Awning Brackets screws

Innnnnnnnnn

"Any help would be greatly appreciated"

I'm not sure what type of help you are looking for, but as for the screws/bolts becoming loose I would suggest an option. You could apply a backing plate to the side of the unit and reattach the awning using threaded bolts. I'm not sure what is behind the wall, so you would first need to decide and ensure there is a solid area onto which you secure the backing plate.

I'm not convinced the caulking was applied to deceive the end user, but more likely it was applied to seal the hole from moisture seeping in through the hole. In reality the caulking could be an indication of good workmanship and the bolt thread connection to the wood could have been sheered due to wind or some other factor? Not pointing the finger in either direction, but there is always another side to a story.

For a repair suggestion, could you drill out the awning baseplate screw holes larger, and install larger diameter lag screws into the wood?

Wow, there certainly needs to be something solid to which the awing attachment bolt would penetrate. Based on your assessment, I would probably take my rig into a Heartland-knowledgeable repair facility. I believe it would be unlikely that the toothpick "plug"--or similar solution--could anchor itself with enough strength to support the mount. You might try doing a search (if you haven't done so already) as I recall other posts involving the separation of mounts, as well. Good luck!

It is quite possible that the installer was Mr. Completely. Even my TT had solid wood where the awning brackets were mounted. I would second the opinion to take it to a reputable HL dealer and have them take a look. Maybe they can light a fire under the Warranty Rep by going to his superiors. There are a lot of people out there still looking for a job. That's just bad construction from the get-go if they tried to mount it only to the fiberglass panel/styrofoam.

blandsjj said:

I have a 2010 Bighorn 3055RL and while washing it I noticed that all eight screws/bolts in the awning brackets were loose and coming out. I tried to tighten them but all are stripped out so they would not tighten up.I removed one and discovered that the hole was full of caulking to hold bolts in because they had stripped them out when installing awning. Has anyone had this problem and if so how did you correct it. My warranty has expired so it is up to me to try and correct this. I thought that Heartland was agreat company when I purchased my unit but the longer I have it the more I realize the poor quality and workmanship. I have had numerous problems and they always try to say it is the owners fault. Very poor warranty service. Don't know if anyone had had any dealings with a warranty rep by the name of Chris but if you do ask for someone else he is a real A--!!!!!!!
Iwould not recommend a Heartland product to my worst enemy. I have owned rv's since 1973 and this is the worst I have ever owned QUALITY--WORKMANSHIP--MAINTANCE. I will never own another Heartland product. Have lots more to say but better be nice. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Man, if that's being nice, I 'd hate to see you ****ed.

I think the question you need to ask is, is there supposed to be blocking installed for the awning? If there is, it sounds like some of the screws missed it, hence your problem. Can you take some pics of the area and I could give you some suggestions to repair it? Did you ask Customer Service if there is supposed to be blocking installed?

There are a gazillion types of fasteners available for things that don't have blocking (but should) and I can help you figure something out to get it securely anchored.

IF there is supposed to be blocking, figuring out how to hit that would be the first option (maybe an aluminum adapter plate)

Pics would help a lot.

John

If there is room behind wall put A piece of wood behind wall and reinstall lagbolts or A piece of metal and use bolts and lock nuts Fred

I had a similar situation occur that was through my own negligence. I had tried to retract the awning but did not have the arms fully collapsed. This resulted in the screws pulling out. They are mounted in aluminum but it's pretty soft. I used these anchors and gorilla glue to remount the hold down screws. Been holding for 4 years.

I had a similar problem with my 2011 North Country 29RLS. It has the 19' Carefree of Colorado electric awning. After only one month of ownership I noticed that the top two screws on the aft arm had started to pull out of the aluminum. The awning had not been subjected to high winds or heavy rain. The foreward arm looked fine.

Took it back to my dealer (Oliver's Campers in Norwich, NY) and they looked it all over and told me that they had seen this in one other North Country recently so they knew how to fix it. They consulted with me on possible fixes and we came up with steel backing plates for the aft arm screws. Fortunately in my model the screws come into the unit behind some corner cabinets so nothing shows. They used macine screws right through the wall into steel plates. That arm is not going anywhere now.

The problem was either poor design or poor workmanship on Heartland's part. The foreward arms were screwed into the wall studs and appear secure. In the case of the aft arms the wall stud was 2" away from where the arms needed to attach so they just screwed the arms into the aluminum siding, put in an extra screw for good measure, and caulked it like crazy.

Design problem or workmanship issue? Take your pick. The designer knew that the optional electric awning would catch one stud but not both with the given 19" width. The installer knew that they caught one wall stud but not both when they put it in. Heartland shipped it anyway.

Oliver's solution now has a backing plate and the plate is also screwed into the wall stud. I am very happy with the dealer's service under warranty. Had the problem come up after the warranty expired I might not be so forgiving of Heartland's part in this. I will call customer service and chat with them about this, but I am still happy that I bought a Heartland product. As my dealer told me, "There is no such this as the perfect RV."

I would not use molly bolts.

Are you really interesting in getting help to repair this or is this just about taking shots at Heartland? Most request for help are always followed by a request of pictures so we are all looking at the same thing.

If you lived near by I would come over and fix this for you in about 20 minutes. I personally think you being a bit of a drama queen here. Post some pics, buy some hardware and lets fix this.

Screws coming loose on an RV are hardly unique to Heartland..

John

John, you are really COLD. ROTFLOL

newbie said:

I would not use molly bolts.

Are you really interesting in getting help to repair this or is this just about taking shots at Heartland? Most request for help are always followed by a request of pictures so we are all looking at the same thing.

If you lived near by I would come over and fix this for you in about 20 minutes. I personally think you being a bit of a drama queen here. Post some pics, buy some hardware and lets fix this.

Screws coming loose on an RV are hardly unique to Heartland..

John

Click to expand...

Are we having a bad hair day???????????

Gang:
I think some of the responsibility on this goes to the awning manufacturers. I checked out the awning installation manuals I could find online, and could NOT find any requirements that lower arm support screws go into studs or backing plates. As with most accessories, Heartland just follows the manufacturer's installation instructions.

wdk450 said:

Gang:
I think some of the responsibility on this goes to the awning manufacturers. I checked out the awning installation manuals I could find online, and could NOT find any requirements that lower arm support screws go into studs or backing plates. As with most accessories, Heartland just follows the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Click to expand...

So Heartland doesn't employ any engineers, just people that can hold a screw gun? HL knows what they're building and what size awning system will fit it. Putting backer plates in the appropriate positions should be a no-brainer, not relying on thin fiberglass panels to hold the weight and stress.

blandsjj,

Thanks for clarifying which bolts you were having a problem with. You had never said before it was the top. People are trying to help, but you must be specific about the problem and pictures say a thousand words.

If this thread continues in the direction it is going it will be closed and deleted. So be nice.

Jim M

Close it big man close it. I don't care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Done per your request!