SNY SD UP Posted November 5, 2022 Posted November 5, 2022 Has anyone ever converted a Dometic Awning from a remote motorized unit to a manual crank style? Asking for myself... Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
Moderator+ ScubaRx Posted November 5, 2022 Moderator+ Posted November 5, 2022 This is probably not exactly what you had in mind, but... Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved dogs Storm, Lucy, Maggie and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge) 2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4
SNY SD UP Posted November 5, 2022 Author Posted November 5, 2022 Steve, Thank You for your reply Yes, I was able to do that with (box wrench) no issues, on the “hex rod” shaft opposite end of the motor. I then strapped the ends of the awning closed to keep it from jumping back out about 2ft probably due to support arm tension. I have had a few issues with this awning for the last couple of years. (opened tickets w/OTT Svc, tried to resolve on advice given over the phone). it was not tracking squarely on the rewind, the tube came loose from from the motorized end and it flopped on the rewind, (I put this out on the forum, but did not seem to draw any helpful response), the awning no longer closed up completely, and did not recognize when at the end limit on the open, I spoke with Jason about this at the last OTT Rally however we did not resolve anything. I then called Service at OTT; however I would not have been able to get an appointment until long after we were out of the area so we stuck to our reservations and continued on. Hindsight-we should have made an appointment, and stayed at "Camp OTT", until the issue was resolved, then continued on our trip. When we returned from our trip, I took the OTT to a Dometic Auth Svc location, and they said the motor was bad, and I needed a new one. Which leaves me in a quandary, do I pay the $1000 (what Dometic is charging) for a new motor, only to continue to have issues, or replace the entire awning with another brand, or remove the motor and if possible replace it with "Manual gearing" to open/close like others have that went with Manual Crank rather than motorized awnings. Regards, Bryan Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
Moderators Mike and Carol Posted November 5, 2022 Moderators Posted November 5, 2022 8 minutes ago, SNY SD UP said: do I pay the $1000 (what Dometic is charging) for a new motor, only to continue to have issues, or replace the entire awning with another brand, or remove the motor and if possible replace it with "Manual gearing" to open/close like others have that went with Manual Crank rather than motorized awnings. We’ve always had the manual Fiamma awning. It’s probably not as convenient as an automatic but it has proven to be very reliable. It’s easy to stake down when winds are more than just breezy. The support poles can sit on the ground or in brackets on the side of the trailer. We do have to be careful not to leave it out when we’re not there in case some kind of storm blows in. I also usually roll it in at night unless I’ve very sure the overnight winds won’t be bad. Mike 1 Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L
Moderator+ ScubaRx Posted November 5, 2022 Moderator+ Posted November 5, 2022 Bryan, I'm very sorry to hear you're having this problem. Due to the extreme age of our Hull #050, we have a Fiamma Manual Awning. It has legs and a crank. It will blow up in a brisk wind and bend itself over the top of the trailer, usually breaking something. If not deployed properly, it will collapse in a good rain and bend the legs. Other than that it has served us well. I wish I could offer more than moral support. Do you believe and concur with the Dometic Auth Svc location you took the trailer to? $1000 seems like a lot of money for a motor. What does a brand new awning cost? 1 Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved dogs Storm, Lucy, Maggie and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge) 2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4
Geronimo John Posted November 5, 2022 Posted November 5, 2022 Bryan: I can't speak to the electrical issues, but tracking of the awning is adjustable... but only to a point. In my case, it was caused by the owner asymmetrically deploying the awning. Mine was 3" out of square as a result of my lowering one side to keep the rain runoff away from the entry. tilt..... Also see my caution about those arms having a mind of their own and a propensity for suicide. Post link below. GJ 1 TV: 2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, 10 Speed Trans, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker OLLIE: 2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed. OLLIE DIY’s: Timken Bearings, BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps. Front Wardrobe Shelves, Snuggle Shelf. TV DIY’s: 2 5/16" Anderson System, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all, installed Ham Radio (WH6JPR).
SNY SD UP Posted November 5, 2022 Author Posted November 5, 2022 15 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said: We’ve always had the manual Fiamma awning. It’s probably not as convenient as an automatic but it has proven to be very reliable. It’s easy to stake down when winds are more than just breezy. The support poles can sit on the ground or in brackets on the side of the trailer. We do have to be careful not to leave it out when we’re not there in case some kind of storm blows in. I also usually roll it in at night unless I’ve very sure the overnight winds won’t be bad. Mike Mike & Carol Thank You for your response, Yes, we do not leave the awning out and unattended, or if winds are significant. It did retract a few times when a slight breeze came up while we were underneath it, but I think I had the wind sensor adjusted too light, but left it as it was, to be safe. 1 Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
SNY SD UP Posted November 5, 2022 Author Posted November 5, 2022 18 minutes ago, ScubaRx said: Bryan, I'm very sorry to hear you're having this problem. Due to the extreme age of our Hull #050, we have a Fiamma Manual Awning. It has legs and a crank. It will blow up in a brisk wind and bend itself over the top of the trailer, usually breaking something. If not deployed properly, it will collapse in a good rain and bend the legs. Other than that it has served us well. I wish I could offer more than moral support. Do you believe and concur with the Dometic Auth Svc location you took the trailer to? $1000 seems like a lot of money for a motor. What does a brand new awning cost? Steve/Tali Thank You for the response, I need to find out if the Motor does not respond to an electrical current or if the motor does not respond to electronic signals from the controller. I will call them Monday for more details. I was in sticker shock when I heard that, so I backed off asking them to order one, and that is why we are having this discussion... Later that day, I called OTT SVC and talked to Mike, he said that $1000 was about what Dometic would charge OTT for a new motor. It is my understanding that OTT has switched from Dometic Awnings to Girard for new trailer builds. Bryan, Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
SNY SD UP Posted November 5, 2022 Author Posted November 5, 2022 29 minutes ago, Geronimo John said: Bryan: I can't speak to the electrical issues, but tracking of the awning is adjustable... but only to a point. In my case, it was caused by the owner asymmetrically deploying the awning. Mine was 3" out of square as a result of my lowering one side to keep the rain runoff away from the entry. tilt..... Also see my caution about those arms having a mind of their own and a propensity for suicide. Post link below. GJ John, Thanks for the response, Yes, I agree those Arms have a mind of their own, and they do not stop for a head, hand or fingers... no personal experience, but read articles and saw a "do not do this" video. we had never lowered a corner of our awning for rain diversion. By the time I read about the adjustment screws and was going to try adjusting the tracking, that is when the tube (that the material wraps onto) had come loose from the motor/guide wheel, and it was flopping around inside the housing, so I figured adjustment was secondary to getting that connected back together. Here is my post about our tube flopping. Bryan Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
Moderator+ ScubaRx Posted November 5, 2022 Moderator+ Posted November 5, 2022 1 hour ago, SNY SD UP said: Snip... Bryan Here again, this may not help but I found it on the Escape forum: https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/9500e-awning-retracted-manually-23853.html#post433760 Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved dogs Storm, Lucy, Maggie and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge) 2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4
Geronimo John Posted November 6, 2022 Posted November 6, 2022 7 hours ago, SNY SD UP said: Later that day, I called OTT SVC and talked to Mike, he said that $1000 was about what Dometic would charge OTT for a new motor. It is my understanding that OTT has switched from Dometic Awnings to Girard for new trailer builds. $1K... Ouch. Sorry for your pain. My first though are: A. If the motor has tested as failed, can you pull it and have it rebuilt. B. Many of us have manual awnings. Another option may be to convert it to manual. Surely someone has spare parts for your model. Ours is a CareFree awning, and it is for sure not care free...... GJ TV: 2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, 10 Speed Trans, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker OLLIE: 2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed. OLLIE DIY’s: Timken Bearings, BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps. Front Wardrobe Shelves, Snuggle Shelf. TV DIY’s: 2 5/16" Anderson System, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all, installed Ham Radio (WH6JPR).
SNY SD UP Posted November 6, 2022 Author Posted November 6, 2022 13 hours ago, Geronimo John said: $1K... Ouch. Sorry for your pain. My first though are: A. If the motor has tested as failed, can you pull it and have it rebuilt. B. Many of us have manual awnings. Another option may be to convert it to manual. Surely someone has spare parts for your model. Ours is a CareFree awning, and it is for sure not care free...... GJ GJ, Thank You for your response, Yes, A & B are definitely options I would be interested in. If I can go the "B" option, I told Maggie, I would be responsible for opening/closing the awning. I will be talking to the RV Repair business I took it to on Monday, to get a better explanation of "the motor was bad". B Out Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
SNY SD UP Posted November 6, 2022 Author Posted November 6, 2022 Question for those responding so far, If I was able to revert back to a manual crank mechanism, would I need to add the support poles that sit on the ground or the brackets on the side of the trailer? I would probably have to disable the "Wind Sensor". would the existing "Support Arms" be able to stay in place? I will be trying to resolve this over the winter, so we are ready this spring for the next "Great Adventure". Thanks to all who have responded with ideas, options, and "Pain Sharing". Bryan Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
SNY SD UP Posted November 6, 2022 Author Posted November 6, 2022 19 hours ago, ScubaRx said: Here again, this may not help but I found it on the Escape forum: https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/9500e-awning-retracted-manually-23853.html#post433760 Steve, Thanks for that thread/link. I was actually googled to that site just before I started this thread, but at a different comment on Dometic Awnings. Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500 6.4L HEMI Gasser 4dr 6.5' bed
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