Carefree Awning Support Poles

TerriB posted:

There are curved rafters that are used by camp hosts for extended stay - 

 

They are not cheap, but can probably be found elsewhere - 

Carefree 902821BLK-U White RV Awning Support

Too much stuff to spend our $$ on - 

Wow, those are most definitely not cheap.  Seems way overpriced for what it is.  

Yeowza, they sure are! I use 2 painters poles and a squeegee holder to do the same. It doe need to be anchored somehow because it occasionally falls to the side if the wind lifts the awning a little.

Doug, aka Atchafalaya Man posted:

If one can't drive a stake in the ground for a strap, I have seen some folks use a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of rocks or water for hold down weights.  They set them on the ground next to the poles and attach a strap to each.    

This might be the best way to keep the corners down. I have used the Carefree poles and had them anchored tightly at 45* as directed Wind gusts lifted the corners just enough to cause the pole to dangle for an instant and not settle in the same place.

An update on the awning rafters. After being caught in a lengthy, albeit not torrential, rain, I was looking to purchase the Carefree rafters.Yes, they are expensive from some suppliers ($218 @Amazon) and much cheaper from others ($88@ Walmart). However, Carefree currently has them on sale with an BOGO offer. Great deal if you need 2. That's $115 for the pair, no tax and free shipping.

Don't know how long this sale is, but here's the link if interested:

https://www.e-carefree.com/eca...page=24&crumb=70

Thank you for talking about this product. I had a class A with auto-retract Carefree awning that couldn't be turned off. It was just about useless in any kind of breeze. I put this product in my Amazon cart. This will make the awning work properly.

I've been using them a lot.  Many times I'll just use the poles without the tie-downs.  It supports the awning but I can roll it up quickly.  If I hear polls falling I then remember I put them out. 

I love how on Amazon the photo of the product has them on a Lance.  Check the link in the first post to see it. 

This is one of the items I have been looking at.

Question: They have two products, one is a Heavy duty pole set for $117, or the regular set for $61. Is the heavy duty worth the $? Please let me know if you have the heavy duty and think it is worth it. Thanks

We have the regular version. Got them just after our awning was destroyed in Nashville. Didn’t know these support poles existed before the mishap. I just looked at the heavy duty version. I’d spend the extra money and get the heavy duty model. I may buy it myself. Being able to stake down the pole base is nice. We lost the cap from the bottom of one of our poles. I eventually found a suitable replacement cap. The orange cradle comes off of the top of our poles way too often. It’s pretty annoying. I hope they improved on that.

Thanks for your input. I tend to be a frugal spender but that is not always the best course. I will buy the HD version.

But in this case, the two versions do not look any different other than the HD model has an additional accessory for mounting to box awnings. Otherwise the instructions seem identical. I'd call Carefree  for clarification and maybe save some $$$.

Did I miss it in the thread... what about the auto-retract feature. Wind comes up and the awning can retract because I have the poles in place??? Thanks in advance for response.

@VigII posted:

We just received ours the other day. We won't have a chance to try them out until we get the TT home next weekend (plans change unexpectedly).

Has anyone considered another style of stake for loose or sandy soils? The stakes that came with it look robust enough for most settled soils, maybe not for unconsolidated soils.

For sand I use steel concrete form stakes (Home Depot) for my easy up. Drilled a hole and added an eye bolt for the rope. Should be good for this application as well.

@John Kitchen posted:

Did I miss it in the thread... what about the auto-retract feature. Wind comes up and the awning can retract because I have the poles in place??? Thanks in advance for response.

We have had ours out in some good gusts without the awning retracting.  As long as your anchors are good I wouldnt be too concerned.  We use a 25# sandbag on each pole.  Since they hold our 12x12 popup canopy down, figured they will be great for the awning.  If weight is a concern, filling 2 empty 5 gallon buckets onsite each time ought to hold too.

Our awning arms both broke at the elbows and then it retracted like a champ. 😂 The real bummer is how long it takes to get it all the parts to fix the awning and figuring out how to drag an 18’ mess back home. Makes me envy those with newer models that have roof racks. A dozen 2-3’ zip ties might have worked too. Didn’t have any and didn’t think of it at the time.

This info might already be in this thread but the awning power should be turned off when using the poles.