Roll out awnings on caravans?

Submitted: Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 18:14

ThreadID: 69343 Views:13561 Replies:5 FollowUps:3

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Member - Axle

Our windsor van has a electrolux roll out awnining, when rolled out and set up with the sides etc, it is very good, The worst thing with it is removing the legs from the van and positioning them. I had one experience where as one side was half way there, the wife was bringing the other side out to match and the thing dropped on her causing the canvas to rip half way across the van!!. I can't repeat what was said in the screaming match that went on from there, but i do know this!, when its time to roll out that awning she disappears,.....lol. so its me on my pat malone to get the thing assembled. Any simple way of getting around this other than chopping the thing off!? its bringing the legs out from the van on ya own thats causing the grief!!.

Cheers Axle.

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Reply By: blackmax11 - Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 19:54

Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 19:54

Last year when about to order a new van I suggested I would order with the new electric awning. I was advised not to as there were issues with the product.
Being Electrolux was another negative for me. We recently had fires caused in the fusing of elements in our Electrolux oven and then Grill. They repaired and charged us. I took them to consumer affairs, they still refused so I continued and went to the tribunal. At the last minute before the hearing they relented and agreed to do the repairs as warranty.
So Electrolux is not my favourite company. They currently have thousands of dishwashers under recall due to internal fires from fussed elements. Maybe they will be issuing a recall on their electric awnings if enough of you report to ACCC.

AnswerID: 367658

Reply By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 20:08

Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 20:08

Do one at a time and do the back end one first or u could break the pin that holds the spring at the front end.

ALWAYS peg it down or you may take up hang gliding if the wind gets up.
If on concrete use a rope and a peg.

AnswerID: 367663

Reply By: Brian B (Brisbane) - Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 23:48

Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 23:48

Hi Axle,

While I can't help much with the problem, I am wanting to find out the main reason people unclip the legs and put them out. I understand that if you are setting up an annexe this may be required but is it to give better entry and access under the awning as opposed to leaving the legs braced back to the van?

When we brought our new Avan pop top we had the Dometic roll out awning installed and I remember on handover day the guy told us always to leave the legs clipped back to the van when we have the awning up as it provides much better bracing to the awning roof.

So I am just trying to find out what the benefits are when the legs are unclipped and moved out.

Have a good one.

AnswerID: 367695

Follow Up By: didiaust - Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 06:56

Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 06:56

Brian

Are you happy with your Avan

We looked at them at a recent show down here. My concerns were the screens and blinds as I wondered how long they would last and how much bother to have them repaired as there is no dealer close to us

We were considering at an 18' poptop with shower

Got a reasonable price but for a few grand more I was wanting a Coromal as I assume they have been around longer and seem to have a good reputation,

Would love to hear your thoughts

Di

FollowupID: 635325

Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 11:13

Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 11:13

Brian, Its more to do woith the weight issue all hanging off the side even though the legs are supported against the side its the overall weight, and they are heavy!, not good with a poptop construction i don't think.

Cheers Axle.

FollowupID: 635357

Follow Up By: Brian B (Brisbane) - Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 19:18

Monday, Jun 01, 2009 at 19:18

Hi Di,

We brought the Erin Mark 2 which is a 17' single axle poptop. We love it and I know the screens and blinds were a real selling point to my wife. As to how long they last I don't know but they appear to be quite durable.

We are really happy with the van and its list of standard inclusions is excellent especially the hot water service. One negative is that they sit too low to the ground although you can request an underslung axle like we did and this problem is fixed.

Have tested ours out in recent torrential Queensland rain and it remained nice and dry. The Dometic roll out awning is great and very easy to set up and put away.

Construction method is completely different to vans like Coromal and they have great insulating qualities as the walls are created like a big sandwich panel, with an outer skin of aluminium. The nose and tail end are one piece.

Ours is only a couple of months old so time will tell in the long run. Upholstery and fittings inside are great and I can't fault them at all. Innerspring mattress is also very good quality. Plenty of cupboard space and cabinet work appears to be a of a good standard. Full size sink with flickmixer tap and a back up 12 volt pump to get water from the tank makes a nice setup.

We did a lot of looking prior to buying and in fact a Coromal was next on our list but we just liked the Avan for our needs a bit better.

Now that we have it I can tell you that it tows well behind our Hilux and is a ten to fifteen minute job to set up so it makes a good touring setup. The only extra we had installed was a Dometic B1900 rooftop air conditioner which can be fitted to Avans as they come out of the factory with the roof built in such a way as to be able to support the rooftop unit. Part of the installation process is to install stronger gas lift roof struts and ours lifts without any problems at all.

Haven't had any warranty issues at this time so I can't comment on that. We brought ours from a dealer on the Southside of Brisbane called CruiseOz and they were great to deal with.

All in all we are really happy with it but at the end of the day you pick what works for you. Have a lot of fun looking.

FollowupID: 635557

Reply By: Member - Bruce T (SA) - Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 00:34

Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 00:34

This is Di. We roll out the awning; take one leg off and fix it to the ground with a peg. We then do the other leg and I hold it and move it while Bruce ensures it is straight. He then fixes it to the ground with pegs. We do the same at the other end. Touch wood, we have never had a problem. We only do this when putting up the annexe otherwise we leave the legs attached to the van. Leaving the legs attached doesn't interfere with putting up the storm flaps.

Even when we put up the annexe we do not necessarily have both legs detached, it depends where we decide we want the door.

Di
the other half

AnswerID: 367699

Reply By: Ianw - Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 19:11

Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 19:11

If I am going to put the legs out I always firstly pull the awning down to approx the level it will be with the legs out but not raised to full height. Unhook one leg at a time and position vertically. Then raise the legs one at a time to full height. I to do it on my own every time, I think it is much safer and leads to less conflicts.

Ian

AnswerID: 367806