A&E Electric Awning tilt adjustment

A few weeks ago I had ordered the free arm for the A&E electric awning that allows you to tilt it to shed water. My son helped me install it last night. It was a pretty simple process. While we were doing this my son noticed that a star washer on one of the other pins was missing. This was an accident just waiting to happen. Due to the design, the front arm recesses into the back channel. Some of the pins are short so they can fit inside the back channel. The star washer cannot go onto the pin very far. It will be tight but I am thinking of drilling the end of the pins and installing a very thin washer and cotter pin or else go to a different pin design. If you have the electric awning please check your pins/washers!! If anyone already did a mod to this any info would be appreciated.

KH

KH,
You mentioned a FREE arm? Why free? Do you have address where to order? Thanks...and I will check awning connections.
Mmiller

KH,
My friend has a Boogie Box by R-Vision with the A&E 9100 power awning but it does not have the slotted arms that came standard on my 2009 Wilcat. We are camping this week and his is constantly collecting rain.

Were you able to have the free rain strut kit mailed directly to you or did you have to go through your dealer. I've been doing a bit of research for him and I got the impression that it could only be shipped to the dealer (or a Camping World). He is a couple of hours from the dealer and there are no Camping Worlds here in Canada.

Thanks.

Jeff, Camping World sent it directly to me.

KH

I had my dealer order one for me. Dometic will not send one directly to you, but will send one to your dealer or Camping World, who will ship to you. Thanks for the tip on the star washers. I'll check mine next trip. Here is a pic of the box with the part number on it, and yes, it is free from Dometic.

Mmiller, It's free because there have been many many complaints about the lack of adjustment from the new automatic awnings. I picked my new 'Cat up in early May and it already had the adjustable arms on it from the factory. Call your dealer, they should be aware of this.
Jim

Jeff. Do you have the arms on both ends? They have on the instructions to install on the end without the electric wiring. In my case that is the back. I don't see how the arm would possibly affect the wiring. I have a 28RKBS so my door is towards the front so shedding the water off the back is o.k. It would still be nice to have a little flexibility so I was thinking of just purchasing another arm for the front.

KH

Sorry. My prior post should have addressed Jim.

KH

Hi KH,
yes I have them on both ends. I haven't had a need to use them yet as we have only been out a couple times in the new camper.
Jim

I wish mine had come with them. My dealer said he could get it for me, but was told that he would have to put it on due to warranty issues. Our camper is on a site for the season, so this is a real pain. I wish I could just put it on myself.

Kevin,
My 32QBBS has the same setup as Jim's. I can adjust either the front or the back of the awning lower. I currently have the front lowered because the site we are on slopes from back to front. It has been raining here for 4 days with 3 more days of rain in the forecast. The awning has worked like a charm. I do have ratchet straps attached to each end to hold the awning down as I'm convinced a moderate wind could lift it up and fold it over the top of the trailer.

Jeff, you are right about the wind. As I said earlier I haven't used mine much, but it does tend to move a lot in very little wind. I wish they had just stayed with manual awnings.
Jim

Pedy6Pak wrote:I wish mine had come with them. My dealer said he could get it for me, but was told that he would have to put it on due to warranty issues. Our camper is on a site for the season, so this is a real pain. I wish I could just put it on myself.

I would ask the dealer to explain what part of the warranty is effected. I think he wants to put it on for you so he can charge for it. My dealer had no problem giving it to me. You may want to contact another dealer or Camping World to see if they will get the kit for you. It's an easy job, just need two people.

John

Pictures? Mine has pistons that allow it to dump if it gets' to much water. Is your strapping over the awning or just on the ends?

The kit looks like this:


When it installed, it looks like this:

harddock wrote:Pictures? Mine has pistons that allow it to dump if it gets' to much water. Is your strapping over the awning or just on the ends?

harddock, I just strap the ends down. The problem with my neighbor's awning this week is that so much water has collected on the awning that it has stretched the material and it now has a sag in it. Hopefully, once the sun gets to it, the material may compress back to the original shape. I'm not sure how much water it takes before the pistons auto dump, but I'd be concerned that it may not dump before the weight of the water does more damage than just making the awning material sag.

Does the kit come one for each side? The picture looks like two.

My question is also it looks like there is one on each side of the awning. Someone had posted a picture of their new WC and it showed one on each end. Also did it come with any kind of instruction such as what to do. Do you leave it screwed tight or leave it loose just in case it rains?

I too have a slight stretch sag and I kept shutting the awning as the rains started. I have the adjusters but I didn't trust the wind. I was in Mystic CT this week and Wednesday we got 7" of rain in one day. Continued again Thursday with about 3-4 more. Fortunatly Foxwoods Casino was 8mi away. Not profitable but drier.

Ole Yella wrote:My question is also it looks like there is one on each side of the awning. Someone had posted a picture of their new WC and it showed one on each end. Also did it come with any kind of instruction such as what to do. Do you leave it screwed tight or leave it loose just in case it rains?

Ole Yella, my 09 came with them on both ends. Instructions did come with mine showing how to lower one of the ends. The 9100 manual on the A&E website does not show this however (if must be the old manual). You loosen the screw and pull down on the top arm which will compress the piston/strut and once you get it to the desired height, you just tighten the screw again.

LT 1404 wrote:Does the kit come one for each side? The picture looks like two.

The free kit only comes with one arm....for the non-motor end of the awning. It works well for me because my door is in the front and the tilt is at the rear. My dealer told me the arm for the motor end was very expensive, although I don't see why it would be. The picture does show one at each end, but that is not my Wildcat. Couldn't find the pic of mine so I stole one from some where else. Until you mentioned it, I didn't see the other one.

John

The only reason I would like two is to raise the front and drop the rear. Thanks for the pics.

LT 1404 wrote:The only reason I would like two is to raise the front and drop the rear. Thanks for the pics.

The adjustable arms will not allow you to raise the awning any higher than it is now. All you can do is lower one end, or the other....or both if you wish. With the arms fully extended, the awning is just like it is without the adjustable arms.

John

BTW..Great pic of your rig. Kids must love it!

I had to replace my awnings front arm assembly(Guess who left his flagpole lodged in the awning arm assembly when he retracted the awning?). Thats the motorized arm and it came with the pitch adjustment installed. Although the hole on the wall for the motor wiring was different by a couple of inches, I was able to install it. But all this rambling is to say that there is'nt any reason the adjustment mod could'nt be put on either or both arm assemblies.

KHUBER wrote:Jeff, Camping World sent it directly to me.

KH

KH,
I understand that it was free, but did you have to pay the shipping or did Dometic cover it?

Thanks,

Rob,
Dometic covered the shipping. Didn't cost me a dime. You just need to call Camping world and give them the model number and serial number that is found on the awning arm. If you have a local rv dealer you could check with them. I would think they could get it for you as well.

KH

KHUBER wrote:Rob,
Dometic covered the shipping. Didn't cost me a dime. You just need to call Camping world and give them the model number and serial number that is found on the awning arm. If you have a local rv dealer you could check with them. I would think they could get it for you as well.

KH

Thanks,
I tried to call them, but they are not open on weekends. I will call Monday.

Pedy6Pak wrote:

KHUBER wrote:Rob,
Dometic covered the shipping. Didn't cost me a dime. You just need to call Camping world and give them the model number and serial number that is found on the awning arm. If you have a local rv dealer you could check with them. I would think they could get it for you as well.

KH

Thanks,
I tried to call them, but they are not open on weekends. I will call Monday.

Called Camping World yesterday and they are sending it right out to me. I checked the website last night and it said the part was already shipped.

I read that this is a two person job. Does anyone have any advice before I start this. Things to look out for?

Thanks,
Rob

Just make sure you have someone on a step ladder holding the awning up. When you detach the arm at the point where the shock tube is. the awning is going to want to come down. It's not heavy, but the guy holding it will appreciate you be quick. Use the plastic spacers to keep the arm centered in the outer arm and you are good to go.

John

Rob,

Just make sure you check all your star washers. My son saw that we had one missing when we installed the adjustable arm.

KH