When my awning is extended and I open the door(s) (both outside and screen) they rub against the awning underside and leave a black mark. I'm concerned that the sharp corner of the door will eventually wear a hole right through the awning. I guess this is a design flaw of the Gulfstream Sea Hawk 5'er as the awning roller is not positioned high enough over the door - and there isn't enough room to move it higher because the rear end of the roller is right at the roof line.
Any ideas to solve this problem? I though of adding some sort of roller to the door corner but not sure this will be effective over the long haul.
Your Dealer or Camping World has a device that has a roller (small wheel) that attaches to the door and it gently slides across the awning when you open and close the door. You could also raise the height of the awning to clear the door.
As said your dealer should have the small roller that attaches to the top corner of your door.It also comes with a small plastic piece to put on the corner of the screen so it wont tear or mark the awning.
Starr
1979"Orphan" Free Spirit Eagle 54,000 miles on Chevie 454. New Kwikee electric double steps,Onan 4.0 generator. Oldie but a Goodie.The Motorhome that is. I'm just old.I use and Support CB Channel 13
I extend the leading edge of the Awning upward until the door clears the awning. If you have extended your poles as far as they go and it is still rubbing, then it does sound like a design flaw.
2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD.
2001 Fleetwood Prowler 27X 5500 lbs loaded.
Wife and two sons.
Any ideas to solve this problem? I though of adding some sort of roller to the door corner but not sure this will be effective over the long haul.
John
A roller/caster is the normal solution. An offset, non-swivel type caster from the hardware store will be good. In my experience, it'll be better than the small plastic casters sold for the purpose by Camping World etc because you can get a bigger wheel diameter in a regular caster.
The larger the wheel size the lower the stress on the awning fabric. It also helps to make sure the wheel's edges are rounded. Ideally a spherical surface should contact the fabric.
I got a big rubber caster and rounded the wheel edges with a grinder to minimize stress on the fabric.
You should be able to adjust the awning so it will clear the door with or without a roller. A roller is more for safety and can cause wear but not as much. It can only go on the exterior door and not the screen door. I'm not sure where the awning is attached to your trailer but if the trailer is still under warranty, I would get them to move the entire awning up, if possible. However, replacing the extension arms with longer ones would be a better solution.
We have the SeaHawk (2001) also and have the A&E awning, it can be extended enough for it to clear the door. It gets close if we lower the rear arm to get some water runoff protection. The door is radiused so there is no sharp corner to rub on the awning. Try to extend the front arm to the max and see if it doesn't clear the fabric.
I should have mentioned that it's a 1997 SeaHawk (we bought it used) and the awning is from Carefree of Colorado. We've tried extending the arms to the max but it still rubs. Longer replacement arms might work but I think I'll try the coaster suggestion first. Thanks for all the ideas - most helpful!
Hello John,
First off, it is not a design flaw of you RV. I have had just about every style of RV there is,,, truck camper, travel trailer, 5th wheel and a motor home.. and they all have that same problem.
The trick is to always extend the awning to its full size. you should never unroll it part way, its not good for the awning material as it can mildew over time, if not given a chance to "air out" in the sun.
When the awning is unrolled to its full size, you should then raise the awning legs to a height that will allow the door to open without touching the awning fabric.
The little wheel the others talk about is an excellent idea for when it has rained and the awning fabric tends to sag a little..
Another idea you might think about is to always set up the awning in the "car-port" configuration.. That is, place the legs on the ground instead of leaving them attached to the brackets on the side of the RV.
This has saved many a RV owner from having to replace the siding on his RV because the wind suddenly came up and ripped the awning from the trailer..
(not to mention all the bruises on your head from running into the legs.)
Believe me ,,, replacing an awning is much cheaper than replacing the awning AND the side of the RV where the legs were attached in those brackets..
A friend had his axles flipped and the awning legs ended up being too short, so he simply made a 12" long "leg" for his setup..
The little leg is simply a piece of angle iron with a 4" square metal plate welded on one end (top end) of the angle iron and a 6" square plate on the other end (bottom ). drill two hole in top 4" plate to match the holes in awning leg and bolt together with short bolts and nut.
On other end drill two holes on opposite sides, near the edge of the 6" plate so a long nail can be driven into the ground. He uses "rain gutter" nails.
Some food for thought ...
best of luck,
John
* This post was
edited 01/03/05 02:03pm by jharrelson *
John Harrelson
Carson City, Nevada
fulltime since 1977
93 Ford 350 4wd Diesel
95 Prowler 30.5 ft 5th wheel w/slide
TWO CENTS WORTH
The story goes that a man died and was approached by the Devil who told him that he could buy his soul back for a dollar. The man searched his pockets and could only come up with 98 cent. While begging the Devil to forget the two cent he was short, an Angel happened by and hearing the Devil laughing, asked the man, "Would you mind if I put in my two cents ?" The Devil got so mad that he exploded in a puff of smoke and the man's soul was saved. The moral: Sometimes putting in your two cents worth makes a difference.
JOHN "the cook" 1997
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and two sons.
