Add an awning?

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Back2PA

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Jul 26, 2015
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My fiver has a curbside slide and the awning is forward of that. I've wondered if it's feasible to add an awning to the slide. This would give me almost double the shaded area. While I have an electric awning currently, if I were to actually do this (5% chance) I'd be looking at a manual model. Feasible? Anyone do this?
 
We added an electric awning to our large living room slide on our 5W when we were at a rally and there was a vendor there doing installs. I think it is 12?. It doesn?t match our other awning exactly but it is close. We really like it and it gives us shade now almost the entire length of the RV.

Vicki
 
A friend of mine had 2 awnings on his. The 2nd one was on his slide out just like you want. The problem I would have is mine has a topper so the awning rail would be fairly low. It would have to be under the topper roll.
 
As long as it has vertical support arms, you probably won't have an issue. If it was a self supporting awning you would probably need reinforcement behind the slide wall.
 
I would call the Manufacturer (or if all else fails the dealer) and ask if the slide side wall can support the weight etc. And if your unit is still on under warranty if such addition would void the warranty.
 
shorts said:
We added an electric awning to our large living room slide on our 5W when we were at a rally and there was a vendor there doing installs. I think it is 12?. It doesn?t match our other awning exactly but it is close. We really like it and it gives us shade now almost the entire length of the RV.

Interesting. I really expected more answers along the lines that it would be a problem.

How was the awning attached (i.e., just screwed to the skin?) and how was the wiring run and where is the awning switch located? About how long did it take them to install it? Also, do you have the vendor's name?

SargeW said:
As long as it has vertical support arms, you probably won't have an issue. If it was a self supporting awning you would probably need reinforcement behind the slide wall.

That was my thought re the manual vs electric. But my current version of electric does have arms (vs the full cantilever version) so I guess that qualifies. I have to admit I do like convenience of the electric awning. With my summers in PA it's not unusual to need to retract the awning for passing thunderstorms, nice to be able to just push a button (mine doesn't have a wind sensor)

Rene T said:
A friend of mine had 2 awnings on his. The 2nd one was on his slide out just like you want. The problem I would have is mine has a topper so the awning rail would be fairly low. It would have to be under the topper roll.

Rene I had toppers on my motorhome but none on this rig. Things I like about not having them (no maintenance), things I don't like about not having them (leaves etc on slides, plus rain much louder inside as it falls directly on slide roof). Pretty sure I'm not going to add them.
 
Assuming the slide wall has adequate backing for the mounts, sure. One of my buddies had a HR Endeavor coach that was factory-equipped that way, and I've seen others like it. One I recall had three awnings, one on each slide and another in-between, so that the entire side was shaded.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Assuming the slide wall has adequate backing for the mounts, sure.


Therein lies the conundrum, how does one know? I would fully anticipate Keystone, if they gave me any answer, would state that it wasn't recommended. Easy to provide that asset, and safe.
 
Judicious tapping of the inner and outer walls in an attempt to detect the more solid areas. Maybe drill a tiny hole to verify what you think. Another trick is to inspect the wall on a damp and chilly morning to see if you can see where condensed moisture has indicated a difference.

Removing a window may let you peer into the wall cavity enough to learn something. Or not.

There are stud finders that operate by density rather than magnetism and sometimes those work ok on RV construction.

The bottom line is that it takes skill, experience, and luck.
 
Back2PA said:
Interesting. I really expected more answers along the lines that it would be a problem.

How was the awning attached (i.e., just screwed to the skin?) and how was the wiring run and where is the awning switch located? About how long did it take them to install it? Also, do you have the vendor's name?

That was my thought re the manual vs electric. But my current version of electric does have arms (vs the full cantilever version) so I guess that qualifies. I have to admit I do like convenience of the electric awning. With my summers in PA it's not unusual to need to retract the awning for passing thunderstorms, nice to be able to just push a button (mine doesn't have a wind sensor)

Rene I had toppers on my motorhome but none on this rig. Things I like about not having them (no maintenance), things I don't like about not having them (leaves etc on slides, plus rain much louder inside as it falls directly on slide roof). Pretty sure I'm not going to add them.

We do have slide toppers and they don?t interfere at all. The arms are attached at the outer edges of the slide where the framing of the slide box is so we think it?s pretty secure. Our recliners and table/desk are in this slide and the overhead cabinets above the recliners have 12v lights over the seating. The installer tapped into that for the power and also installed the switch on the underneath of that cabinet so he didn?t have to cut into the wall. I believe the company was ShadePro and just took about 3-4 hours. I can?t remember exactly how much it was but it was less than I thought it would be. We?re really glad we had it done. Really helps keep the RV cooler.

Vicki
 
Update: Working with a repair facility that does awning installs in SC, and they are waiting on blueprints from Keystone. I currently have a Dometic awning and they are a service facility for Dometic. They contacted Dometic and, predictably, Dometic said they would not advise such an install (they said this not knowing anything about the trailer so I figure they're just covering themselves). Unfortunately, based on this the repair facility said they couldn't do it. I have talked them into at least considering putting a different brand on (which may have been necessary anyway based on dimensions), and they are trying to get the blueprints out of Keystone.

The area where the mounts would go are near the corners of the slide, right where one would anticipate metal structure, so I'm comfortable with the idea of installing it. We've also talked about through bolting with backing plates for the top bolts. The backing plates would be completely hidden by either valences or cabinets.

We'll see.
 
Based on what I have dealt with, your awning that is all ready installed on the unit doesn't have much if any backer.
On my 5th, the 2nd time I put out the awning it began to pull away when I lightly tightened my safety straps.
Going up on the roof checking thinking the screws were loose, out of maybe 40 or so screws on 7 had hit a stud, the rest where in the filon.

Contacted the dealer, and they told me that's not a rare event and we just put in bigger screws, per Keystone, blaming it on power screw drivers set with to much torque. Searched online and I cant tell you how many posts have been made with a dilemma like mine. Bigger screws. I took a look at many videos showing how RV walls are constructed. If you have a TT, not a problem, at the top edge is a header on all units. 5TH wheel, not one header for such was seen. Hell even my side brackets the screws are put in at such and angle just to hit a skinny single stud.

Ok enough. I had since added 3 window awning to my unit, few to others in the park and one on a slide similiar to what your doing.
How- Located every stud or backing I could find. The rail they will give you has predriiled holes, but I added ones where each stud/backer point.
On the other holes I used deep canoe rivets, capable on going through 1/2" of wall and still grip. There trifolds so they spread out behind the filon and hold that way. People say your gonna pull the walls down. Nope, the areas that are secured will prevent that from happening and the others are strong enough it cant begin to pull away like my factory one did.
 
I agree, my sense is that if I can get the side supports in metal I'm good. The place I've been dealing with did a fair amount of legwork, and since my last post they spoke with Keystone (they are a certified Keystone repair facility) and Keystone told them don't do it. Of course, that is the easiest answer and the one answer that carries zero liability for Keystone, Dometic and the installer.  This obviously isn't needed, it's just wanted, so there's no urgency. I'm planning on poking away at it, perhaps talking with some RV shops that do mods. For now, one less thing to spend money on.


(Ironically, after I started dialog with this installer I had a limb come done on my rig at 2am a couple nights ago. - not a great way to wake up. Didn't hurt the membrane for which I was thankful, but bounced off and went through my awning [it wasn't particularly windy at the time so the awning was out]. So instead of these folks installing a second awning, they're putting new fabric on the one I have.)
 
We have an awning on the slide of our Keystone. The fact that it mounts to the slide makes it the exact right height to bust my head into it whenever I walk past. It?s a running gag at the campsite.
 
Jimdamedic said:
We have an awning on the slide of our Keystone. The fact that it mounts to the slide makes it the exact right height to bust my head into it whenever I walk past. It?s a running gag at the campsite.

I would invest some pool noodles, slice them and install over the arms...The bright color might catch your eye and prevent the head impact or at least cushion the blow.

It's all fun and games until the doctor start doing the stitches.
 
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