RE: Awning post weights

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Redwolf
Alert:
 If you want to check out the link above that I posted from the old message board you need to do it by Wednesday (3/5) as Steve has announced that it will be gone after that.

[Redwolf]

 forestwalker

 

ORIGINAL:  forestwalker
  I sure would hate to see the damage that a concrete filled flower pot could inflict.
 

 If the winds get THAT bad, I ll take the awning down.  Winds strong enough to rip out the guy-stakes AND lift thirty lbs of cement off the ground are strong enough to rip the awning from the camper roof.
 
 

[whippetwrun]

 tlhdoc

 

ORIGINAL:  tlhdoc
 
 
 I think Hersheygirl was the one that told me about them.  I was thinking of attaching the guide line from the awning to the base so I didn t have to tighten the screw too tight.  do you think it will work?
 
 

 
 I would think it would - just make sure the line is tight enough.  you can tighten the screw pretty fairly tight though and it holds well.  I just over tighten the first time and dented the one pole (or was it 2 poles?) .
 

[tlhdoc]

 whippetwrun

 

ORIGINAL:  whippetwrun
 
 
 

ORIGINAL:  tlhdoc
 
 
 I think Hersheygirl was the one that told me about them.  I was thinking of attaching the guide line from the awning to the base so I didn t have to tighten the screw too tight.  do you think it will work?
 
 

 Thanks.
 
 
 I would think it would - just make sure the line is tight enough.  you can tighten the screw pretty fairly tight though and it holds well.  I just over tighten the first time and dented the one pole (or was it 2 poles?) .
 
 

[PopUpPeeps]

 Redwolf
Sue,
 
 We also have a Jayco with the rings at the bottom. They work very well and we haven t had any problems. The only time I thought about the bases was when we were at Fort Wilderness, they have concrete pads including a patio for under the awning. It didn t really dawn on me until after I was set up... fortunately, when I backed in it was the perfect location to have the patio area and still be able to drive the stakes into the ground... by about 2 " .
 
 I am still contemplating trying some type blocks... I have plenty of time to think about it though, we still have 2 feet of snow in the yard...
 
 Joe

[forestwalker]

 Redwolf
Of course stakes and weights are going to help anchor the awning,and help make the situation safer,in general.That said,we ve camped many places where the stakes have just  slid  in,and out,of the ground.Not really much help.Regarding the weights:Granted,it would take a strong wind to lift all thirty lbs at a time,but one flying corner(maybe 5-10 lbs) has the potential for damage.We ve camped several times when moderate winds have gusted to potentially dangerous winds within seconds.We agree,it would be best to take down the awning in that situation.The difficult part is guessing when a moderate steady wind might gust.When you leave the cg for a day trip ? At night,when you are sleeping ? Weights may have helped us the one time that our awning got away-or they may have done more damage.We dont know.

[sure2rain]

 forestwalker
Another, and to me, the best, advantage from using the cemented PVC, is how easy it makes setup go. By placing the awning poles into the PVC pipe, I can setup solo if I have to. Otherwise fumbling with the 12 foot awning until it is staked takes at least two people.
 If it gets extremely windy, I usually add the ropes and stakes to secure the awning or roll it up.

[griffsmom]

 Red neff Barchetta

ORIGINAL:  Red neff Barchetta
 
 Hey all,
 Somehow I ve missed this thread the past few days.
 I use 10 lb. barbell weights and have absolutely no problems.  This great idea came from a guy in Louisiana early last summer and we are extremely happy with it.  We ve used this set-up now about 14 times in some pretty heavy wind with no movement at all.  I ll just post the thread if you want to check it out.  I store the 3 weights under the TV seats during travel.  Everything else stores on the poles in the awning bag.
 
 http://www.popuptimes.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14914
 

 
 

ORIGINAL:  Red neff Barchetta
 
 Alert:
 If you want to check out the link above that I posted from the old message board you need to do it by Wednesday (3/5) as Steve has announced that it will be gone after that.
 

 I remember that thread from the old boards because I absolutely loved the idea!  Gregg, the guy who came up with it, was kind enough to e-mail me the instructions, and I have pasted them below for anyone who wants to make them, just in case you aren t able to access the old topic link that Red Neff gave us.  I also have posted the link to Gregg s Web shots page showing the pictures of how these weights look.    
 
 Hope this helps![]
 
 Instructions:
 
 I have received a few request for more info, so I will post instructions to the forum. Any improvement suggestions will be appreciated.
 Materials are cheap and easy to get.
 1 5lb cast iron weight (barbell weight)
 1 3/4 PVC pipe to 3/4 female thread adapter
 1 3/4 galvanized closed nipple
 1 3/4 conduit nut
 1 aluminum pin ( I don t the name of these things)
 The pin is about 1 1/4 long. It has a flat head on each end, one half is male threaded, the other is female. When screwed together it looks like a nail with heads on both ends.
 Place the awning pole into the PVC adapter until it bottoms out. Drill through the adapter and pole about midway and insert the aluminum pin through the hole, screwing both halves together. Now the PVC adapter is attached to the pole. Screw the nipple into the PVC adapter, then slip the nipple through the hole of the weight. Screw the nut onto the nipple a couple of turns, that holds the weight to the pole.
 
 Simple, but should do the trick. Should not cause any stubbed toes because of its low profile. I would have preferred not using the galvanized nipple and instead just used a male PVC adapter, but the male threads on the PVC adapter were too short to pass through the weight.
 
     
 Web shots page for pictures:  http://community.webshots.com/user/yor123
 
 Update:  Joel added to Gregg s idea.  Here is the link to his version: http://www.omartin.com/2000Niagara/Awning_Feet/

[Wayfarer]

 forestwalker
All this is " veddy interesting."   Now I have a question along this line.  I have flower pots with cement copied after TIM5055?s.  Now I wondering if I need the center support anchored (my Coleman Utah has the 12? awning and three support poles) or if I need the center pole at all?    Also, I like MtnCamper?s idea of anchoring the poles to the camper and am wondering if I would have to anchor the third (center) pole or if I could just unhook it and go with the two?  Any experience?  Thoughts?
 

[MtnCamper]

 Wayfarer

 

ORIGINAL:  Wayfarer
 
 All this is " veddy interesting."   Now I have a question along this line.  I have flower pots with cement copied after TIM5055?s.  Now I wondering if I need the center support anchored (my Coleman Utah has the 12? awning and three support poles) or if I need the center pole at all?    Also, I like MtnCamper?s idea of anchoring the poles to the camper and am wondering if I would have to anchor the third (center) pole or if I could just unhook it and go with the two?  Any experience?  Thoughts?
 
 

Bart, (Everybodyhauls) just finished this mod to his awning. His results are posted on iRV2. He did away with the center pole and sounds OK.
 
 

[Red neff Barchetta]

 forestwalker
I have also been watching (with much interest) Bart s progress.  Seems like he s thought it through well.

[MtnCamper]

 forestwalker
Jeff, If you didn t catch the thread, bart says it rock solid, with 2 poles.

[6Quigs]

 forestwalker
We used to have the Flower pots, with silk flowers, burt have replaced them with two 10 pound cast iron weights. They take up less room than the flower pots.
 We only have two, so don t use the center support, one less thing to get in the kids way,
 Now it was raining, I might just put up the center pole, but lower one end, so I don t collect too much water[]