Lost my awning on the highway - high wind

[BobsYourUncle]

Well gee whiz, I almost had to frown today!

After a hitchup error (see previous post by me), I had lunch with my 80 year old aunt and hit the highway from Medicine Hat Alberta to Calgary. Heading out of town and the wind had picked up BIG time! I mean it was blowing hard. REAL hard! My truck and TT were being buffeted around a lot.

I was just leaving town and getting on the throttle to get up to speed when I did a mirror check.

Hmmmmm, why are my awning arms flailing outwards in the wind? :E WTH??

4 ways on, off the throttle and pull over to the side of the road.

I get out for a look and see the bottom parts of my awning arms have been torn right out, mounts and everything. I look up and my eyes got big! Where is my awning? All that was left of it was some ripped fabric in the C track, flapping in the wind. Everything else was completely gone, except the 2 stabilizer arms that mount to the top by the roof. That's what I saw dangling in the wind.

One four lettered word, and it wasn't "Gosh"

Meanwhile a semi truck drives by - honk honk honk honk honk on his airhorn. Oh great, I bet he endured a flying awning... :E He never stopped, so I can only assume he stopped to check and there were no punctured cans of Pepsi in his truck. (It was a Pepsi truck)

Jump back in my truck, flip a U-turn and boot it back down the road. About a couple miles back, there it is, laying on the highway. I find a hole in the median and flip another U-turn and go back.

Well, the semi ran over my awning, it was completely destroyed. Roller tubes are strong, but not strong enough to withstand 80,000 pounds of loaded semi running it over with half a dozen axles.

I pulled the tattered remains of my awning and the twisted arms off the highway into the shoulder area. I had no place to put the thing, my truck was loaded to the top. I hated to leave it there but I had no place to carry it out.

Sigh.......

And then I get another 40 miles down the road, bucking the strongest headwind I have ever encountered, and my check engine light comes on and the truck goes into limp mode.

Did that numerous times all the way back to Calgary. I had to stop and clear the code every time so I could run at highway speed.

Other than that, I had an awesome trip!!! Life is good!

[BobsYourUncle]

DutchmenSport wrote:
"I pulled the tattered remains of my awning and the twisted arms off the highway into the shoulder area. I had no place to put the thing, my truck was loaded to the top. I hated to leave it there but I had no place to carry it out."

Only one comment about this horrible story ... and yes, this is a horrible story ... "Litter bug!" 😞

I hate litter very much. I had no place to carry the thing away. My truck was loaded to the top.
It hurt me to leave it there but I couldn't do anything else.

[BobsYourUncle]

RCMAN46 wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:

Gau 8 wrote:
What was the code? Just clearing them and pressing on can get expensive.

P0087 - Fuel Rail - Pressure too low.

It happened to me once before last spring in hot weather towing up mountain passes. It went away and I didn't get it fixed the first time. Have to know what it is before I can fix it.
Only happens when I tow and when its hot.
This time I was bucking a huge headwind and had to really stuff my foot in it to maintain speed.

Fuel filter or a leak in the fuel filter head?

I had a new filter put on after the first time it happened. No change. And no leaks either at that time.

But now that you mention it, I have smelled diesel around my truck a few times in the past while.

[2gypsies1]

Clay L wrote:

tbr2015 wrote:
Our friends lost their awning in similar fashion. After that, we took a long velcro strap and put it around the awning arms about half way up so they can't come open on their own. It has worked for a number of years now. Easy to remove and put back on when needed.

It has "worked" because they haven't had enough wind from the side. The wind comes up under the awning and unfurls the fabric by striping the ratchet that holds the awning rolled up. The arms are still locked.
To do the job the roller tube has to be locked in place somehow.

Agreed, a velcro strap will not keep the awning secure. We were traveling a back road of Texas, thankfully, when a quartering wind took the whole roller off. We didn't use Velcro and the arms were still secure. It was scary to think of that roller sailing if we had been on an interstate. Since then we use an awning lock.

[Tom_Barb]

larry barnhart wrote:
I was thinking the computer would reset if you stop and turn off and restart or maybe it will need two times to reset the computer.

chevman

You need to break power to it before it will reset. keeping the power on (it's wired hot for that circuit) will retain memory. disconnecting the battery and it will loose its mind 🙂

[Clay_L]

tbr2015 wrote:
Our friends lost their awning in similar fashion. After that, we took a long velcro strap and put it around the awning arms about half way up so they can't come open on their own. It has worked for a number of years now. Easy to remove and put back on when needed.

It has "worked" because they haven't had enough wind from the side. The wind comes up under the awning and unfurls the fabric by striping the ratchet that holds the awning rolled up. The arms are still locked.
To do the job the roller tube has to be locked in place somehow.

[RCMAN46]

A simple and cheap awning lock. The only thing required is a slight modification to the awning pull rod.

Mine had an existing hole in the end of awning opposite of the end that has the latch.



rebend the end of the awning pull rod so the end is a little longer.

Insert the pull rod into the hole and use a tie wrap to hold the other end of the pull rod against the awning arm. This will also lock the awning arm. As a safety I also tie wrap the other awning arm.

[DutchmenSport]

"I pulled the tattered remains of my awning and the twisted arms off the highway into the shoulder area. I had no place to put the thing, my truck was loaded to the top. I hated to leave it there but I had no place to carry it out."

Only one comment about this horrible story ... and yes, this is a horrible story ... "Litter bug!" 😞

[2oldman]

Unfortunately is sounds like your problems were all attributable to your being in a hurry. Driving in strong winds is not encouraged.

[RCMAN46]

BobsYourUncle wrote:

Gau 8 wrote:
What was the code? Just clearing them and pressing on can get expensive.

P0087 - Fuel Rail - Pressure too low.

It happened to me once before last spring in hot weather towing up mountain passes. It went away and I didn't get it fixed the first time. Have to know what it is before I can fix it.
Only happens when I tow and when its hot.
This time I was bucking a huge headwind and had to really stuff my foot in it to maintain speed.

Fuel filter or a leak in the fuel filter head?

[BobsYourUncle]

larry barnhart wrote:
I was thinking the computer would reset if you stop and turn off and restart or maybe it will need two times to reset the computer.

chevman

I did that ten times on the side of the road before pulling out my code reader.
I think there may be other parameters for the ignition cycle method too.

[larry_barnhart]

I was thinking the computer would reset if you stop and turn off and restart or maybe it will need two times to reset the computer.

chevman

[Tom_Barb]

pugslyyy wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:

wirenutz wrote:
How do you clear the code? Happened to me once too, scary

You can also remove the battery cable wait 5 minutes touch the cable back to the post, remove and then wait 5 more minutes and the computer will forget all codes.

Much easier to have a code reader though!

I have one of the wireless ones that I can read through my phone. I've actually cleared codes in motion that way.

You bet.. I have only had to do it once, and the cost of a reader isn't worth it. But remember you must do the chassis battery not the house batteries.

[RoyB]

That happened to a my BIL. We installed one of those door slides latches on his new awning and on mine as well..

Looks like this (LOWES)



Now I noticed they have spring loaded awning latches now...



Roy Ken

[BobsYourUncle]

BurbMan wrote:
Bob this has been a heckuva season camping for you, after enduring bitter cold, frozen dump lines, a pound of butter melted in the furnace vents, leaking trans cooler lines, and a few others I am forgetting. Paste these all together and throw in a romantic side plot and you would have a great movie!

LOL! Keeps me on my toes wondering what is going to happen next!!

Yeah maybe I should do that and make millions!!