies1]

The OP states that his problem is with the slide topper, not the awning. We've never heard of the topper unrolling.

[John_Joey]

I made this five years ago and it served me well. Clicky