Hi;
We just got our new Durango 2500 home, and I have a question about the power awning. It was a little bit windy the other day, and we had the awning out. There were a few gusts that blew the awning back toward the trailer. Is there some sort of mechanism for locking the awning in the "out" position? I just pushed the button until it was all the way out (or looked like it), and then left it. Didn't expect it to just blow back in. No damage, but it does concern me.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Dean
Dean and Tracy Bachellier
Isobel,Evelyn, and Stuart
2012 KZ Durango D355BHS quad bunk with 5 slides
HiJacker 16K double pivot slider
2011 RAM 3500 SRW Crew Cab 4X4 CTD
"It's five o'clock somewhere...."
Most automatic awnings are very sensitive to wind. Some have an adjustment for that but mostly it is just something you have to live with, I understand.
When it is that windy it is telling you to roll it up for now!!JMHO jb That is if you care about having it for a while!!
2001 F 350 CC PSD 373 rear,auto
RBW X16 slider,Bedsaver,Prodigy,Fold A Cover,Pressure Pro!
2011 Crossroads Cruiser cf32mk Patriot edit. 5th wheel Fibreglass and all the goodies necessary,Dish,comfy loungers,and a nickel to spend,
Mr & Mrs and the PUP.
My awning didn't roll up in the wind. It just blew up against the side of the fiver. One side out, one side in. I was hoping there was a way to lock the mechanism. It wasn't so windy that I worried about the awning getting damaged, but I was worried about the awning tube slamming up against the side of the rig.
Locking the mechanism on an powered awning would ultimately lead to you trying to retract it when locked and tearing something up. I am sure that is why there is no locking mechanism for the arms.
I have always been concerned about the effect of wind on my electric awning, so I have always pulled it in when the wind blows. But I want to sit out there in the wind and rain sometimes. After having a close look at the mechanism, it appears that its engineered to allow the wind to blow and the awning just "bends" with the force.
There are two forces that can be a problem: downforce from wind and rain and upforce from wind gusts. Mine will "give" when either of these situations occurs using the spring loaded mechanism and then return to its fully extended position. So if a gust of wind gets under the awning, it just retracts slightly and then re-extends. If a load of water from the rain accumulates on the top of the awning, the weight causes the awning to start retracting which dumps the water off the side and then extends again.
Seems to work pretty well in light to medium winds and rain storms, but I still haven't pushed it to see how it handles big storms. And I do retract it at night just to be safe.
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