Awning Poles, Aaaarghhh.

[machighlander]

hi, i have just spent a full sunday afternoon attempting to suss out what poles go where with my awning. i laid them all out in the back garden and started with what looked to be the obvious,the two end couplings and centre one, this seemed easy enough as obviously the centre one was the one with three baranches on it and the end ones had two for fixing poles.however, i have no instructions with it and nnot sure if its all there. i thought i had it cracked when i put the two end pieces and centre piece together with their respective legs, they were the only three poles with the plastic bungs on the bottom, thats when the fun began, there are 5 poles with a plastic type bracket on the end which has a screw and butterfly washer on them, they are two piece which lock togetherby means of teeth, like gearing. i have no idea where these are meant to attach to, can only think it might be to some sort of clamp that fits onto the caravan and i dont have them.

also there are three poles which have a spike on top, they are a bit shorter than the main ones and i havent a clue as to where they might go. strewth, what a waste of a sunday afternoon. the ones with the plastic clips are throwing me, i dont have my camera at the moment or would post a pic, i know it will all fall in place eventually, but oh dear, this is frustrating.

 

[Sproket]

I know you haven't got a dorema awning, but take a look at this diagram, most awnings go together with the same sort of principle, maybe you wont have the same amount of poles, but you will be able to get some sort of idea how one goes together.

awning diagram

 

[Parksy]

If the plastic bracket thingy's resemble This they clip onto a length of beading along the roof of your awning nearest the caravan. The roof poles fit into them and the flat part of the bracket rests along the top side of your caravan and accommodates roof poles.

The short lengths with spikes go into the front of the roof poles above the front awning entrance outside.The spikes go through holes in the 'eave' of the awning, imagine a length of porch roof along the front of the awning outside the door.

 

[machighlander]

thats no them parksy, wish i had my camera, but gave it to my niece for her prom. the brackets are white plastic and are round in shape, about the size of a ten pence. they are locked together with teeth and have a 8mm butterfly screw through them. the end of it is shaped rectangular, as if its meant to slide into something, thats why im thinking there are parts amiss.

 

[Sproket]

plastic thingy ?

 

[machighlander]

nope, its no that either sproket, will need to hound ma niece for my camera, hard to explain what they look like.

 

[Douglas_374404558]

HI! MacH at least you did it before you went away .is it a full awning you have or a porch awning if it has 3 sets of poles it may be that the 3 poles you sayed had spikes on them they might be for going from the van to the front of the awning roof (just one idea0 .Do you have the make of the awning if so try there name on the net and try contacting them they might send out a set of instructions ,or the last owner that you bought it from

might help with some instructions .would be good if you could just throw it up in the air and walk under it with the poles (no such luck ) All the best with you awning patience is the hardest thing keep at it you WILL get there in the end .

cheers Duggie

 

[machighlander]

hi douglas, its a harrison full awning, cant find any related info on the web.

the three poles that have the spikes are a wee bit shorter than the end pieces, they have the plastic bung on the bottom so i know they dont fit in with other ones.

i have two end pieces which have the fittings for a pole to go to the caravan side and one to go towards the centre piece.

but, some of the poles have these wee plastic thingdys on the ends and i cant work out how to brace it all together. going by what i have, there arent enough poles with double ends to do this.

 

[slimseydy]

when I sussed mine out I went to the pound shop and bought a packet of coloured tape ,so now each section is red,blue,yellow,white,green ,easy life next time I put the awning up,though the wife hates it & it looks destined to live in the loft for eternity.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi mac

the 3 short poles with spikes on definitly fit into the 3 poles that are in the middle and on the either side pointing outwards with the spike upwards. it is hard to describe in words and without the canvas out over the poles, but I will bet they form a short verandah valance at the top front edge of the awning the canvass will have 3 metal lined holes directly inline with the centre and edge poles with cutouts to slide these short poles into, the spikes go through the canvas and hold the valance out when the awning is up.

if you look at sprokets diagrham closely (ie: blown up) the poles in question are numbered "7" and are 210mm long thats 4 and 1/2in long but could be as much as 12in long depending on the depth of the valance.

next the 5 poles with plasic brackets on. I am sure these go from the van side to the front awning poles positioned as the diaghram numbered "5.6.8."forming 5 solid poles. as the poles question are 3 piece, yours may be 1 piece ie: 5 telescopic ones,

the triangle brackets undoubtably fit onto the van side in someway just below the awning rail, the ratchet arrangement is so the poles can be angled down from the high van awning rail down to the lower front awning poles again as the diagrham depicts numbered "C" but obviously a different design to the ones shown. (has by any chance) the plastic triangles got a hole drilled in each corner ie: "3 per bracket" if they have then the brackets, "your not going to like this" have to be permanatly attached to the van side with screws, "OUCH" if it is a new van. or "with double sided tape".

I hope this all makes sense to you but the poles and attachments you describe sound very familier to me as it rings of the poulard awning we had with the last van, this went with the van when we sold it as removing the brackets would have left holes in the side of the van hence the "ouch".

good luck with it let us know how you get on.

colin.

 

[Steve L]

Hi Mac.

Good job your trying out the poles before you went on site or someone could earn

 

[machighlander]

hey folks, who's a clever cookie then, have just sussed out the pole conundrum. cheers for all the help and replies by the way .

me being me cant leave something unfinished so straight home from work at 6 and back out to the garden. had to put all the outside lights on.

the more i looked at it the more i thought of where the 3 poles with the pins on the ends would fit into the equation, so i went and brought out the bag with the roof panel and opened it up. good move, because i came across two pointersa here, firstly there are 5 heavy duty rubber pads sewn into the underside of the roof just below the rail part, these have a small rectangular recess in them and it dawned on me this is where the five poles with the plastic thingdies fitted into. this gave a good starting point, then looking at the 3 with pins on the end i noticed that the central pole and two end ones had a small hole on the opposite side from where the tube fitted. i had wrongly faced the end pieces and centre on with the tubes facing inward toward the van, i thought it was the obvious way, then to place the tubes running to the van, this had thrown me as i couldnt get any of them to fit the retainers.

now though, it all looks so easy, the tube points on the end pieces face outwards and they accomodate three short extensions with a hook attached, i take it this will be to support the pelmet type thingdy.

at first i was dubious as to the poles with the pins being used this way as they dont give the tightest fit, but then i realised the part they attach to has a large pin on the top which will feed through the corner hole in the roof, then when the poles are attached i use the extension to take tension then lock it.

sorry for dragging on here and i hope i have explained it clearly enough, yesterday i was totaly baffled with the 5 poles with plastic fittings and the 3 with pins, now it all goes together, ah, this caravan malarky is addictive.

once again folks thanks for the help when required, you arra best

 

[Parksy]

It's good to know that you figured it out and your post adds to the sum total of knowledge on the forum so has been very worthwile.

You will rock up to your next pitch like a veteran, have the awning erected with the minimum of fuss and will enjoy the smug satisfaction of helping some other unfortunate awning novice who didn't bother with a trial run.

Well Done

 

[machighlander]

cheers parksy, what a difference a day makes ansd all that.

wasn't until i took out the awning roof panel that the penny dropped, especially with the 3 uprights, left, centre and right, my guess would have been that the tube extensions on them faced inwards, to accomodate another pole, totaly wrong, they face outwards and the poles running from the van (which are attached by the wee plastic thingys) join them by using the pins on the end through the small holes.

part 2 to come now, take caravan and awning to somewhere i can put it all together including the panels, but i think that should be the easy part once the framework is sorted.