Electric Awning

[ninjafreek]

Red hawk 26xd 2018 my patio awning seems to be getting slower and slower to extend and return. My rv stays under cover and is in very good shape anyone else experienced this?

[Camper_bob]

Yes, my awning is frustratingly slow.

Interested to hear if anyone else has any tips? But I'm thinking it's just the nature of that particular beast...

[ninjafreek]

I've washed my rv several times so I tried a little lube where I could get some but no luck. It seems as though the motor is weak.

[Ender on the road]

Red hawk 26xd 2018 my patio awning seems to be getting slower and slower to extend and return. My rv stays under cover and is in very good shape anyone else experienced this?

So a couple of years ago I drove off with my awning out and hit the support arm with a palm tree....yep that was really dumb.

Anyway what I found out when I replaced the darn thing is the little pistons on the support arms push the awning out. The motor rolls it in. Sooooo if your awning deploys slowly you could just need new pistons.

But replacing those can be really really really HARD!!!! You have to extend the thing, support it, then remove and replace. I ended up building an apparatus out of 2X4s to do the whole thing.

[drmike961]

Forgive me as I am new to my red hawk but couldn't this just be a weak battery issue??

[Ender on the road]

Yeah, but there are lots of parts of this that would exclude battery issue. First would be the difference in extension speed when the unit is on shore power vs dry camping.

There is a monster spring in the awning tube (DO NOT LET THIS UNWIND ) that has to be wound just right. It winds tight when the thing extends, then helps the motor when it retracts.

So there are a lot of factors. But you have to first look to see if it has slowed down, or was always slow.

[Camper_bob]

I was thinking of power as a potential issue. Because sometimes it seems to go ever so slightly faster than others (still REALLY slow). But we're almost always connected to shore power, so the converter should be supplying the bulk of the power needed for 12V items.

I've never really considered the pistons, but I guess that's something I should consider? And I have lubed it several times, so I'm pretty sure that's not the issue.

So then I was thinking it could be a weak ground somewhere. This is a DEFINITE possibility. I don't know if you all have looked at the grounds under your unit, but let's just say there's lots of room for improvement.

I have not technically had a ground related issue as yet, and hopefully I won't. I intend to replace all my wads of grounds under the unit with BUS bars this winter (if I have time). If I can get them all cleaned up and ensure they all have good, solid connections, that'll be one less thing to worry about. And it's a relatively cheap mod, just would probably take me a lot of time.

[DrSmart]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I was thinking of power as a potential issue. Because sometimes it seems to go ever so slightly faster than others (still REALLY slow). But we're almost always connected to shore power, so the converter should be supplying the bulk of the power needed for 12V items.

One thought regarding slightly different speeds, our trailer has a Charge Wizard for the battery. It operates at 3 slightly different voltages. This could have some affect on speed.



BOOST Mode 14.4 Volts – Rapidly brings the RV battery up to 90% of full charge.
NORMAL Mode 13.6 Volts – Safely completes the charge.
STORAGE Mode 13.2 Volts – Maintains charge with minimal gassing or water loss.
EQUALIZATION Mode 14.4 Volts – Every 21 hours for a period of 15 minutes prevents battery stratification & sulfation – the leading cause of battery failure.

[hoppers4]

Personally I think it's just the nature of the beast. Since everybody seems to have the same problem (mine included), that's my guess.

[drmike961]

Hush yo mouth, I think that this might be the only problem that I don't have.....yet.

[Ender on the road]

So then I was thinking it could be a weak ground somewhere. This is a DEFINITE possibility. I don't know if you all have looked at the grounds under your unit, but let's just say there's lots of room for improvement.

I have not technically had a ground related issue as yet, and hopefully I won't. I intend to replace all my wads of grounds under the unit with BUS bars this winter (if I have time). If I can get them all cleaned up and ensure they all have good, solid connections, that'll be one less thing to worry about. And it's a relatively cheap mod, just would probably take me a lot of time.

Okay so this is pretty easy to test. Right around your motor end there is a plug that connects the motor to the motorhome. Unplug it. Put an meter on it so you can tell which wires are hot when you push open and close. Then run a pair of direct wires from your truck battery plus and minus to the motor. From here you can time the motor. travel. If it is a power problem it will show up here.

[hoppers4]

Originally Posted by drmike961

Hush yo mouth, I think that this might be the only problem that I don't have.....yet.

Yikes, you're telling me the techs were asleep that day and forgot to install the 'creep' mod to your awning . Lucky you .

[ajboudreau24]

I just got my rig back for this issue. I had a broken idler torsion spring. The dealer and Jayco told me to spray the awning pistons and hinge points with CRC 03044 Dry PTFE Lubricating Spray. They also told me to spray the slide out rails and steps with this product.

[wags999]

5 years, using the RV about 6 months per year. Used awaning a lot, works just like first time. Not slow either way. We're typically on shore power.

[greyhawktom]

mine is always slow, just thought it is the nature of the beast.
But I have a different awning issue. The frabic tends to wrinkle on the ends a little.
First one end now the other.
Any ideas?

[JFlightRisk]

We don't have a power awning, but have friends that do. One thing I've noticed on theirs, is they roll it out a couple of feet, and stop for a few seconds. This allows the gas pressure in the shocks/struts to equalize, before extending it out the rest of the way.

The struts are just a smaller version of the gas shocks on your vehicle. The gas passes through valving inside, so it takes a bit for them to extend fully. So, when the awning gets to a certain point extending, the motor is working against the strut, which hasn't equalized its pressure inside the tube yet. On the same note, if your vehicles shocks didn't act this way also, when you compress them going over a bump, the shock would abruptly slam the suspension back up. Sorry for the long explanation, but there you have it folks!

[greyhawktom]

Thanks for the reply, I am mainly thinking about why the ends wrinkle a little.
I’m not overly concerned about it now, I guess my guestion is does anyone else have an issue with it?
Thanks again

[Johnynorthland]

Mines a bit slow too on my 2019 Redhawk !

[Roy W.]

I found that the rods that collapse inside the pistons get dry after being extended. I wiping mine down with a little bit of Vaseline and it greatly increased the speed in which the awning comes in.

[Kazi]

Any thoughts on where to order a replacement? I'm a newbie and forgot to retract before driving off.