By Randall Brink
When you RV full-time, there is always a project waiting to be done. Most of the time, it is a mundane chore like laundry or cleaning. Sometimes, though, a maintenance or repair project will loom large on the list of things to do. Sometimes those projects seem to keep getting more daunting. That is particularly true with those tasks that you have never done, do not know how to do, or cannot get directions to accomplish. I recently had one of these, with a meaningful outcome.
Beware the “impossible” task
An Italian manufacturer, Fiamma, made my travel trailer awning. I had never heard of the company. While attempting to extend the awning without knowing what I was doing, I broke the bracket that holds the outer support leg. Without that bracket holding the leg, the awning was all but useless. I started the hunt for a spare part. That was the easy part.
No technical support for replacing RV part
Fiamma has a few parts dealers in the U.S., and the piece was soon on its way. But there was a bigger problem. The awning leg had a swivel dowel that fit into the bracket that bolted to the awning rail. The more I looked at the bracket, the more puzzled I became about how to fit the leg part into the new bracket. My mind does not work like that of an Italian mechanical engineer. The repair required that the metal swivel end fit into a round slotted hole, which a flange would retain. But there was no way that the leg part would snap in, tap in, or otherwise fit into the bracket without breaking it—I was sure of that.
I had several days to cogitate on the problem while awaiting delivery of the bracket part and each day the situation grew. I ventured online for advice but got none because likely no one had ever had the misfortune of breaking this particular part of a Fiamma awning. As I said, there is no OEM product support in the USA, and the trailer manufacturer could provide no advice on the repair.
Sleepless in the RV
I tracked the part; the sleepless night before it arrived filled with dread at tackling the repair.
That next day, the USPS delivered my part on schedule, and I immediately forged ahead with the repair. Weird things started happening.
With the awning support strut in hand, I began trying to figure out how to mate the two parts—and just like that—the new part simply slid on over the swivel end. The Italian mechanical engineer subtly tapered the slot. Brilliant. End of the conundrum. Also, as if by magic, the solution to getting the intricately grooved and slotted bracket onto the awning rail revealed itself when I discovered that the awning cap slid out of the end of the rail like the door to a secret room. The amateur repair technician had only to unbolt the old part, bolt on the new one, and slide the ingenious component back together.
Takeaways
Putting off a task makes it seem more significant, sinister, and daunting. The sooner you tackle the job, the easier it will likely be, and the less sleep is lost. Problems always seem more significant, sinister, and daunting at night.
If a task or problem seems impossible, you are looking at it incorrectly. If you’re stumped, try thinking like an Italian mechanical engineer.
Don’t address a problem by throwing money at it—an axiom that should be embroidered and framed and on the wall of every full-time RVer. Before I committed to full-time, I was always tempted to “call somebody” to fix a mechanical issue when I had a much bigger and more complex RV. I had an extensive contacts list of technicians and very few tools. Today, I have many tools and rarely consult the Rolodex. It is more important to know where to order parts than where to take your RV for any repair you can do yourself. Not to mention the potential for days, weeks, or months waiting for the shop to get to the repair.
It is rare that you cannot obtain technical support for a component online, but it does happen. Maintain or develop the ability to think for yourself and “outside the box.”
Few things in RV life and travel are more satisfying than taking on what looks like an insurmountable task and getting it done. What you learn about your RV—and yourself—is priceless.
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My mother taught me when I was 16 years old, stand back and look at the whole picture and analyze the situation, then tackle it one step at a time. She was not a mechanic, but she thought things through. My dad was not mechanically inclined, he could build anything with wood. So I guess I got the best of both worlds with parents like them. I retired from an industrial mechanic career, and finished the inside of 2 homes using the knowledge inherited from them. They’re gone now but I still use their influence on me all the time.
At the opposite end of this discussion is Clint Eastwood’s famous line, “A man has got to know his limitations!”
Your experience with Fiamma could not be more different than mine.
A couple of weeks ago I was performing maintenance on my Class C and I noticed that the end caps on my Fiamma awning were old, brittle and cracked. (Fair enough after 25+
years in the sun!)
I found FIamma’s parts catalogs online with a quick Google search but my exact awning
model wasn’t shown so I submitted a question via their web site and received a response the next business day instructing me to send them measurements and photos.
After doing so I was contacted with the exact part numbers to order and a phone number (in
Orlando, FL) to call to order. I called and the tech recognized me from our email correspondence and placed my order. The parts were in-stock and were shipped 2nd day at a cost far less than I was able to find anywhere online.
This experience echoed my experience last year with broken awning clips. Again, parts were in-stock and reasonably priced.
So true!
I am a pretty handy guy and owning an RV you must be!
I never knew how to replace a slide gear, fix roll up awnings, repair/replace cargo doors, etc. If you are not scared, take your time to look the whole situation over, you can just do it!
If you are not handy at all and don’t want to even try, best not to buy an RV!
Just “fixed” my water pump by hitting it with a pair of pliers. Thank you internet for this simple fix. I was ready to replace my water pump and spent time under my rig looking for water lines and leaks and generally hurting my brain trying to apply logic and intelligence(?). Further proof that sometimes things just need a good whack.
We are blessed with an amazing network of fellow Foretravel owners with an incredible depth of experience and knowledge. Intimidated was an understatement when we first bought the diesel motorhome. As someone put it, it felt like drinking from a fire hose.
But, there is no problem, question, or conundrum that I can’t post on Foreforum without having several answers or sharing experience within 10 minutes of posting. Part of my daily routine is to jump on the Forum to read posts to learn (or get ideas for that next project). And it’s always a treat to occasionally meet up with folks along the road who have been so generous in sharing their knowledge and offering encouragement to newbies and veterans alike.
If you have an owner’s group, don’t be shy about asking questions. No question is a dumb question and it’s likely someone has already dealt with whatever issue rears its head.
Most detailed instructions on how to fix almost anything can be found on YouTube.
All tasks seem impossible the first time they are tackled.
Once our motorhome was out of warranty, Youtube videos and I became close friends! I have been amazed at how generous people have been with their time and technical knowhow to help us amateurs out of trouble. Youtube is now my “first phone call” when MH troubles arise.