Awning Tiedowns

[MAMalody]

I am thinking of tying down my awning since I am usually here for three weeks at a time and with the temps in the high 90s and low 100s it really helps. There is usually a 3-15 mph breeze. Is it best to tie down directly to the stake or put tension spring in the tie down? I am thinking of buy the parts and not the kit, I think it will be cheaper that way.

[Art-n-Marge]

I'm interested in your solution(s). I am always amazed when I see a full-timer with an awning and even an attached screen room that looks like it's been in position for years and I know there have been stong winds in the area. They must use EVERTHING available in the market for this.

Many I see remove the bar from the side and position out vertically from the roller, then secure it with all the hardware doodads possible. I have never gotten too close to go check it out, because they remind me of crotchety old timers that don't want visitors. This reminds me of when I was a young lad a long time ago, back in Texas and the old fogeys would yell at us to scare us away and keep us honest as they held their scatterguns comfortably in their arms. It worked because even today I still don't know how they secure their awnings.

[adelmoll]

When we are in Florida we have stakes in the ground and use springs when we attach. We also put a sun shade in the grooves of the awning that attaches to some smaller stakes... However, we do watch the weather reports and if it sounds like strong winds are coming, the awning goes up. We bring ours up a lot more than most people at our park so I guess it is a lot stronger than we give it credit for but so far, we have not had a problem with the awning on any of our RV's except for the slide toppers. They are a lot more fragile.

Helen

[SlickWillie]

I don't use springs or bungee. I simply use the ratchet tie downs to secure ours when out. We have wind constantly here on the coast. A lot has to do with the direction in which your rig is parked. Most of our summer winds are from the south, or southeast, and the back of the fiver is towards the east. That blocks the wind off the awning. I have a neighbor that is here for four months. He has his awning out, with a sun screen, tied down with auger type anchors using the ratchet straps with springs. He will go off for days at a time and leave the awning out; I'm simply not that brave.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

We winter in Florida for 7 months. When we get down here I put the awning down and rarely ever put it back up and have yet to have a problem and yes I also have a sun screen attached
I use the ratchet straps with HD RUBBER bungee cords as shocks. My stakes are 18" long re-bar driven in at a 45° angle making it very difficult to pull out. The straps are ratcheted to the point the HD bungee just starts to stretch. This allows the bungees to act like shock absorbers much the same as your spring idea.
I also use a minimum of 3 de-flappers on each end. The de-flappers are pulled tight. The rail that the de-flappers are attached to is also pulled as tight as possible before tightening the screw.
The sunscreen is stacked to the ground using the cheap bungees and tent stacks also driven in at 45°

I NEVER set any of the main rails on the ground. I have found that by so doing you will lose better than 50% of the stability of the awning.

BTW-I also have my Monty positioned so that the prevailing winds from the west are rarely a factor but here in Florida we do get winds from all directions. So long as they are not over 45 MPH I don't worry about it. YES I do keep a close eye on the forecast for wind directions.
Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

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Photo 5

Photo 6

[wingerphil]

I just use ratchet straps and the screw in type tie down stakes used for dog leashes. I do put the awning away if I know bad weather is coming. It can all can be purchased at Wal Mart for $20 or less.

[steves]

We have the electric awning and do the same a Adelmoll.

[tim43]

On my old rig with the non-electric awning, we used ratchets, springs, and S hooks when we tied it down. Using the S hooks and springs, we always has a fast way to release the tie downs from the awning and then retract. With the new electric awning, we just retract when leaving or at night. May use the old equipment on this one as well in the future.

[sreigle]

If the breeze stays that light, then you don't really need to stake it down. But it brings peace of mind for when you are not at the rig, just in case the wind gusts on you.

A couple of years ago we spent two months in the Rio Grande Valley where the wind was strong, gusty, and nearly constant. I staked ours down with the strap that goes clear across the awning, by the tube, and attaches to springs on the augur type stakes. I also used five deflappers on each side. The awning stayed out the entire two months. It made lots of noise in the heavier winds but it survived unscathed.

I'd recommend staking it down if you decide to leave it out for the duration.

[KTManiac]

Anyone figured out a way to use de-flappers on a power awning? The way they they scissor out, there is no bar running down the edges of the awning. The only way I can see it working would be to put some sort of aluminum tubing with quick disconnects at the roller end so you could undo them in a hurry in case of too windy conditions.

As much as I like the power awning for convenience, I hate it for the lack of options for deployment. I would prefer having the manual one over the power one, but that is what it came with. So until the time it decides to fall apart, or I accidentally scrape it off with a tree or building, I guess that it will have to do.

[Art-n-Marge]

Glenn, some clarification on your Photo #2 with the rebar and the bottom where your straps attach. The 18" rebar goes in at a 45 degree angle. Then it looks like the screen bungee hooks on that, then I see a ring? Where does the ring come in? It then looks like you attach your ratcheting straps to the ring. I just can't see how the ring gets there.

My biggest problem is camping in the southwest. What do you recommend for VERY HARD ground or concrete/asphalt surfaces. The screw down stakes can't pierce these surfaces. Attempting to hammer a stake into the hard ground will cause the clods to go flying causing a hole. They you try and continue hammer a stack into the ground making a bigger hole until it finally catches dirt that the stake can bite into. I think the 18" rebar is a good idea, but what's the trick to get it back out?

I take note that removing the tensioning bars from their position to stake them into the ground vertically might not be as stable, but I guess I'll finally have to learn to duck when I get near them and I'm wearing a hat with a large brim and bonk my head cuz I'm looking down. (fortunately it doesn't hurt but it sure irritates me).

Great ideas so far! Thanks!

[Bill and Lisa]

For those with the electric awnings....If you secure them to some sort of ground stake is there a way to keep the awning from auto retracting as the wind comes up? I can see that being a problem if the awning tries to stow itself while you have it tied down.....

[steves]

Montana does not have the wind sensor / auto close on their electric awnings.

[Lawman]

The most secure way is using something that will not come out of the ground (I prefer dog screw in the grounds, one on each outer awning corner) and ratchet straps.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

If you take a close look at the re-bar stakes I used you will also see the top handle portion of the screw type.



Because the so called soil down in Florida is 90% sand I also put the screw type in at 90° to the ground first and than drive the re-bar at a 45° angle thru the handle. As you would have to pull in 2 different directions at the same time makes the two stakes very difficult to pull out.
One night this set up with stood wind of 25 MPH with gusts of 45 MPH. I am so confident in my set up that I have quite often went away on windy days for 5 or 6 hours and was never concerned.

My biggest concern could be the awning tearing but what the heck that's why I pay for insurance. For the $500 deductable I get a brand new awning.

[BB_TX]

I also use the screw in type anchor and deflappers on each side and the awning pulled tight in all directions. No springs or bungees. And I keep a fairly steep angle on the awning so that any wind blowing directly at the awning is also blowing somewhat on to the top of it.
I never take it up unless there is a storm coming or exceptionally strong winds predicted.
No problems (yet).

[CmdrDewey]

I do basically what Glenn does but I do put the legs on the ground. My awning is pointed at the prevailing wind in the Rio Grande Valley and it stays out all winter. My personal comfort level is a prediction of more than 40 mph but even though the wind blows virtually all the time we have never hit that. It does get pretty noisy sometime.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

quote:Originally posted by Art-n-Marge

Glenn, some clarification on your Photo #2 with the rebar and the bottom where your straps attach. The 18" rebar goes in at a 45 degree angle. Then it looks like the screen bungee hooks on that, then I see a ring? Where does the ring come in? It then looks like you attach your ratcheting straps to the ring. I just can't see how the ring gets there.

I guess I forgot to mention that a "ring" was welded onto each re-bar to give me something to put the hook thru.

My biggest problem is camping in the southwest. What do you recommend for VERY HARD ground or concrete/asphalt surfaces. The screw down stakes can't pierce these surfaces. Attempting to hammer a stake into the hard ground will cause the clods to go flying causing a hole. They you try and continue hammer a stack into the ground making a bigger hole until it finally catches dirt that the stake can bite into. I think the 18" rebar is a good idea, but what's the trick to get it back out?

Never experienced ground that hard but I have been in CGs where the entire area was concrete. In those situations forget everything I said.
Most times I can pull the re-bar out of the ground by hand. Where it's real tight I just forcibly move it back and forth until it loosens.

I take note that removing the tensioning bars from their position to stake them into the ground vertically might not be as stable, but I guess I'll finally have to learn to duck when I get near them and I'm wearing a hat with a large brim and bonk my head cuz I'm looking down. (fortunately it doesn't hurt but it sure irritates me).

Ducking is highly recommended.

Great ideas so far! Thanks!