Slide Awning Bracket tore loose

BigBlue

BigBlue
Just has an unpleasant experiance. We've had a lot of wind here and tonight one of the slide awning brackets broke loose. The rivets shered and the bracket turned over and is resting on top of the slide. I'll have to get a longer ladder tomorrow to get up there and see if I can repair it. I can only reach up to the bracket location right now and it appears that the rivets are really small. I should be able to see more in the light of day.
Jim
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
Jim, Can you tell us what you what you mean by a lot of wind? Was this a steady wind or strong gusts? I have not read anywhere else where slide awnings have torn loose because of winds. Good luck on gettting everything straightened out and you do not have too much damage.
Tom
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Tom
We've had steady wind of 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph the last 3 days. The trailer is parked with nose facing North. Wind has been pretty steady from the Northwest. The bracket that tore loose was on the west side. The rivets all sheared instead of pulling out of the wall so there isn't any damage to the wall. I haven't been able to get up to the awning yet to inspect it. I'll be calling the dealer today to schedule something.
Jim
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
Jim,

Glad to hear that there was no damage to the trailer. Sound like it can be fixed with possibility of using bigger rivets. Hope everything goes well for you.

Tom
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Update on the problem. It wasn't rivets , it was screws through the bracket into the slide wall. All screws sheared off. They didn't pull out of the wall. I've got an appointment for Friday the 20th to get it repaired. I hope they can get the screws out of the wall without tearing it up to much.
Jim
 

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J

Jeff

Guest
Similar Problem on Landmark!

Hi BigBlue:

Similar problem occurred on my Landmark yesterday after getting back home from our trip.

I went to extend the Bedroom slide out and heard a loud snap or crunch, almost sounded like I had hit the side of my garage with the slide. My wife was there and was watching to make sure.

At any rate, my wife noticed it after we retracted the bedroom slide back in. The bracket on one side had completely sheered off.

Now after looking at the installation on this, it appears that the original screws that were installed had already broken and the bracket was probably being held by just one screw. I say this, because while looking at the broken screws, they were already RUSTY, indicating that they had been broken for some time, since a clean break wouldn't have rusted that quickly and it would have been bear metal exposed.

My guess is they are an inferior screw and either were over torqued or not installed properly.

I couldn't get the original screws out, so I had to move the bracket down just slightly to expose new material to screw into. This time, I drilled new holes, and used Zinc Plated Screws. A little more dense than the cheap-*** ones that were originally installed.

The Bracket is now back in place and secure and works fine. Upon checking my other awnings, I noticed on the bedroom slide, living room slide and Door Side Slide, one screw was missing in each bracket. Now, I haven't had time to get up and inspect them yet, but I will look to see if a screw was installed and sheered off or simply wasn't installed. They will have to be fixed before my next road trip, to prevent a similar occurance with my Awnings.

EVERYONE WHO HAS SLIDE AWNINGS SHOULD PROBABLY CHECK THESE BRACKETS!

The last thing you want is to be out in the boonies someplace and not have access to tools to fix the problem.

I am beginning to carry extra stuff with me for other maintenance problems that may occur.

You all take care.

Jeff
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Jeff
What size screws did you use? Also is your rig under warrenty yet? I'm taking it in since we just picked the trailer up on the 9th of May.
Jim
 
J

Jeff

Guest
Awnings!

Hi BigBlue:

I used #10 x 3/4 inch. Zinc plated. Couldn't find any galvanized screws, they would work better and not rust.

I was able to extract one screw out and measure the size.

These screws used are very cheap and thin shanked, not what I consider good holding screws for this application.

The #10 screws are a little thicker and hold alot better. I was able to pull on the bracket really hard and it held just fine.

AS for warranty, yes, mine is still under warranty. But, my dealer is 180 miles south of where I live and I can't justify dragging it down there for this fix, that I already accomplished. We have another Landmark Dealer about 80 miles away, but, "**** WOULD HAVE TO FREEZE OVER FIRST" before I'd consider using them.

Anyway, got to go.

Take Care.

Jeff
 
J

Jeff

Guest
To BE OR NOT TO BE???

Hi Rosco:

That is the question?

The factory maybe knows, or maybe not. Whoever supplies the parts or orders the parts would know. They should also know what kind of stress these screws are placed under and use the appropriate screws for the best application possible.

But, when it comes down to cost vs. failure rate, guess which one will win out in the end??

Take Care.

Jeff
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Jeff
Thanks for the quick response.
We're going right by our dealer on Friday and I was able to get an appointment so I'm bringing it in. This way they can see the problem and check the other brackets.
If the situation were different I would probably fix it myself also.
Jim
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Check your Brackets

To reiterate Jeff's suggestion

Check Your Slide Topper Awnings
The other bracket on the slide had two of the five screws sheared. The heads were just setting in the bracket. I've asked my dealer to check all brackets on Friday.
Jim
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Thanks everyone for this heads-up. I'll be checking my slide awning screws and possibly adding this to my list for my factory visit.

Jim
 
J

Jeff

Guest
Check Your Slide Awnings!

Hello Everyone:

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

It is very important that you take the time to check your Slide Awning if you have them.

I was out this morning inspecting my brackets on the awnings. (See Pictures below)

I am gonna have to replace all the screws holding these brackets to the slides.

I was able to get several of the original screws out and replace them with new #10 3/4" Zinc Plated screws.

The "CHEAP" self-tapping screws used by the factory are totally worthless as most of them have sheared off and are just sitting in the bracket holes.

The pictures below show the original screw I was able to get out and the new screw I am replacing them with.

The other picture shows the bits and parts that were already sheared off. How do I know this?? You can see the rust on top of the screws, indicating they have been broken for sometime, since rust doesn't develop that fast.

Another trick to prevent this from happening again is to apply a small amount of silicone caulk in the hole, before replacing the screw. This will prevent water from getting in there and causing rust to develop.

My thoughts on this problem are: The Factory may or may not be to blame on this matter. If the Awning company is supplying these CHEAP quality screws, then they are the culprits. However, the Factory should know how to install these self tappers in away as to NOT shear them off. TOO much torque on the drill will almost always break these screws off.

I will be writing to Scott shortly about this problem. It may be something he wants to know about, as there will probably be service repairs coming in for this matter.

That is about all for now.

You all take care.

Jeff


Revised version of this post:

I have added several more pictures for viewing.

One shows the Bedroom slide Sheared off Screws, Fixed with new screws and Caulk, plus sprayed with Rustoleum Enamel Paint.

One shows the Raw Fix, before painting.

Door Side photos, show at least 2 more Sheared off Screws. Not fixed yet due to rain today.

So far, I have replaced 20 screws on the Off Door Side Slides. 6 of those screws were sheared off.

10 more to go on the Door Side Slide.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Jeff.
 
Last edited:

rosco

Active Member
cheap screws

Hi Jeff, Great report.. stay on top of it please for all of us... look forward to your update after you contact Scott...I have been surfing the web for almost two years and have not heard of similar problems with other manufacturers..have you?? Take care...
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
Checked all of the screws on my awnings today rain and all and found none missing or loose (wife says I have a loose screw). I guess I finally found something that is right but I will keep checking after every time out. Going out again next Thursday for a week. Can hardly wait and hope everything goes well.
 

rosco

Active Member
loose screw

Hi Tom, glad to hear the only loose screw is in your head ..Ha Ha.. Have a great week camping... How is the rig doing since the repairs and how is the truck...How does it tow, brake etc...If you get a chance give me an update ...take care..
 

BigBlue

BigBlue
Update on my problem. Dealer replaced the sheared screws and checked the other slides. They claimed they didn't find any others sheared. I'm not completely comfortable with that and will have to get up there to see if they applied a screwdriver to them.
 
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