My front awning has been subject to a lot of wind and wind gusts on a beach campground in Mexico. I noticed that the screws holding the awning at the top on one end have been pulled loose. I want to put in more screws in new spots as the old spots are stripped. Is there an aluminium frame piece that the awning screws go into or is it just wood?
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Gayle and John Devall
2017 Legacy 3720 IS and Disc brakes
1120 watts solar panels and 300 AH lithium batteries
2011 Ford f350 srw long box Lariat with B&W Patriot hitch. Residential Fridge.
My guess is that every model is different based on the awning length / height and structure inside the wall. I know on ours we can see the internal frame on cool damp mornings as an outline where the water condenses, but I've never paid attention to the awning location in relation to those outlines.
If I were doing this, I'd get a small dowel and some epoxy and fill all the holes for the stripped screws. Let the epoxy cure, drill new pilot holes and install the screws. Cover the screws with sealant and watch closely over the next few weeks for any movement.
Good luck!
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Clark & Peggy
2022 Montana 3791RD, 800i solar, 2x100ah Battleborn
2017 Ford F350, CC, LB, 6.7, 4x4
Easy Fix! Don't use screws or spend a lot of time on this. Order some expanding pop rivets in 1/8" diameter size and replace the screws with aluminum rivets. I did this to mine and it's never came loose again.
You may have to use a drill and 1/8" bit to enlarge the holes in the awning track. That's what worked for me. I took out and replaced the screws about 2-3 at a time and worked my way from one end to the other.
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2019 Montana High Country 331RL
2017 Ford F250 Super Duty, 6.7 PSD
The wall side rail of the awning is supposed to be installed with "Oscar" rivits (middle picture in Vet4jdc post above) per the awning manufacturer. Keystone uses the same light weight aluminum screws that they use on everything else.
Some people have had success removing the small screws, injecting the hole (and under the rail) with sealant (to make it water tight), then putting larger stainless steel screws in the holes.
I haven't had this problem, but those pop-rivets sure look nice and sounds like a very good solution. If it ever happens to me, that's the route I'm taking. I'm tucking this one into my bag of how-to's and whatnots for future reference.
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Who you are right now is a sum total off all you use to be.
2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Silverado Duramax, 6.6L Dually
I had the same problem with a Montana 2955. I just used larger screws. That is the easiest fix. Drill the awning out to the screw diameter then screw the larger screws in. Quick and easy. Never had another problem.
Lynwood
That’s great that you are paying attention and noticed that. Many people wouldn’t know until their awning ripped out at the atrachment point. That said, it is one of the reasons I rarely pull my awning out. They just don’t seem to be able to withstand wind day after day. Once again, in the park we are in now, a neighbor’s awning ripped away in a wind gust on Sunday. They had it secured from the front with tie downs, but it didn’t hold up. Is there any way you can talk to someone you trust knows what they are talking about to see if what you are planning will fix the problem and allow you to continue to use your awning in windy conditions? This forum is great, and I would give a lot of weight to what others say here. Good luck with it!
Regardless of how well these awnings are attached to the side of these rigs, they just can't handle wind. A light breeze with no gusty conditions will be OK, but even it the attachments stay firm, the rest of the awning will shred along with the hardware supporting it.
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Bob & Becky
2012 3402RL
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC 4WD