Broken awning arm

[Mstetzii]

I have a 2016 Jay Flight SLX with a 18' Carefree awning but last season I had rain collapse the awning.

I did not make an insurance claim and I am out of warranty but I was able to bend it back enough to close it and I have used it that way ever since.

It looks like it is becoming weaker. I checked with a couple RV dealers and they all say they only sell the entire assembly.

Has anyone dealt with this before?

[ALJO]

Why don't you contact the manufacturer, you might get a better answer there.

[ricemanwm]

I bought parts for mine directly from carefree. Here is the link.

Longitude - Carefree of Colorado

[BJR]

I got a better deal through my dealer. They drop shipped to the house for ~20 less. Carefree will sell direct.

My arm was the idle arm, but there must be an easy way to splice the power connection on the other side. See my thread below for some info:

Replacing an awning arm

Mine was part number R001839BLK (Jayco part number 0273727) from Carefree. It's the 'Longitude, 1/2, back*, adj, blk.'

*Back arm vs front arm for you.

[shadester]

Sure, you can get parts and fix but the parts are not cheap. I had mine fixed under warranty (then removed it all) and replaced the whole awning assembly with a different model and it was the one of the smartest moves I've made. I wouldn't trust that model unless it was 0mph winds with 100% sun.

[Mstetzii]

Cool thanks all for the fast replies. Has had this fixed by insurance? Would that be a viable option if my deductable is low enough?

[BJR]

Originally Posted by Mstetzii

Cool thanks all for the fast replies. Has had this fixed by insurance? Would that be a viable option if my deductable is low enough?

I don't know what the labor charge would be if you were going to get a quote but my part was less than $350 and my deductible runs $500. It didn't make sense for me.

Originally Posted by shadester

Sure, you can get parts and fix but the parts are not cheap. I had mine fixed under warranty (then removed it all) and replaced the whole awning assembly with a different model and it was the one of the smartest moves I've made. I wouldn't trust that model unless it was 0mph winds with 100% sun.

Do you have any details on what you did? How much was it, what did you buy, how did you do it, etc?

[Screwby]

This is the same awning that Open Range is using on a lot of their campers including my 5th wheel. I’m on my third set of arms (2 on front awning and 1 on rear awning). We even have a thread over at the Open Range forum about how terribly weak these awnings are. It’s takes a little water weight or a small gust of wind and they crumple. Some have had just the stiffness of the gas struts pushing against the arm while retracting the awning bend the arms. You can feel how thin the arms are, they feel like tin foil compared to the awning arms on my Jayco 23RB. I’ve had storms pop up while camping in the Jayco and the awning was flopping up and down 2-3’ before I could reel it in. In contrast my 3 awning arms on the Open Range were damaged on sunny days when a slight breeze made them bounce maybe an inch or two and they crumpled. The awning on the Jayco is profoundly more robust. I’ve tried and tried to get the factory or dealer to replace these crappy awnings with something better. I hate that I have to be terrified to use my awnings and when a breeze picks up I feel panicked. The dealers reply was the factory only replaces factory parts with factory parts. So I told them to order a case of arms as there is still 5 years left on this warranty lol.

[shadester]

My 5th is high so I had the traveler steep pitch installed. Been in some heavy rain with no problem. Soon after replacing I saw Jayco started installing the traveler also on later 5th models. I dont recall the price, it is was it was but worth it to me. I just dont trust flimsy metal that you can bend by hand. Not sure what a step up with carefree would be with a travel trailer as its height is alot lower. But it may be worth the research to see what's out there IF your looking for something with more strength and able to pitch done easily for rain.

[SloPoke]

Had the same thing happen... on the motorized arm. Bent in the same place because of a heavy rain while in the Sunny State of Florida. Yes, the awning was set in the lowered position too, as we knew we were going to get rain and we were in the Seneca when it broke(no wind at all)

The way that these arms are built is kind of sketchy in the first place and the place it bent is a "Known Weak Point" on these arms (says the owner of the mobile awning company that replaced the arm). After carefully inspecting the damaged arm while on the ground, it is obvious that the rivets that hold the thing together are hydraulically pressed in place. I doubt that my press at home would even be able to repair the individual part - even if they had them available (they dont sell them that way).

We broke down and got the arm replaced for just under $700 including Labor, and they came to us in our campsite.

[BJR]

Originally Posted by SloPoke

s are built is kind of sketchy in the first place and the place it bent is a "Known Weak Point" on these arms (says the owner of the mobile awning company that replaced the arm).

Agree - this is a quality issue that could be easily addressed with a superseded repair part.

Solera confirms they have 1:1 arms for the following Carefree models:
Spirit
Fiesta:
Simplicity Traveler
and Eclipse

That's too bad because these Longitude arms are ripe for a quality option.

[jloco]

If I had a choice when ordering my Jay Flight, I would have preferred the old style manual Dometic awning. They are much more sturdy than these newer power awnings.

[Fingerlakes]

Mstetzii- I just sent you a private message about an awning arm.

[bdreinv]

Same problem on our 16 Eagle RSTS fiver.Gas struts pound them hard on the first 6 or 7" when extending!When extending we go about 2 or 3' and stop takes the big shock out some what.Jayco ordered replacements under warranty.Never had an issue on our 2005 HR.

[EnricoG]

I had the same problem... I ordered the arm assembly on Amazon and replaced it myself (mine is a slightly different model to yours). I got the right one (with the motor), but I *think* I could have got the left one and scavenged the parts (motor & wiring) from the bent one to save a little.

[Vergari59]

So this weekend my awning got caught it a flash storm and my right arm bracket was bent pretty bad. I was able to get it retracted but the damage was done. Every thing works fine except it’s bent to hell. I am still under my Jayco warranty, any shot of having this covered? Also I went on the website for manufacturer (carefree) and it appears they only sell the assembly with the motor. I just need the arm. Finally any videos on how to complete this at home? Appreciate the feedback.

[BJR]

I did a post on the replacement here:

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...arm-58144.html

No good videos that I found.

[John from Central Florida]

Originally Posted by Vergari59

So this weekend my awning got caught it a flash storm and my right arm bracket was bent pretty bad...I am still under my Jayco warranty, any shot of having this covered

Probably not since it doesn’t appear to be a manufacturer defect. We retract ours at the first sign of a bad wind or storm.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by John from Central Florida

Probably not since it doesn’t appear to be a manufacturer defect. We retract ours at the first sign of a bad wind or storm.

I don't always retract when it rains because we often sit under it when raining, but we always tilt one end for run off. High wind is another thing. I always retract when the wind kicks up. We never leave it out unattended! I learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago.

It's very doubtful this would be covered under warranty. You should tilt for run off or roll it up in adverse weather.