Electric cord reel

[Grizzby]

Up till now, we haven't had any awning issues. Is there something we need to do or check? You know the saying...an ounce of prevention is with more than a pound of cure!

[atom ant]

Bob, you might be fine, but who knows. You can go crazy trying to keep up with everyone else's issues, but if you have the time, replace the self tappers with 1/4" X 1-1/2" lags (not self tappers) per the attached install manual. The threads on the Redwood installed self tappers never really reached anything to bite into.

[Grizzby]

AA thanks for the info. I am going to swap out the screws and go with manufactures instructions. I don't want to borrow trouble...prefer things being done correctly!

[atom ant]

Bob,
I'm only assuming yours has the self tappers. It may have been something they switched to later, but it would be worth pulling one to see what it is.

[Grizzby]

Will do. Not today though...currently in campground near Springfield Oh. Over 2 1/2" of rain. Got the rig tied to a tree so we don't float away. lol Thanks again for the information!

[travelin' texans]

Grizzly, be sure to put lags in ALL the holes provided, mine had 2 at the top & 1 at the bottom, none in between.

[Jim & Mary]

Hey Brad

What kind of structure do the lags actually bite into? After you replaced the self tappers do you feel any better about the mounting integrity of the awning?

[rob_fla]

I think our Awning only has two screws / lags in each side attaching it to the side of the coach.
One at the top, one at the bottom.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Jim & Mary

Hey Brad

What kind of structure do the lags actually bite into? After you replaced the self tappers do you feel any better about the mounting integrity of the awning?

Jim,
I don't believe they need to find "structure", because there really isn't any. they just need to have a good bite into the wood laminate. When my lags pulled out, the self drilling head on the screw bored a hole (larger than necessary in fiberglass and wood), so the tapered threads were only able to start a few threads into the wood backing. The tapered part of the bolt was actually a smaller diameter then the hole that got drilled by the tip in front of it, so it was barely hanging on.

The other part of the problem is the bolts they used were just plain too short. You can't get much longer with a self tapper, because you start worrying about the other side of the wall.

I've had a few Carefree electrics installed on my prior rigs that had manuals, and there are no efforts to hit structure. The directions only call out a correct pilot and 1/4 x 1-1/2" lag and those seat nice in tight in that laminate.

There is not a lot of weight on these tracks, the awning rail carries the weight. But if you get a wind and it starts pulling on that track, it needs to be secure or you'll be wearing it.

[Jim & Mary]

Brad

Thanks for that info. That's why this forum is so valuable, because you can't get this kind of info anywhere else. Thanks for your help. When we take it out next week, I'm going to replace the screws with the lags like you suggest.

[RomanyLife]

As AA said, if you get even a puff of wind under those awnings with the self tappers then it exerts pressure straight OUT from the rails, and those little screws are NOT going to hold your awning on! Ours fell off and destroyed itself falling down. We are extremely lucky to not have been sitting under it when it happened, and it only caused a small blemish on our paint (which we will have forever I guess).

In the 38RL, in the forward-most wardrobe cabinet there is a plastic outlet-sized cover on the wall. If you take that off and look inside with a flashlight, you will see your forward awning screws through the thin fiberglass and it will tell you just how tentative that installation is. You could literally go out and physically pull the awning off without breaking a sweat, I reckon. Put lags in there, as it states in the Carefree manual that AA posted (thanks AA!)

On a side note, I wish I was the company that sold self-tapping screws to Redwood ;-) They use them almost exclusively. I wish I was going on the factory tour, I was going to count the buckets of them sitting around! Haha! We have found one on the ground on our RV pad after pulling out, that's a little disconcerting :-/

[travelin' texans]

If you need a few screws just take down your basement walls, guaranteed you'll find a dozen, along with several pieces of electrical wire & a pound of saw dust.

[Char & Steve]

This is almost a full time job keeping up with all the tips for repairs to prevent future problems on this site but much appreciated!!! I do them every weekend. I still have to say that we love our RW but our last class A was one of the more affordable models at the time that was priced less then our new RW but it didn't need nearly as many fixes as this RW so I really hope they take note of our survey we filled out.

[slideone]

I have the electric reel on my 2015, my is electric in and out. It is a electric motor so all you need is a switch to reverse the motor, a very simple item. I had an electric in only on my Landmark, but the electric in and out is very handy.
____________________
Trip and Kay
39MB, 2015
2012 Ram 3500, DRW, Mega Cab, Short Bed (doesn't require a tailgate warmer)

[slideone]

The door you will need for the reel can be purchased from American RV, that's where I purchased mine. It is made by J R Products, Item #ZH 152A, $46.84. I painted mine black before installing it. The cutting of the hole is pretty simple, just remember measure 3 times before you cut, tape off the area and make sure you have something on the bottom of your cutting tool that won't mar the paint.
________________________
Trip and Kay
39MB, 2015
2012 Ram 3500 DRW, Mega Cab, Short Bed (no tailgate warmer required)

[atom ant]

Trip,
Where did you get the reel? and did you build a box around it like Redwood does?


And "American RV", are you talking about the Dealer in Michigan?


Sorry, drawing a blank on the web for any of your leads:

[trfield58]

Brad, This is the access door Trip was talking about. It does look the the door I saw at the factory last week....


JR Products ZH152-A Polar White Utility Hatch Center Key Lock Camper Trailer RV

[trfield58]

Trip, where did you buy the reel? Part #?

Thanks,
Tim

[slideone]

My reel came from Camping World, Mesa. They got it from RW. It was part of my deal when I bought the RW. They didn't install a door, they just had the cord coming out underneath. That I didn't like. I installed the door like was on my Landmark. No it is not boxed in, I don't see a reason for that so far. American RV is in Ca.Not sure why it won't pull up for you, ph:626-513-4777.

[trfield58]

Thanks...Yeah, from what I saw, (per my observation at the factory tour) the reels were NOT boxed in. The reel was attached to the frame and a door was cut in the panel to allow access from the side!!!