# Awning Auto Deployment on M6 !!!



## Scotjimland

While travelling this morning on the M6 our awning decided to give us a helping hand .. yes, you've guessed.. it deployed itself while we were doing 50 mph 8O 

I heard the awful bang, looked over and saw it flapping, fully out .. my heart almost stopped.. I pulled into the hard shoulder and jumped out fearing the worse.. 

With Paul's help we managed to get the arms back against the van but the fabric was all in a mess.. just at this point the Police pulled up and parked with the blue lights flashing.. he helped secure and suggested we get off the motorway to inspect and secure properly.. 

He escorted us to the next exit, I drove on the hard shoulder, he in the first lane .. 

Parked safely up, I pulled the awning out again and straightened the fabric and managed to re roll it properly.. it is torn at each end but I think repairable with some awning repair tape.. 

I then used cable ties to bind the legs and stays together.. 

How this can happen I don't know, I've read about it happening to US RVers but always thought it must be carelessness when stowing .. :roll: Not so, I know I stowed it properly.. 

Be aware of this problem .. its an A & E system by Dometic .. 

Short term I'll use cable ties but long term I think proper webbing straps would be good.. 


Safe travels all.. 

Jim

Note to Mods

Perhaps make this a sticky? 
.. I was extremely lucky, if a truck or bus had been overtaking I dread to think of the consequencies..


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## 94055

Glad to hear you have not had too much of a problem Jim. The main thing you and yours are safe.

Steve


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## zaskar

This is EXACTLY what happen to me on top of Shap at 60!!!!!!
Frightened the hell out of me. We were caught by a side wind and ended up with a spinicker (sp) sail hanging off the rig whilst the artics did handstands in the middle lane!!!!!  

Even though the up rights are locked, what happens is that air pressure gets under the folds of the rolled up awning and the spring tension on the roller is simply not strong enough to fight against the air pressure to keep the awning rolled up. I designed and made my own clamp for the roller which has worked well so far.

It's made from 8mm stainless steel bar which is basically a pin in one end (which plugs into the hole in the grey end cap of the awning roller and then the other end is bent into a sort of "U" shape which wraps around the awning upright.
this means that is is IMPOSSIBLE for the roller to unroll without snapping the stainless steel bar.

As your away form home (IYSWIM!!!!  ) a temporary fix would be to do what I did on top of Shap.
Plug a screw driver into the hole in the end cap and then tie wrap the handle around the awning upright.

Glad your all OK mate, a VERY dodgy and frightening situation.


edit = Note that due to vibration whilst on the move, over a period of time, the stainless bar has removed the white paint from the top of the upright where it touches but even tho i like a tidy rig, personally I think this is a small price to pay for safety.


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## 98585

Glad everything is OK. Good job you weren't on the M6 Toll Jim, they charge extra for awnings  

Think I'll invest in a velcro strap or two as well.


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## Waleem

Sounds like a frightening experience! At least the Police were there when you needed them. Where does one buy awning repair tape ? My Omnistor has a couple of tears which need fixing.


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## Scotjimland

I thought this fulltiming lark was supposed to be relaxing :roll: 

Good idea Zaskar .. a pic would be useful.. :wink: 
and thanks for the site info.. great place.. I'm going to need a week of R&R to recover :?


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## zaskar

ScotJimland said:


> I thought this fulltiming lark was supposed to be relaxing :roll:
> 
> Good idea Zaskar .. a pic would be useful.. :wink:
> and thanks for the site info.. great place.. I'm going to need a week of R&R to recover :?


Unfortunately, due to being clever enough to leave my digi camera in a knee pocket whilst I dived into a river to free my VERY stuck Rangerover, its a tad bust!
As soon as I can borrow another, I'll photo and post cos it's a very handy tool which is cheap and simple to make.

Ps I hate you(  ).........for being in such a beautifull place whilst I'm stuck here in a flooded aircraft hanger!!!!
Glad you like the place mate. Have a lovely time and keep us posted on progress.


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## 88741

Phew and I had a heart attack when the rooflight popped up whilst on the M5 when coming back from picking up the van 8O 

Glad you and the van are ok 8)


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## 88927

WOW...............
Glad that you and yours (and everyone close to you) is ok Jim, must have been a terrifying few minutes there??? You must be happy that the boys in blue didn't ticket you for something :lol: 
Thanks for the heads up so that we can all rush out and buy straps to stop it happening to anyone else.
Have a great R&R mate :lol: 

Keith


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## Scotjimland

Hi Keith 

thanks for the good wishes.. 

I was puzzled why it happened, Zaskar has given the explanation. 

Just as it happened we were hit by a strong side gust, I felt George being pushed to the left and it's not the legs coming loose, but the fabric being ripped off the roller which acts like a huge spinnaker 8O 

It's the most frightening experience.. 

If this is a known issue why haven't Dometic and Carefree made a modification ?


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## Motorhomersimpson

Hi Jim,

Pleased you are all okay, in a way you were lucky it was the motorway this happened on, had it been a A-road I dred to think what might have happened.

The police are only concerned about the safety of the occupants and removing vehicles off the hard shoulder as soon as possible as far as I know, very reassuring when they lend help this way. 

I have, as you requested, made this a sticky for a while so most other RV’ers have a chance of heeding your warning.

MHS…Rob


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## 95633

Very Scary Jim - glad you're all OK

Was this on a manual A&E or an automatic one - and Im wondering if it would even make a difference ?

Cheers
Paul


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## olley

Hi Jim when you stow an A&E awning you have to flick the ratchet lever to allow it to go back, unless you then flick it back the other way when its stowed, the ratchet should prevent it from undoing shouldn't it?

I will try to deploy mine when I get home without altering the ratchet position.

Olley


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## billym

Bad Luck. These awnings are prone to doing that. We have always used decent velcro straps and cable ties top and bottom. A pain doing it every time but well worth it !


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## LC1962

ScotJimland said:


> If this is a known issue why haven't Dometic and Carefree made a modification ?


Probably because its easier to market an accessory (namely "cinch straps") than to re-vamp an age-old design and have to recall millions of awnings for modification :roll:

Incidentally, the same thing happened to us en-route to Newbury last year, thankfully I was travelling in the truck, behind the RV and trailer and was able to flag JC down before disaster struck.

Hope you are none the worse for wear after your ordeal Jim!


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## 88927

Hi guys
These will not stop the material unwinding but I am ordering a couple now anyway.......
HTH

Keith

Edit. Sorry I bought those, but he does have some other ones :roll: :roll:


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## Scotjimland

Well, I've had a look at the fabric..  and it's not good.. 

There is a 1mt tear along the roof line.. tape won't work.. nothing to tape together :? and torn along the roller at the opposite end.. I need a new awning canvas..  


Everything else is ok.. which is most fortunate.. 

Hi Linda.. 

can you get one or have in stock ? 

it's 8.5mt .. in Burgandy 

cheers 
Jim


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## 88927

Hi Jim
Sorry to hear that mate... If Linda hasn't got one there may be an alternative mate. The awning material fits into an awning channel on the upper side wall and also in the roller tube as you will know, so it should be possible to contact an awning repair shop and get them to sew a new awning cord onto each edge of your existing material. Obviously they would need to cut it to remove the damage but this will only shorten the extension by a couple of inches, so probably not to noticeable, and it would be a lot cheaper and possibly quicker too......
Just a thought matey :lol: 

Keith


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## Scotjimland

Good thinking Keith .. 
I might do that depending on cost/availability ..

I'll see what Linda has to say then decide.. 

cheers

Jim


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## 100790

Wow Jim that sounds scary and a lucky escape. Is the awning fitted with grey travel locks?

Geoff


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## Scotjimland

GEOFFs125 said:


> Wow Jim that sounds scary and a lucky escape. Is the awning fitted with grey travel locks?
> 
> Geoff


Hi Geoff

Yes it was a lucky escape, it could have been much worse.. I shudder to think if it had hit a truck .. I've seen the damage caused when awnings being blown over the roof, I never leave mine up unattended or overnight..

The travel locks were definitely in place before we set off from Snelly's Meet.. it's a damn poor design :roll:

What puzzles me, the yanks claim companies for least excuse you would have thought that this problem would have been fixed years ago.. :?


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## Scotjimland

Locking pins, velcro straps, repair tape etc are available from APB.

http://www.abp-accessories.co.uk/product.php?cat=35

Linda from Stateside may also supply..


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## G2EWS

Hi Jim,

What a scary story! Glad you are all OK and hopefully the heart rate has returned to normal.

Does seem very bizarre that this happens and there has been no fix. I have not had chance to check out the 'cinch straps' that Linda mentioned, maybe they are the answer.

With regards to the replacement material, we spoke at the time I replaced mine. It is a relatively straight forward job (as long as you have about four people to help!) and Linda sorted it fairly quickly for me.

Regards

Chris


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## zaskar

ScotJimland said:


> Good idea Zaskar .. a pic would be useful.. :wink:


Morning Jim!  
Sorry, couldn't lay my hands on a camera last night so I've done a sketch in Word and hopefully attached it! 8O 
here goes........... 8O


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## olley

hi Jim just checked mine, and as I said in my previous post the ratchet stops it unwinding, so even if I forgot to lock the sides it would still not deploy.

Maybe your ratchet is faulty? I would think with side locks and the ratchet the yanks consider it safe.

Olley


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## sallytrafic

Sorry you are losing me here

...... this is an american RV, surely they are perfect


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## zaskar

olley said:


> hi Jim just checked mine, and as I said in my previous post the ratchet stops it unwinding, so even if I forgot to lock the sides it would still not deploy.
> Maybe your ratchet is faulty? I would think with side locks and the ratchet the yanks consider it safe.
> 
> Olley


Problem is Olley, the serrations on the ratchet wear off which is why it wont stop the awning unravelling, even tho it's supposed to. 
After a mini hurricane destroyed my awning, I completely stripped and rebuilt it and found that the ratchet on mine had worn smooth over a period of time. You can get replacemnt ratchets, but , 1/ they're a bit of a b*ll ache to fit, and 2/, it's only gonna wear off again. personally i dont agree with friction type locks, i prefer the "possitive locking" effect of a pin or a bolt.


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## zaskar

sallytrafic said:


> Sorry you are losing me here
> 
> ...... this is an american RV, surely they are perfect


phlurrrr!!!! 8O 
Yeah right! 8O

I wish!


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## olley

compared to a swift, they are. :lol: 

Olley


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## Snelly

Having a Fiamma european awning fitted to my rv always made me feel a bit of an odd one out... but after hearing about Jim's disaster, im actually quite glad I have a flippy floppy european one.

Hope you get sorted soon Jim.


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## Invicta

Wow, what a potential disaster! Glad that everyone is OK.

I have a Carefree Freedom 111 Omnistor awning fitted to my RV (2006 Fourwinds Siesta) on which I have just had to have the motor replaced. 

Could I be liable to experience the same problem?


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## Scotjimland

Invicta said:


> Wow, what a potential disaster! Glad that everyone is OK.
> 
> I have a Carefree Freedom 111 Omnistor awning fitted to my RV (2006 Fourwinds Siesta) on which I have just had to have the motor replaced.
> 
> Could I be liable to experience the same problem?


Hi..
I can't say for sure, mine is a manual wind but I don't think it matters either way.. play it safe and buy velcro straps and tie the legs together near the top.. 
I'm using heavy duty cable ties at the moment.


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## Invicta

I am a bit thick here but how do I tie the legs together when they both collapse and are folded into the boxed section on the front of the awning when it is stowed away?!


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## Scotjimland

zaskar said:


> Morning Jim!
> Sorry, couldn't lay my hands on a camera last night so I've done a sketch in Word and hopefully attached it! 8O
> here goes........... 8O


Thanks mate, just caught up with this post via RVF :wink:

Nice sketch and looks like a good 'fix' 8)

I've ordered a new cover from Stateside... at £229 .. which I think is good value.. considering it's a 20ft awning.


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## 102172

Just fitted a pair of these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200122652495

to mine.

Seems to be solid as a rock.


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## zaskar

paulmj said:


> Just fitted a pair of these
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200122652495
> to mine.
> Seems to be solid as a rock.


These will NOT hold the roller in place, which is the problem. They WILL stop the legs unfolding but that's all. The trouble is that even with the legs held as tight as you like, when the wind gets into the awning folds, if the spring within the roller isn't strong enough, the air pressure can unroll the awning, even with the legs held rock steady.
What is needed is something to either plug into, or clamp around the awning roller and then fix to a fixed point on the uprights.


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## 98585

On my awning I have stitched onto the length of the awning an aluminum tube in two halves, as the awning rolls up during the the last roll it is covered by this hard case, so when you look at the closed awning you just see a ribbed alluminum tube, all the awning material is covered. I am sure that this would stop any sideways gusts of wind from getting at the material. It also protects the awning from UV and tree branches etc. 

Ive not seen any others like it, but it must be an option (is it Linda?) that could well be worth specifying if buying a new RV awning. I think I will still be using some straps though.


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## zaskar

jimjam said:


> Ive not seen any others like it, but it must be an option (is it Linda?) that could well be worth specifying if buying a new RV awning. I think I will still be using some straps though.


You can buy awnings and replacement fabrics with or without the replacement alluminium cover, obviously without is considerably cheaper.
Mine had one from new but when it was destroyed by a gust of wind, I replaced it with one without. I've gotta say that i'm not 100% convinced that the outer cover will help in the situation we're talking about.


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## Scotjimland

jimjam said:


> Ive not seen any others like it, but it must be an option (is it Linda?) that could well be worth specifying if buying a new RV awning. I think I will still be using some straps though.


Hi Jim

I enquired about this with Linda, apparently it's an expensive option when buying a new RV .. not certain if it can be retro fitted to an existing awning..

'Expensive' and new RV put me off .. :lol: :lol:


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## 102172

I've got the articulated aluminium tubes on all three of my awnings. Also, the ratchet works fine so the starps are just for extra assurance.

However, with them placed where they are and at the strength they are, there is no way the awning could un roll with them in place - without ripping the stays off the side of the vehicle. If that happens, I'll have big trouble!

Cheers.

Paul


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## 96475

Hi Jim,

Just come across this advert which should stop your new awning from unfolding due to wind etc.

http://www.rvtoyoutlet.com/p-RV0377.html

Chris


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## Scotjimland

Hi Chris 

That looks good, something I could knock up myself rather than pay $44 or by the time it's imported £44 

Thanks for the idea !


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## 88927

Hi Jim
Please let us know when production begins as I will order one from you matey :lol: 
Nice find Chris, thanks

Keith


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## Scotjimland

Hi Keith 

I was thinking along the lines of a heavy duty webbing strap, one end screwed to the roof rail the other on to the wall .. probably need two on a 20ft awning.Once the prototype is in place I'll post a pic..  

I still like zarkar's fix .. so I'll maybe have both, belts and braces.. I don't want a recurrance .. :roll:


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## 107558

Having read this "stickie" prior to buying my RV I made sure I had some cable ties (large black heavy duty ones). I placed two ties on each "leg" one close to the top and one near the bottom.

So driving along just before New year all smug thinking that my awning couldn't deploy because I'd checked the catch 5 miles earlier before setting off and got the ties in place when all of a sudden it deployed taking part of the refridgerator roof vent cover with it. The wind was blowing a hooley and getting the awning to retract and lock into place was a nightmare!

It has since deployed again while parked up in a gale and I've noticed that left to its own devices the locking catch will unlock by itself after a few reasonably strong gusts of wind.

Mines an A&E system and I'll be making up one of the locking bars asap.


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## Scotjimland

Hi John 

It's a frightening experience.. not fully appreciated till it happens.. 8O 

As a makeshift lock, push a philips headed screwdriver into the hole on one one of the roller and secure with gaffa tape to the leg.. this will stop it unfurling ..


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## teckie

Hi all... just been reading this thread... It must be an awful experiance for something like that to happen especially on the M6 !, Just had a thought... wouldn't a couple of Dog Collars make good securing straps ?, They are not too expensive either !.

Cheers

Teckie


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## 107558

I've just been to our local Blacksmith (Agricultural Engineer as they are now called) and they whipped up a locking bar which fits into the pull down string hole, stops the locking lever from moving and wraps around the leg. It's secured with a velcro strap from B&Q. Seems to do the trick. Took them less than 5 minutes from start to finish

Oh and the cost... Nothing for the bar and about £7.50 for a couple of Velcro Straps,


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## asprn

JQL said:


> I've just been to our local Blacksmith (Agricultural Engineer as they are now called) and they whipped up a locking bar


Any chance of a piccie?

Dougie.


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## 107558

I'll take some photos and post them as soon as poss.


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## 107558

Awning Locking Pin


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