A&E 14' Slide Awning Tube Encap Failure

[ihsolutions]

Hi all,

My large living room slide on our BH 3670 has a slide topper installed at the factory. What has happened over the last year is that the hole in the endcap, where the pin attached to the support arm goes in, has enlarged, in an oblong manner. It's like the metal used in the endcap was just not thick or substantial enough. The end result is that the awning material is starting to get chewed up because it's not rolling in and out, smoothly. There's a loud clunking noise when doing so.

These endcaps are riveted onto the awning roller tube. I can't be the first person this has happened to. All the other, smaller, slide topper awnings are fine, presumably because they are not loaded with as much force as this larger one.

Has anyone fixed this short of replacing the awning tube (at which point I'd just get a whole new awning, too). Dometic says the whole roller tube must be replaced, but I'm handy, and thinking I can save this if I can somehow reinforce the hole.

 

[JohnDar]

Short of finding a metal sleeve that will fit the opening in the endcap and still accept the pin into it, I don't know what you can do, Jeff. It does seem, though, that you could just replace the endcap, if you can find a source for the part. Junk yard for RV's any place?

The install/operations manual I have doesn't show a lot of detail for the components.

 

[jimtoo]

How about cutting a flat piece of say 1/4 at lease thick steel..a little smaller than the end cap...drill hole in middle the size of the shaft/pin the roller is on... drill say 6 holes close to around the outer edge. Cut the plate in half with saw. Place on the end of the roller that is worn out and attach with screws... short so they would not interfere with insides. This should center the pin and give it a new surface to rest on.

Jim M