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Topic: Replacement Automatic Awning (Read 731 times) previous topic - next topic

Replacement Automatic Awning

The time has come to replace our large Zip Dee awning and I'm seriously considering replacing it with an automatic awning. Therefore I'm looking for input from those of you with automatic awnings. Definitely would like to know what you like and what you don't like, as well as what you would choose if given a chance to do it again. Thanks!
David and Carolyn Osborn
1995 U320C SE 40' Build 4726 Feb 1995
FMCA 147762
Motorcade 17186

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #1 –
Quote from: D.J. Osborn –
The time has come to replace our large Zip Dee awning and I'm seriously considering replacing it with an automatic awning. Therefore I'm looking for input from those of you with automatic awnings. Definitely would like to know what you like and what you don't like, as well as what you would choose if given a chance to do it again. Thanks!

G-2000 Motorized Lateral Arm Patio Awning | Girard Systems
Not cheap.
Jim C.
coachfree, previous 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2003 Foretravels.

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #2 –
Not to be negative, but Girard has had a history of  motor problems. It was a Girard that came open when a SOB was leaving our park. This WAS a light stanchion at the corner until he clipped it. Do some research, does Zip Dee make them? Airstream uses Zip Dees, I'd be checking with them.
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #3 –
Quote from: mike leary –
Not to be negative, but Girard has had a history of  motor problems. It was a Girard that came open when a SOB was leaving our park. This WAS a light stanchion at the corner until he clipped it. Do some research, does Zip Dee make them? Airstream uses Zip Dees, I'd be checking with them.
Foretravel uses Girard. Mine is 15 years old on original motor, has gone through several wind sensors though. Girard has lifetime warranty for original owner.
Jim C.
coachfree, previous 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2003 Foretravels.

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #4 –
Quote from: jcus –
Foretravel uses Girard. Mine is 15 years old on original motor, has gone through several wind sensors though. Girard has lifetime warranty for original owner.
Never did understand why any warranty only applies to "original owner" heck does the owner affect the quality of the product ?

sorry to rant on this thread.
Hans & Marjet
1995 U300 "Ben" (#4719)
3176B Cat,4060HD,Jake
SKP#139131
Motorcade#17579
2006 Honda Element (towed)

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #6 –
I'm in the same boat as jcus. Changed one wind sensor right after we got the coach.
Richard & Betty Bark & Keiko our Golden Doodle
2003 U320T 3820 PBDS
Build # 6215
MC # 16926
2016 Chevrolet Colorado 4X4 diesel

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #7 –
Do not choose automatic. Manual works great. Why add risk, complexity when simplicity works?

Try to put in an automatic awning instantly when wind kicks up. Or put in automatic when the motorized part is not working.

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #8 –
My guru buddy talked me out of a girard awning.

No down arms.  Less strong.

And my old buddy is a vp at Girard

And my guru sets up stuff for girard at San Clemente.

"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Travelin' Man –
I wonder how that happened?  My Girard runs on 120 VAC.
The SOB had his gen set running, for some stupid reason. Maybe the DW wanted to watch "All my Motor Homes"on TV?
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #10 –
Quote from: D.J. Osborn –
The time has come to replace our large Zip Dee awning and I'm seriously considering replacing it with an automatic awning. Therefore I'm looking for input from those of you with automatic awnings. Definitely would like to know what you like and what you don't like, as well as what you would choose if given a chance to do it again. Thanks!

Hi David,

We have an old ZipDee which I've found to be a rugged product. I like the fact that it has gas struts for rafters. Good in the wind, (up to a point). The support arms do get in the way when deployed. Ex: While our awning was fully extended the front arm was struck 4 times in succession by the vertical pins of an aluminum roof rack on a pickup truck. We were parked at the end of a dead end street. The guy who hit us was lost. He thought we hit him but also said he was looking at his GPS! If he hadn't hit us he would have ended up 15 feet below us in a pond. The impact only slightly bent the inner stainless tube of the ZipDee support arm, but it folded every one of his roof rack pins flat. We disassembled the support arm and had a metal shop straighten the tube. $40.00

Our ZipDee was an air operated Auto Awn model. Tons of problems with that design so I'm not surprised it was discontinued. Ours didn't function when we got the coach. (The replacement electric model from ZipDee is $$$$). Short on cash, I gutted the original supports and mounted electric linear actuators to them, (purchased from Progressive Automation in Canada). Modifications cost about 600$ with lots of time figuring out what to do. Fabrication was relatively easy because I used the original support arms as a guide rail for the linear actuator. Running new wiring wasn't much fun, but system is simple, has no computer, no wind sensor, (I never leave it open if significant winds are forecast), it uses DPDT and limit switches plus our original 24v tube motor. If something goes wrong the Progressive actuators can be separated from the original supports and replaced in 15 minutes. (Without more info I can't say if this modification is possible to do with yours).

The new electric ZipDee used on an Airstream looks to be a structurally similar to ours. They are a good company. They answer their phones. As of last year they still had some experienced old school techs to talk to. My reservation would be with the control circuit board and that there doesn't seem to be much repair work one can do if the motors inside the support arms have problems. Good preparation for what to watch out for would be a web search outside the FT forum for long term user reviews and common problems. If you can live with risks of an automatic electrical awning, I think you'd be fine with ZipDee. Perhaps they even make their new models more rigid than our old one. Happy awning hunting.

Safe travels to you,
Michael
2002 U270, 36' WTNS, Build # 6030, Cummins 400 ISL.
Wheelchair accessible modifications by ForeTravel, Braun UVL lift.

2001 Dodge IMS RampVan, M&G tow brakes, Sterling tow bar.

Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #11 –
Our first coaches had manual awnings that we almost never used.  The 2002 had an air/electric Zip Dee that wasn't trouble free, but we used it a lot because it was so easy to deploy and easy to retract.  We never know in Oklahoma when the wind is coming.  The support arms gave it pretty decent strength in moderate wind.

The coach we have now has the Gerard with no supports.  It's pretty but we won't use it in the slightest wind I'm sure.

I suppose everything is a trade off.  I sure like having those support arms.
Rick & Rhonda
2003 U320 4220  Build #6199
Was
91 36' GV 300 Caterpillar, 92 40' U280 300 Cummins, 97 36' U295 300 Cummins, 2002
U320 450 Cummins
(Guess we're hooked)

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Re: Replacement Automatic Awning

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Barry & Cindy –
Do not choose automatic. Manual works great. Why add risk, complexity when simplicity works?

Try to put in an automatic awning instantly when wind kicks up. Or put in automatic when the motorized part is not working.
Amen!

Our '98 U270 had the manual Zip-Dees, patio and windows.  The FT "one week, shakedown, orientation, cruise" (old school sales and service, no longer politically correct or standard in today's culture) taught us the proper way to use the awnings.

We used window awnings every sunny stay and the patio awning every sunny, low wind speed prediction (under 15 MPH gusts) stay for  the next 16 years, with no problems, no complaints.  We always lowered the patio awning rear corner when we were going to be away.  We never had a single problem other than the one time that our park neighbor said that he would tend the awning. During a downpour, a thunderstorm deposited a 55 gal drum (or so) of water in the patio awning belly, bending the roller into a u-tube.  My son and I straightened it ourselves to the perfectly straight and square original shape (couldn't believe that it would recover like it did) using the Zip Dee "bounce" method, while the roller tube was supported at both ends.

Then came the '02 U320 SPEC with a Girard.  I was really looking forward to the easy-deploy, easy-retrieve automatic (anemometer cups) design.  This unit is a violation of the KISS principle in every sense of the phrase.

Deployed, it is extremely fragile in both appearance and use due to the huge sail area and the small (admittedly, extremely well engineered) arms. But, the slightest breeze causes the unit to retract, regardless how far out it is deployed.  In order to combat that, I modified it to add motion detectors to the arms and the ability to select either motion or wind speed retraction activation.  That only made things worse.  The Girard motion detector sensors are even more sensitive that the anemometers.  Yes, I've also had to replace anemometers cup assemblies, twice - they UV harden/become brittle and seem to fall apart in the winds out west, during normal driving (extremely fragile and also very expensive - they have sealed wire assemblies all the way to the control head).

Probably worse than the hopeless increase in number of deployments and retractions (easily five to ten more total round trips when compared to Zip Dees) is the frequent need to electrically override, increase voltages/amperage capacity (start generator) or mechanically adjust and readjust.  The motor overload setting has been a chronic problem.  Of course it only bothers, when you are in a hurry and you are trying to leave or a storm warning comes up.  At that moment, the motor trips on current overload during retraction.  The thermal overload then has to cool off before one can move the awning in again.  But if it once trips, it generally does it again, right away, gaining only a inch or two of retraction.  Sometimes one has to move the awning all of the way out and start again, which is scary, because from full deployment to fully stowed, using the hand crank method is easily a half to three quarters of an hour, cuss-filled struggle.

Mechanical adjustments are complex and they seem to "drift".  The awning "Home" or "Parked" position, in particular, seems to require frequent attention as do the rail level adjustments (one corner or the other being too low by two to four inches, when deployed) and the fabric tautness upon full deployment.  Part of these settings are just me, I know, as other Girard owners say: "Never had a problem.  Never bothered me!"  But I look at their awnings and they are clearly oblivious as to how the awning should be adjusted and/or should behave.  AGAIN, just not KISS and if doesn't bother you, then you are better suited for a Girard than I am.

We use our awnings all of the time, enjoy them, wouldn't ever have a coach without them, but I would never have another automatically operated one.  And, from my experience, Zip Dee is the reliability, durability, simplicity of use/maintenance, King in manual awnings.

HTH,
Neal
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Neal (& Brenda) Pillsbury
'02 U320 SPEC, 4200, DGFE, Build #5984
'04 Gold Wing
'07 Featherlite 24'
'14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit
MC #14494
Exeter, NH & LaBelle FL
Quality makes the Heart Soar long after Price is Forgotten