Getting rid of canvas annex

[Brisbane Puff]

If this is in the wrong place, I apologise in advance.
A few months ago I posted a question to members about ways to get rid of the mess of tent ropes, pegs and poles associated with an annex, bed flys and an offside awning. I have tried to find my original post to tack onto, but  I’m not sure what section I posted it in… maybe I’m not searching correctly ?? I remember that Edz and others replied, but it seems it’s gone to where ever lost posts go…
Anyways, cutting  to the chase… After a long trip out west Queensland we came to the realisation that we were getting too old and in some cases too grumpy to do battle with fitting canvas to sail tracks, both bed fly and annex plus an off side awning. 24 ropes and pegs and 13 poles was just too much.
Even pulling up for an overnight stop required pulling out the bed flys and fitting to sail tracks plus the poles. Plus ropes and pegs in case it got windy overnight. And if it was raining, (which we had lots of) forget putting the camper up and packing up with damp canvas in the morning..
Setting up all the canvas to get maximum shade for a few days required the best part of an hour and one dreaded the thought of packing the whole damn thing up, just to do the whole thing over and over again during the 9 weeks.
So when we got home, I bounced the problem off members here. Various idea were posted, but they all entailed fitting the canvas, poles ect. So I have been working on the problem over the last three months and finally arrived at a system that suits us. No unpacking canvas and fitting to sail tracks. A total of 8 ropes and 8 pegs. No tent poles. And the whole shabang consisting of 4 awnings pack up in about 5 minutes depending on how fast you want to move.
With the addition of a couple of clip in spreader bars we now have a awning cover that is more taunt then the old canvas annex roof. We are currently getting walls made to create a closed annex and these will be the only items that need to be packed away..
The wonderful thing about the system is that the awnings are unpacked and fixed into position before lifting the camper roof, so it all comes together with the touch of as button. And  even if it rains overnight the camper roof can be lowered and the sides stowed away while still under cover. So now there is no packing up wet canvas… Win, win, win me thinks..
So, what do you all think??
More info here..    https://www.dropbox.com/s/sk8h7820an8uqab/Ad%20001.pdf?dl=0

[rockinj]

I need more detail!!!
:-)

[edz]

That turned out alright using the 4WD awning style .. Heres the original post of yours .. http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=49457.msg848587;topicseen#msg848587
If you wanted / needed  to brace the main awning a bit more have a look at the X brace wire set up set up of these awnings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV9bHsZDD8s ..

You could possibly use  two less ropes by running the front and rear  bed fly support legs back to locate on the A frame and rear chassis and use a single rope from the middle of the cross bar to the ground. Not sure it would work all that well with one tying the side awning down with just one rope  from the middle of the longest cross bar

[Brisbane Puff]

rockinj

I don't know what other info you want .. Maybe ask what you need to know or PM me maybe..

[jwb]

I think rockinl is just being 'cute'
with that request😆
Looks to be problem solved🤓
Cheers

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Brisbane Puff]

   jwb..
Yep, I figured... That's why I played dumb... But then again, some people do need things clarified.. 

[kleyny]

I have plastic swivel T's so how much for 2 of your hinged ones?

I wish I could have put 4wd awnings on my front and back but the cub is an odd size @1900, but I love my 4wd awning off the side.

Neil

[Brisbane Puff]

   edz..
Yep.. Very happy how it all turned out... I had a look at that video.. Lots of setting up despite the frame being attached to the van.. One wonders what else he had in that bag.. As far as the cross wires go, there is absolutely no need.. The reason for the spreader arms on the main awning is to stop the outer support arms deflecting inwards when the Velcro strap are pulled tight. And the centre ridge pole is for the spreader poles to clip to. You really don't require them but it does make the awning/annex top completely rigid and therefore the material taunt and to support the clip on walls .
We recently had the experience of sitting through a thunderstorm out Goomburra way. Lots of wind and rain as it does out that way, and everything worked perfectly. I feel that there is no need to fit spreaders to the other 3 awnings as there will not be any sides fitted to them.

I guess the wonderful thing is that we can set up a full camp in 20 minutes as opposed to an hour and still be talking to each other over a cuppa when finished..

Work out a way to fit the awning to the camper, and the awnings are totally sealed against the camper so there are no leaks.
As far as the quality and longevity of the awnings go, we look at many different brands, and there are some real shockers out there. Thing that struck me was that the rule of getting what you paid for does not apply and some of the dearer ones were in the bad basket.
So in essence we bought about the middle of the line and think we will get many years of service. Even then  it's just as matter of replacing the material. Cost wise all up wasn't too bad but to manufacture the pivot hinges I had to buy bulk. So we will post an ad on Ebay to sell the balance and recoup some of the costs.. Already fitted a couple to 4wds' which they can set up at an angle and still have water run off without having to pack up in the rain..

[Brisbane Puff]

   edz...
Sorry.. I forgot to reply to your suggestion about mounting the outer legs on the A frame.. First off, the spacing of the legs is too wide, (actually fits one each side of the vehicle). But the main issue is that we had the awning material length cut so that the end of the bed fly protrudes over the rear of the vehicle. This way we can pull up for an overnight stop and access (in our case) the tail gate of the vehicle and if need be leave it down. For example if we were to use the gen set.. On the rear end this over hang gives us enough cover to be able to walk around to the offside cover where she who must have 2 showers a day has the shower ect set up, without getting soaked.. Hope that clears it up..

[Brisbane Puff]

   kleyny...
Depends on whether your swivel Tee's are just plain plastic. There are swivel Tee's on some more expensive awnings that are stainless and coated with a nylon polymer..

As for needing 1900mm awnings.. It can be done quite simply, just a bit of work involved.. I see you are in Brisbane so we could help by steering you in the right direction.. Actually, any size awning can be made from 3 metres down. Best send me a PM with your phone number and I can gives you the details,

[Rodt]

Hello Puff,

I have bought two of these for the front and back of my Chesney Kampa IV and was wondering about adjustment of legs etc but was thinking that at the best I would have to purchase some leg extensions. Sounds like a great idea. I didn't realise until near the end of your pdf that you are selling these so possibly creating a post in the Showroom section providing details, pricing etc may help.

On another note are you able to post some pics on how you have supported the awnings on the inside of the fibreglass roof section? I am worried with mine (uneven moulded surface) on how I would support on the inside and thinking about using a full length timber board or flat steel but would love to see another idea.

Thanks

Rod

[Brisbane Puff]

Hi Rod.. First up just want to say that the idea of this post is not to sell anything. The PDF file is an ad that I am thinking of putting on Ebay, (although I didn't think of putting it on this forum until you mentioned it. And yes, I have too much time on my hands..  . The reason behind the selling bit is that to acquire the parts to make my hinges I needed to purchase the items in bulk as they come in 'lots'.  My understanding from the seller was that I needed to purchase 2.5 'lots' to have enough bits to make up hinges for my 4 awnings.. So I ordered 3 'lots'.. Turned out that I only need just under 1 'lot' so I need to recoup some of the monies outlaid. Same goes for the Nylon bushes, had to purchase 3 metres of the stuff to get the grade that I wanted.. So my apologies to anyone who may have thought that I was doing a quick hustle.

This post is a flow on from my original post some time ago, which Edz has miraculously found for me..

 http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=49457.msg848587;topicseen#msg848587

I think your camper may be similar to the GT Kamper we used to build our off road camper. Although the only original part of the GT was the body shell.

Here is the original build

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=44589.0

If your roof is the same then it will be flat surface on the front and the back. The roof thickness will be between 3 and 4 mm thick and Chesney used braided mat so it will have more then enough strength given that you use stainless steel washers on the inside under the nuts.

If your camper is the type that has a metal body (think Chesney stopped the glass body due to costs) then your roof will have an uneven surface on front and back as they made the roofs thinner (and therefore lighter) and incorporated 'profiles' to stop flexing of the thinner wall section. In this case, the roof may need to be held ridged by a inside strip, but I would look at using an aluminum strip of around 3mm instead of wood. The outer surface will be more of a challenge as the awning frame needs to be mounted of a straight (read flat) surface and therefore you need to have a spacer between the awning mounting frame and the roof where the mounting frame does not contact the roof surface. Again, I would  consider aluminum and depending on what depth the spacer needs to be, maybe a rectangular section.??

The other thing is that the awning needs to be sealed both between the roof and the mounting frame and between the mounting frame and the back of the zip up cover so nothing can leak and drip on the bed canvas. All sounds hard, but in reality, isn't hard at all.

Here is a link to another Dropbox file that contains instructions I made up for a friend, ( I know, too much free time, but I tend to go overboard) that gives installation instructions on fitting an awning to the flat side of a camper.. Only difference would be allowing for the uneven surface.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/te051wcx1auuhow/Prom%202016-A.pdf?dl=0

So, buying the awnings for bed flys is still workable.. Good to see some think outside to box..

 

[Rodt]

If your camper is the type that has a metal body (think Chesney stopped the glass body due to costs) then your roof will have an uneven surface on front and back as they made the roofs thinner (and therefore lighter) and incorporated 'profiles' to stop flexing of the thinner wall section. In this case, the roof may need to be held ridged by a inside strip, but I would look at using an aluminum strip of around 3mm instead of wood. The outer surface will be more of a challenge as the awning frame needs to be mounted of a straight (read flat) surface and therefore you need to have a spacer between the awning mounting frame and the roof where the mounting frame does not contact the roof surface. Again, I would  consider aluminum and depending on what depth the spacer needs to be, maybe a rectangular section.??

The other thing is that the awning needs to be sealed both between the roof and the mounting frame and between the mounting frame and the back of the zip up cover so nothing can leak and drip on the bed canvas. All sounds hard, but in reality, isn't hard at all.

Here is a link to another Dropbox file that contains instructions I made up for a friend, ( I know, too much free time, but I tend to go overboard) that gives installation instructions on fitting an awning to the flat side of a camper.. Only difference would be allowing for the uneven surface.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/te051wcx1auuhow/Prom%202016-A.pdf?dl=0

So, buying the awnings for bed flys is still workable.. Good to see some think outside to box..

 

Thanks mate. Mine is the metal body with the fiberglass roof section (1976 model) and yes the surface is uneven. I was thinking of 'spacing out' the inside of the awning frame (between it and the body) with some sort of rubber product (think like a concrete slab expansion joint) that is waterproof and I would seal with silastic of some sort.

Good tip about the aluminium and I will have to search around. Out of interest how many mounting bolts did you use? I was thinking going a bit overboard and using at least 8 per awning for piece of mind. Not up to this stage yet so have some time to think about it although it will come around quickly.

I've read your build thread previously and wish I had some of the skills that you blokes have.

Thanks for the link to the other pdf and I will have a read tonight.

Cheers

Rod

[Brisbane Puff]

Hi Rod... Just found your camper photos... Worked out how to fit your awnings.. Message me if you want..

[Rodt]

Thanks Puff I have sent you a pm

Cheers

Rod

[Brisbane Puff]

Rodt.. Are my PM's getting through??