Voltage Slide Toppers

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by Thom

Cale,
I believe I will finally get mine back from CW this weekend. If I do I will be able to tell you then which model I have on my 3950 above the kitchen. I do not believe they are the kind with the metal guard around them. All my paperwork is in the camper.
Yes there is enough room above the kitchen to have the awning and topper without them beating/rubbibg against each other.

Thanks, I will be looking forward to whatever information you have.

If you have one with the metal guard, I may look to doing a white fabric with a black metal guard....should be aesthetically correct when closed, yet cooler on the roof when deployed.

Cale

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by donzinger

Thom - interested in a pic or two as my dealer and Dutchmen told me there was not enough clearance on the kitchen slide to allow enough slope for runoff under the main awning. Also the model used there would be helpful.

Don,

Looking at the CareFree installation instructions of the SOKIII, it says to mount the awning rail either at the roofline or 1 to 2 inches above the slide flange. I just poked my head out the door, it looks like the 1 to 2 inches above the flange will work for uss and that model. Here are the instructions:
https://www.e-carefree.com/documenta...stallation.pdf

I believe I will order mine with white vinyl and black enclosure and hardware, should work nicely, though the price for the kitchen slide alone is $478 from CareFree....I may have to do one slide at a time.

Cale

[donzinger]

Thanks Cale - they aren't cheap for sure - I had the two I have installed at the dealer prior to PDI and that $1300...

[Thom]

Originally Posted by donzinger

Thom - interested in a pic or two as my dealer and Dutchmen told me there was not enough clearance on the kitchen slide to allow enough slope for runoff under the main awning. Also the model used there would be helpful.

Still no word if I will get my camper this weekend or not but here is a shot taken this weekend where (if you look close) you can see the topper and awnings. They look a lot closer than they really are.
I will get a better shot when I can....

[donzinger]

Thanks, Thom! I may have to look into this again. I like the thought of the slide topper in case just too windy for the main awning.

[hilbilydavid]

I have the slideout kover III with just the shield on the bottom. We chose white for the heat and it looks fine with the camper. My wife got to see the cheaper model before I ordered these and said she didn't like the way they looked, " It looks like a tp roll on the side of the camper" so I was able to buy the better ones with no argument. Just so you know coming to Maryland you WILL see rain and snow, been the wettest spring in years, which sucks can't ride the bike, well could but hate having to clean it afterwards .

[pdonoghu]

Originally Posted by arlan in arizona

I don't see a reason to have slide toppers. What do they do?

I didn't see a need either. I'd go up on the roof and clean off the slides periodically when we are in FL for a month. After one of the Schwinteck slide motors failed, the dealer recommended them to help protect the motors from getting wet and shorting out. Now we have slide toppers on all three slides. The added benefit is they help protect the slide and keep it cleaner. I would assume they also help keep things cooler in the sun.

[hilbilydavid]

When I bought mine the dealer told me I should get them, I didn't want to spend the money at that time so I declined. After I had to go up on the roof a couple of times to clean off the top, leaves and small twigs and with the roof being a little wet, I quickly changed my mind and had them put on, I figured it was cheaper than being out of work for a few weeks if I fell.

[lakebuster]

Just noticing all the differences on a same year Voltage. I look at the back of Thoms and do not have the support legs on rear awning, have the all black dometic slide toppers.

[Thom]

Originally Posted by lakebuster

Just noticing all the differences on a same year Voltage. I look at the back of Thoms and do not have the support legs on rear awning, have the all black dometic slide toppers.

Even after I read another post that discussed those supports, it still took me 10 minutes to find them and then figure out how to extend them.
They should be the lower frame of the awning, lift the outboard end of leg slightly and slide leg outboard then rotate them downward.
Look on you patio/ramp, if you see two silver brackets on floor about half way back along outboard edge, those are the anchor points for the legs.

[donzinger]

Now I will have to look at my awning - I have the brackets on the ramp and never could figure out what they were for. My cranks out and stays out just fine. I wonder if the brackets are installed on the ramp regardless of what awning you are getting?

[ATCguy]

If you have the same rear awning as most of us, you will find the awning arms tucked up into the outer casing, pictured here:




It takes a little fidgeting with the 'feet', but the whole thing extends out of the casing on each side, so that they hang down like so...




You extend them by opening the orange lever (and also a spring-pin, not shown)...




...and the 'feet' go into the brackets... and are secured by pulling the rolling pin over top of one end.






So when you're done, it looks like this:




Now... I did a modification on mine. I didn't like my brackets on the floor of my patio, with the arms hanging straight down. So, I moved my brackets up to the outer frame of the rig, just above the hinge for the lock bars.




So now my rear awning arms swing back to the frame of the rig instead of extending straight down to the floor. I think it looks better... and since the arms are shorter, believe it provides more stability to the awning when the wind kicks up.

[Pirate]

I have the Carefree slide awnings on our 3800. Got them to help keep debris and rain off the top of the slides.

Now the only thing I'm working on is why they fill with water after a hard rain. Gotta be careful where I'm standing when wife rolls in the slides and I want to watch operation of the slides...been lucky so far! LOL!!!

Pirate

[donzinger]

Tom,

Very cool. Thanks for the writeup, the pics and explanation!

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by Pirate

...Now the only thing I'm working on is why they fill with water after a hard rain. Gotta be careful where I'm standing when wife rolls in the slides and I want to watch operation of the slides...been lucky so far! LOL!!!

Sounds like you need one of these... the Awning AirWedge:






These were made for a few years... but I just checked, and their website no longer works. http://www.awningairwedge.com

Maybe you could find one on eBay sometime. Or I'm sure you could rig up something on your own from an inflatable pool lounger. Might not be as big, but would probably do the job.

Or here's something I found when trying to look for the air wedge site. Just take a couple of pool noodles and tape them together to fit between the slide and the topper. Anything to keep the awning from sagging will do.

[macman83]

I did that same thing on my rear awning as ATCguy, although I had to order the brackets because they left them off of my trailer altogether. I personally like them better because I can extend and secure the awning even if I have the door closed.

[Nana & Poppy]

Awning Wedge - we use a small inflatable beach ball.....

[calewjohnson]

Tom,

Thanks for the pics. Can you open and close the back door with the awning extended like you have it now?

Thanks,
Cale

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by macman83

I did that same thing on my rear awning as ATCguy, although I had to order the brackets because they left them off of my trailer altogether. I personally like them better because I can extend and secure the awning even if I have the door closed.

What were the part numbers and where did you order them from?

Thanks,
Cale

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by calewjohnson

Thanks for the pics. Can you open and close the back door with the awning extended like you have it now?

You know, I'd never thought about it until I saw your question... so I just went outside & looked.

The brackets ARE located outside of the ramp-door edges, right above the lock-bar hinge... so as it turns out, I guess I could if I wanted to.