Awning Spring Tension

Rv awning tension adjustment.

Awning spring tension.

Does it struggle to roll up tightly or straight. Dometic sells a tool to assist with winding the spring but you can do it using. After a few years or sooner if your awning sees heavy use your rv awning may start to look a little limp or saggy. Has your rv awning been sagging.

The spring is prewound in a direction that places the awning under tension when retracted and then tensions further as the awning is deployed. When you release the tension in the spring the cotter pin that is inserted in the holes in the awning arms are removed. Changing the tension on manual rather than electric patio awnings with standard support arms is relatively simple but the job is made easier with an extra set of hands. 12 turns 19 ft up 13 turns.

Now that you are going to re tension the spring it s time to insert it back after you have reinstalled the torsion assembly. The process is fairly simple but having someone to assist you in making the adjustments makes it easier. The cotter pins are the ones that lock the spring tension securely while taking down the rv awning. It might be time to adjust the tension.

If the support arms that hold the roller bar are attached to the side of the rv or trailer find the screws that hold them in place and unscrew them. This is a quick and easy fix that requires just a few. Remove the bolt that holds the end cap to the awning arm lift the awning and end cap out of the awning arm while a helper supports the awning and rotate the vice grips to relieve the tension of the spring noting how many turns it takes to do this.