Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Dometic Awning issue (shoulder or set screw)

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Topic: Dometic Awning issue (shoulder or set screw)

Posted By: solar07 on 10/10/16 01:32pm

Hello all,

We are new to the camping scene and recently purchased a 2010 Sunnybrook 269 THX. We went on a little three day excursion to Indian Lake and have already fallen in love with our new hobby.

We had a bit of an issue with the awning in that I realized, where the Dometic Sunchaser 8500 that is on it, the lower left bracket that bolts to the trailer was pulling away from the body of the trailer and the bolts at stripped and pulled thru. I tried to tighten them but they had stripped. The awning works fine but I knew it was a matter of time before this bracket would rip the rest of the way off. I got home and put some larger bolts in which did the trick however, I found the culprit. It seems there is a set screw or shoulder screw that the awning rails rest on when in the closed up position. There was so much tension pushing on this shoulder/set screw it was pushing the bracket that striped the screws down and out. In order to relieve this tension I had to remove the set screw. As of right now I have the set screw back in lower than where the rail wants to rest to alleviate this tension. Per the picture link I found below, it is that shoulder bolt on the lower left hand. My question is, does that rail need to be resting on that shoulder bolt or what even is its purpose? The rail wants to rest half way between one of the holes the shoulder bolt can screw into therefore, to have the rail rest on said bolt you have to push the rail up (creating tension) and add the shoulder/set screw which will then add the tension back and likely pull my new bolts out eventually. Hopefully this is enough detail friends. Thank you for any help!

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* This post was last edited 10/10/16 01:54pm by solar07 *

Posted By: Johno02 on 10/10/16 02:09pm

Should be OK to take the tension off by lowering the stop. The awning should latch in at the top when stowed. The purpose of the stop is to keep it the outer part from sliding down too far when the awning is extended and used in the ground leg position.. The stop also helps when the awing is being rolled, so that the roller is positioned correctly at the top.

Noel and Betty Johnson (and Harry)
2005 GulfStream Ultra Supreme, 1 Old grouch, 1 wonderful wife, and two silly poodles.

Posted By: Hank MI on 10/10/16 02:42pm

That post does align the top of the arm with the bracket when closed. If it closes properly you should be good to go. What may have happened is the previous owner let the arm fall and hit the post when lowering the awning. Previous owner of our MH did that. I can see where the post is bent down slightly and paint is chipped off around it. There are 2 rubber bumpers on the outside edge of the top bracket. When the awning is closed the upper arm should rest against these bumpers.

Posted By: SoundGuy on 10/10/16 02:58pm

solar07 wrote:

We had a bit of an issue with the awning in that I realized, where the Dometic Sunchaser 8500 that is on it, the lower left bracket that bolts to the trailer was pulling away from the body of the trailer and the bolts at stripped and pulled thru.

The 8500 and Sunchaser are different series of awnings, parts for one won't fit the other ... from your pics it appears yours would be an 8500. You'd be well advised to identify exactly which model you have from the sticker on the roller tube and hardware so when it does come times to order parts for it you'll be ordering the correct parts. [emoticon]

Posted By: solar07 on 10/11/16 06:48pm

I forgot the original owner said the awning was replaced in 2014 so the manuals I have a likely not correct either. I have attached some further pictures. You can see where I have the shoulder screw now, it sounds like this is OK?

I also noticed that the rails stick out towards the top and they are flush together on the bottom, is this normal? They both do that evenly to the top so I am hoping it is designed this way.

Lastly I found a label but it does not show me a model.

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Posted By: SoundGuy on 10/11/16 07:29pm

solar07 wrote:

Lastly I found a label but it does not show me a model.

Of course it does ... the information you need is shown in that last pic you posted. 8273000.401B is the tall hardware in polar white for a Dometic 8500 ... you should find a similar model information sticker on the roller tube that will provide the exact model of awning you have, including two letters that indicate the colour of the fabric. An example.

Posted By: Z-Peller on 10/11/16 08:57pm

Your awning is not in the lock slots at top. Push on arm towards trailer while lifting arm up with lever, then let arm down while still pushing towards trailer. Now give arm a pull away from trailer to be sure it is locked in at top. Pin you are talking about is for arm to rest on to take weight off spring loaded lever pins. When you are locked in at top, then all should be lined up for spring loaded handle pins to be in holes, but not taking too much weight, and lower pin you are talking about to be taking arm weight. You are in danger of your awning deploying and ripping off when driving down the road if arms are not lifted and then dropped into lock position at the top.
To get awning out again, flip down awning ratchet lever with awning rod, loosen black knobs, release small flip out arm retainer, then use awning rod to pull out 4 or 5 inches of awning. This will give you slack. Then lift up on arm levers to lift arm up and pull arm away from trailer. Now you can proceed to pull awning all the way out.

Bill..
2017 Bigfoot 10.4 camper...2016 GMC 3500 4x4 Xcab Duramax Dually...

Posted By: Joe417 on 10/11/16 10:52pm

The shoulder bolt or pin at the bottom of the awning arm is there to stop the outer arm from sliding down over the lower bracket release in the back of the arm. If that happens, when the awning arm tilts out, the horizontal brace bracket can be pulled out of the tract that it slides in.

Your problem may have been that the lower arm bracket bolts were not installed in solid framing or were over tightened when installed. The bolts should support the weight if solidly installed.

Z-Peller also has a point, as my awning also closes completely on the upper bracket which acts as a lock on the arms at the top. I loosen the knobs and with the handle lift up to allow them to swing out from the camper and then reverse that to store the awning before travel.

Joe & Evelyn

Posted By: CT_WANDERER on 10/11/16 10:53pm

Is the large black knob on the back lose when you are closing the awning? Your tension can be coming from the support arms that hold the awning away from your RV. Or your roller tube is slightly off center. Try to push your support legs over at the top to see if it will lock in place. Gary

Posted By: Chris Bryant on 10/12/16 04:11am

The bottom bracket must hold the entire weight of the awning, whether retracted or deployed. That shoulder bolt is a stop to keep the arm high enough that it fits over the top bracket.
IOW, As stated, the problem is the bottom bracket needs a sturdy attachment. That said, both stops should be installed so the awning is even when retracted, and if the bottom brackets are not even, the stop bolts should not be as well.
FWIW, the A&E 8500, 9000, and 8300 Sunchaser with nested hardware are functionally identical, but theoretically you need the exact hardware part number to match parts.

Looking at your pictures, I question the installation. The bottom bracket should be in to the floor line, or a reinforced area. It should never be simply screwed to a sidewall with no backing.

-- Chris Bryant

Posted By: Hank MI on 10/12/16 06:48am

As others have said, your awning is not fully closed and locked in at the top. I described in my previous reply how the upper arm should be tight against the upper bracket.

Are the 2 arms sliding together properly? The lower arm should slide easily inside the upper arm when closed. Put the posts back where they were and close the awning. check the alignment of the 2 arms. If not aligned properly it will prevent the awning from closing all the way. I had to adjust my upper brackets, they will slide side to side a little if you loosen the bolts. My arms weren't aligned top to bottom, now it closes easily. Also, if the material is old and drying out it can pull the awning out of alignment.

I replaced my awning fabric because it was tearing and shrinking. Had to fight with it to get it closed. After replacing the fabric it took a while to get the arms aligned and the material centered in the upper track. It was worth it though, it operates like a new awning now.

Posted By: Z-Peller on 10/12/16 12:08pm

Your problem all stems from awning not being locked in at top. Bottom bracket should not be taking that much weight. Top awning rail has 2 big bolts into trailer at top of arms that take weight when awning is properly locked in at top. When my awning is retracted and locked in at top I can unclip arm from bottom bracket easily and it just hangs there. (Note..awning instructions say do not swing bottom of arm out from trailer when locked in at top or damage can occur to top locking slot )

Posted By: Chris Bryant on 10/12/16 12:22pm

Z-Peller wrote:

This is not correct- while the top bracket *can* hold the weight, the bottom bracket is meant to, and the top is not supposed to rest on that bracket. The bottom bracket holds the weight- from the service manual:

Dometic wrote:

2.6 Bottom Mounting Bracket
The bottom mounting brackets are screwed to the floor
line of the unit and they support the weight of the awning.
They also provide a quick release to setup the awning in
the patio position. If a bottom mounting bracket settles,
sags, or becomes loose it can reduce the clearance be-
tween the top casting of the torsion and the extension
of the top mounting bracket, making operation difficult.
Check the bottom mounting bracket for looseness or set-
tling, and tighten or reposition accordingly for proper op-
eration. A stand off is available and goes over molding
and extends the Bottom Mounting Bracket away from the
side of the coach approximately 3/4 inch if needed.

Cannot tell if the bottom bracket is installed at the floor line- it looks like it is above it, and the standoff over the molding should have been used. Of course, it could be in the floor line and just leaked and rotted. For cases like that, I use an aluminum plate.

Posted By: dougrainer on 10/12/16 01:11pm

Z-Peller wrote:

The only "lock" is the front torsion spring lock cam. The rear arm the side bolt/washer shim is there to prevent the outer arm from dropping down and also to allow the top arm to sit just above the upper mount bracket. IF the upper bracket and arm are "locked" or are resting on each other, when you open the awning that rear arm will NOT open outward until you manually pull it off the upper mount. Usually the holes in the side are the spring loaded stops for the outer arm. That Washer/shim is just to keep that arm from dropping too far. Doug

Posted By: solar07 on 10/12/16 01:24pm

SO, mayybe closing it right may solve my whole problem? I have seen a few videos but they are all a bit different. Any suggestions on a good one?

From there, I need to ask, should the sliding arm rest on that shoulder/set screw at all when closed?

Posted By: Hank MI on 10/12/16 05:08pm

solar07 wrote:

Yes it should set on that screw. That's it's purpose, to adjust the height so the upper arm goes above the lip of the upper bracket and closes tight against it. If you look you see there are multiple holes int the lower arm so the shoulder screw can be set at the correct height to hold the arm up.

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