Steve Savage submitted this article to RVtravel.com when he was a Master Certified RV Technician with Mobility RV Service.
Let’s talk a little about how RV awnings are sized.
One day I had a new awning in stock and a potential buyer called me early in the morning and said he was very interested in buying it. I had posted an ad on Craigslist stating I had the canopy for a 15-foot awning. When the interested party called, I advised him to be sure he measured from center-to-center of the awning arms so he could be assured I had what he wanted. He told me he had measured everything and had a 16-footer, but was okay with one for a 15 footer.
He showed up after work that evening, took out his tape measure and told me the canopy was only 14 feet in length. Of course, that is exactly what the canopy length is for a 15-foot awning. The roller tube itself is only about 14 feet 6 inches in length and the only thing that makes an awning 15 feet is the measurement from arm-to-arm.
My buyer, unfortunately, had measured his canopy, which was exactly 16 feet in length. He did not have a 16-foot awning – he had a 17-foot awning, meaning the canopy I had was too narrow for his roller tube. We parted on good terms as he acknowledged I had explained to him how to measure for the canopy, but he assumed he knew what he was doing.
Don’t make the same mistake when measuring your awning. All awnings come in whole measurements such as 14 feet, 15 feet, and so on. Neither Carefree nor A&E give measurements in inches, although you can find sources online that custom-cut whatever you need. I’ve also received calls from folks who’ve asked if they could cut down the canopy I had to a smaller size. I advise against this, as I am not sure how the edging will stand up to the wind once it is cut.
##RVDT1321
Good to know. Thanks!
I agree, selling awning parts or fabric is tricky. I upgraded to an electric awning & put my entire A&E 9000 old awning on sale on Craigs List. I had an immediate response & he came out & looked at it. I had him measure the length of his vertical arms, because they come in 3 lengths. His old one was different than mine (same brand/model but different length), but he insisted it was adjustable & would work fine. The guy who installed mine went to install his a few days later & discovered the arms would not work on his rv. He was able to use his old arms, because the only thing wrong with his old awning was the fabric rotted. The guy ended up paying me for an entire 10 year old awning, when all he really needed was new fabric for his old one. With the purchase & installation cost, he paid almost as much as a new set of fabric alone would have cost him. I’m sure he’s now thinking it was not his best move.
I recently acquired a 1993 thor chateau 35 ft travel trailer. The fabric awning is removed and i cant find any specs on what the fabric size should be. Any ideas?
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