RE: Replacing awning pole tip?

[Ab Diver]

 Long story short, one of the plastic tips on the horizontal awning poles has broken off. I have a new tip handy cuz I ordered a couple last year --- just in case. Ok, I have a couple-three ways to go about this:
 
 1) Cut the end of the pole off, end and all, and shove the new tip in. Then *hope* I cut exactly enough off of the pole to line up with the other holes on the other poles so all three poles adjust to the same length.
 
 2) Drill out the old *post* part of the tip, and install a wooden dowel that same size, and pin it in place. End of broken tip problem for good, cuz I can easily install a new dowel if ever needed again. Do-able, but a PITA to fix the first time this way.
 
 3) Pull the old tip out and shove the new one in. Sounds easy, and the proper way to fix the pole, right? ... Right. Problem is, I can t get the dang thing out, even with a pair of channel locks. I really don t want to crush the aluminum pole and wind up cutting the end off anyway.
 
 Soooooooo--- has anybody had to replace one of these? It s the same tip found on the old bunk-end canvas support poles, before Coleman went to a *U* shaped tip.
 
 How d you get yours off without tearing up the pole itself?
 
 Udpate-- 8/ 20/ 03  see post below for description of fix.
 
 

[Ab Diver]

 Ab Diver

 

How d you get yours off without tearing up the pole itself?
 
 

 Uh, maybe I should rephrase that: How did you remove the broken plastic awning-pole tip without damaging the aluminum pole itself? []
 

[tlhdoc]

 Ab Diver
I hope you get an answer.  I have a tip that is wearing through and will need to be replaced.  
 
 Would heating the pole expand it enough to get the tip out?

[aw738]

 Ab Diver
Whatever you do never force it, use a bigger hammer.[8D]

[6Quigs]

 Ab Diver
Just took a peek at the awning poles to see just what the heck you are talking about, and why you are making such a big deal about this.[&:]
 Took the end section out, the one with the tip, and it s only 24 "  long.
 Have you tried attacking it from the inside?
 Remove the spring clip, and then use a dowel, or pipe, 30"  long to poke it from the inside, and maybe get it to move.
 Other option is to just hack it to pieces, either by drilling it, or cutting it up in place.
 Or Tracy s idea, just heat it up, and the plastic should melt before the aluminum pole does. Sounds like a fun activity to do this weekend over the campfire, []

[tlhdoc]

 6Quigs

 

ORIGINAL:  6Quigs
 Tracy s idea, just heat it up, and the plastic should melt before the aluminum pole does. Sounds like a fun activity to do this weekend over the campfire, []
 

 I was talking about heating the pole so the metal would expand, but your way may work too.
 

[aw738]

 Ab Diver
The heat would probably damage the paint that is on the pole. Aluminum is not an easy metal to get paint to stick to.

[rccs]

 Ab Diver
I replaced all of mine the first year after I bought my camper because one broke. What I done was to drill the old one out, there isn t much to drill out once the peg that sticks out is broken off. I then went to my Coleman dealer and bought one new peg which I took to a friend of mine who has a metal lathe. I had him turn three new ones out of solid aluminun using the new plastic one as a pattern. The aluminum ones have been in use for seven years now and I have yet to have one break.

[Preacher]

 Ab Diver
I replaced mine by having my wife holding the awning pole and then I took a pair of pliers and started twisting back and forth on the tip.  When it started to give, did not take long, I then started twisting it out.  Took maybe two minutes, at the most, to get it all done.  I ve had to do this a couple of times and it always has worked for me.

[Ab Diver]

 Ab Diver
Done and done. Too simple, really. The problem was that the metal rod is *crimped* around the plastic inserted tip. Couldn t pull the tip out. Couldn t push it through from the other side due to the spring-clip for the adjustment button: that will push in for assembly, but not pull out. Didn t want to cut off the rod for the reason listed above. Heat? Nope, not with a *delicate* painted aluminum rob.
 
 The solution? Wrap the rod in a towel, place it in my vise (flipped over to the pipe-holding jaws), file the plastic tip down flat (1/8"  of the tip s " nipple"  was still remaining), and drill a small pilot hole centered in the base portion of the tip where it rests in the rod. Drill *into* the long axis of the rod, end to end. Then get a 13/32"  drill bit, which is the exact size of the plastic *nipple* that fits into the main U-channel awning crossbar. Enlarge the first hole with this drill bit. Grab a piece of 7/16 hardwood dowel, which is actually 27/64"  in diameter. Sand about 4"  of it down so it fits snugly into the hole you drilled into the plastic tip. Insert about 3"  of this into the hole.
 
 Now you have a long dowel sticking out of the end of the aluminum rod. You can cut it off now, or wait until the next step is finished. I waited, not knowing if this would work or not. I grabbed a #10x3/4"  pan head sheet metal screw (only cuz I had a box right next to my vise, a smaller #8 or #6 screw would work as well), drilled a 9/64"  pilot hole through one side of the tube, the tip,  and the dowel, about 1/4"  below the edge of the plastic tip, *without* drilling through the other side of the aluminum rod. A smaller screw will need a smaller pilot hole, but you need to drill a pilot hole or risk splitting the dowel. Install the screw in the pilot hole, and cut off the dowel so about 1"  sticks out of the plastic tip. Use a VERY fine-tooth saw to cut the dowel, so you don t splinter it. (I grabbed my dovetail saw) Round over the cut edge of the dowel with sandpaper.
 
 Now go see if it fits in your awning. It will-- perfectly!
 
 The whole thing took longer to type than it did to fix. And the result is an awning rod that is stronger than the original. After this weekend, I think I ll do the other awning poles just so this doesn t happen again. Same thing for my Shepard s poles for the bunks.
 
 Hope this helps anybody who has this problem in the future
 
 PS: If you don t know what a #10 pan head sheet metal screw looks like, by coincedence, it s the same type that is screwed into the *long* portion of the awning pole to serve as a " stop"  when shoving the short portion into the long portion of the pole during take-down. I just noticed this. So the screw I used is a match for the factory choice. Hehehehehe.... sometimes you get lucky. []