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mtofell1
Oregon
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Joined: 12/08/2006
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I anchor mine down at each end but agree with some others that it's not just a set it and forget it. When it gets too windy I close it up.
fwiw, I also agree that I'd love to have my old manual awning back. Waaaaay easier to set the tilt where I want it (shield the sun, get rain to fall off the end I want, etc.) plus no electrical parts to break.
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TXiceman
Full Time RVer
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Joined: 11/17/2000
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Awnings are meant to be rolled up before the wind damages them. With the advent of electric awnings, there is really no reason to NOT roll them up.
Ken
Amateur Radio Operator.
2013 HitchHiker 38RLRSB Champagne, toted with a 2012, F350, 6.7L PSD, Crewcab, dually. 3.73 axle, Full Time RVer.
Travel with a standard schnauzer and a Timneh African Gray parrot
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Campinghoss@51
Windsor NC
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Joined: 11/03/2003
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Not a good idea if your awning rolls up automatically in wind gusts. I always roll mine up if I know a hard wind is coming. However at the coast wind springs up suddenly sometimes and the awning auto retracts.
Camping Hoss
2017 Open Range 3X 388RKS
2017 F-350 6.7 with hips 8'bed
Lucky & Lucie
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GDS-3950BH
DC
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Joined: 12/08/2019
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M.R.E. wrote:I have a Columbus 5th wheel with an electric awning that I tie down with ratchet straps. I was told you shouldn't do this because you can bend the tube unless you have a spring mounted on the end of the straps. Is this true ?
Asking this question on this or other boards will get you a lot of posts from folks who have never tied down an awning telling you it can't be done, or it will get destroyed, or other foolishness. Its the same folks that tell you if your fridge is 1/2 of a degree out of level it will burn you rig down, or if you drive more than 1 mile on the OEM Chinese made tires on a new rig you'll trigger the apocalypse.
Facts speak otherwise. I have been tying down automatic awnings and leaving them up for weeks at a time for years on a few different rigs and despite being in some thunderstorms and winds up to 50 mph have yet to damage one. The trick is to make and install a pole system, which is super easy to do that connects to the end brackets, and gets staked to the ground. With this method no force from the ratchet strap is transferred to the awning arms.
I made my own which are self storing, and I also made self storing poles that run from awning rail to the end brackets, so de-flapper clips can also be used. Some folks even make and sell kits, brackets, and the poles, which you can find if you search around RV boards. Here is a link to one such thread. LINK
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M.R.E.
MI, usa
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Joined: 09/06/2003
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I don't set and forget it. When they forecast strong winds, I roll it up. I have seen a gust flip a guy's awnings on the roof, mine didn't move.
toolmaker
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laknox
Arizona
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Joined: 01/06/2008
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TXiceman wrote:Awnings are meant to be rolled up before the wind damages them. With the advent of electric awnings, there is really no reason to NOT roll them up.
Ken
I left the manual awning on my old Komfort out in some pretty strong winds and felt no real qualms leaving my rig unattended with the awning out. So, I come back and my rig's still cool. With the electric awning on my KZ, if it gets much above a breeze, I roll it up, and I =never= leave it out if we leave. So, when I get back now, rig's 10-15 degrees warmer because of the loss of shade. Even camping at 7,000+ feet, if you're in the sun, it gets =hot=. So, give me manuals any day.
Lyle
2002 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Duramax Crew Cab 4x4 6.5' Bed
Banks Bullet Tuner and Monster Exhaust
B&W Turnover Ball with 5th Wheel Companion
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
International Flying Farmers 62 Year Member
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Lynnmor
Red Lion
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Joined: 07/16/2011
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laknox wrote:TXiceman wrote:Awnings are meant to be rolled up before the wind damages them. With the advent of electric awnings, there is really no reason to NOT roll them up.
Ken
I left the manual awning on my old Komfort out in some pretty strong winds and felt no real qualms leaving my rig unattended with the awning out. So, I come back and my rig's still cool. With the electric awning on my KZ, if it gets much above a breeze, I roll it up, and I =never= leave it out if we leave. So, when I get back now, rig's 10-15 degrees warmer because of the loss of shade. Even camping at 7,000+ feet, if you're in the sun, it gets =hot=. So, give me manuals any day.
Lyle
You and I have been on the same page for quite awhile, but then we have experience with manual awnings and aren't too lazy to operate them. One difference between us is that I simply don't use the piece of junk to avoid problems. A failure while traveling can mess up the trip.
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Terryallan
Foothills NC
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Joined: 06/28/2004
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TXiceman wrote:Awnings are meant to be rolled up before the wind damages them. With the advent of electric awnings, there is really no reason to NOT roll them up.
Ken
See i feel just the opposite. awnings are meant to sit under, and keep your stuff dry. We put our's out when we set up, and bring it in when we break camp. Inbetween. It only comes in if there is a hurricane passing by. We usually carport it, meaning we take the legs off the camper, and stake them to the ground, and tie them down to stakes. Believe it or not. I can still have it rolled up in less than a minute. Manual awning are a lot tougher than electric ones.
Terry & Shay
Coachman Apex 288BH.
2013 F150 XLT Off Road
5.0, 3.73
Lazy Campers
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