Door will not stay open when Awning out

seizethebay · 07-10-2018, 01:20 PM

I hope this is not a design mistake and just me being a new owner BUT
when I open the awning, the arms prevent my door from opening all the way and staying open...
any one else have this issue????

I have a wildwood 171RBXL

kfergiez · 07-10-2018, 04:05 PM

Is it because your door is running into the awning fabric?

If so, this is a common issue for smaller (shorter) trailers that have the awning very close to the top of the door.

The best fix is to simply no extend your awning out 100%. Retract it until your door can open fully, and you're done! Your awning will still perform perfectly fine like this.

**Iwritecode** · 07-10-2018, 04:21 PM

Based on a quick google search, if you trailer looks like this...

I don't think there's much you can do. That's simply a bad design.

kfergiez · 07-10-2018, 04:36 PM

Well, bad design or not, you'd either need to make the door shorter which won't work, raise the roof, which is a MAJOR redesign... or not have the awning fully extended.

CamperWill · 07-10-2018, 05:28 PM

Another option you have is getting a door that opens towards the rear of the trailer instead of the front.

seizethebay · 07-10-2018, 06:46 PM

Thanks everyone. That is a bad design damn!

OldCoot · 07-10-2018, 06:54 PM

Is the gas cylinder stopping the door?

Chazman · 07-11-2018, 01:10 PM

Not a great solution, I know, but you could tie the door to the awning arm, which of course, could create another set of problems in itself.

kfergiez · 07-11-2018, 01:37 PM

Wait... are you saying that you want the door to open a full 180 degrees? Like flat against the side of the wall?

If so, ignore everything I posted earlier. I thought this was a normal design, ours has a gas strut that holds the door to 90 degrees to prevent it running into the awning arm.

AubreyE · 07-11-2018, 01:40 PM

My Flagstaff FW was similar in design to that. But, it had a gas strut that held the door perpendicular to the side of the trailer all the time, whether the awning was out or not.

youroo · 07-11-2018, 01:45 PM

You will end up with a Mangled Door and Awning Arm! 90 degree is all you can hope for! More reason why people should "Play House" in a Unit Before they Buy!

Youroo!!

**Iwritecode** · 07-11-2018, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfergiez

Wait... are you saying that you want the door to open a full 180 degrees? Like flat against the side of the wall?

That's what I've been assuming.

kfergiez · 07-11-2018, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AubreyE

My Flagstaff FW was similar in design to that. But, it had a gas strut that held the door perpendicular to the side of the trailer all the time, whether the awning was out or not.

Yeah, mine has a gas strut that keeps it at 90.

kfergiez · 07-11-2018, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

That's what I've been assuming.

Well now I feel like an idiot.

mecd · 07-11-2018, 03:34 PM

kfergiez, my seasonal neighbour has a short Wildwood LA fiver with the same problem you described, i.e. cannot keep door open when awning is extended as the arm prevents the door from swinging back far enough to reach the hook. A couple of days ago he installed a second hook with a longer arm and placed closer to the hinge side. Works great for him. Not sure where he got the longer hook, but they are out there. Hos is has chrome finish, i.e. hook and both mounting devices.

mnoland30 · 07-11-2018, 05:01 PM

The catch on my ROO broke, so I drilled a small hole in the bottom corner of my door and hook a bungee on it. I hook the bungee to the front of the trailer and it keeps the door from slamming when the wind blows. I like it better that the original design.

Tom911 · 07-12-2018, 06:35 AM

Mine too I simply put a bungie cord around the door and then around a part of the camper to keep it open. Works great and you don't have to worry about a wind gust closing it!

jeff64 · 07-12-2018, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfergiez

Yeah, mine has a gas strut that keeps it at 90.

Mine used to have the gas struts, but not any more. I put on the old style T latches

MarkDNC · 07-12-2018, 10:26 AM

I have the same trailer.
You have to be careful when opening the awning.
The door will not open up all the way with the awning extended.
Nor will the awning extend with the door all the way open.
It's more than 90 deg though.
Like others said, use a bungee cord to hold it open.

It's not a bad design, the trailer is short and it's the only way to get a 10' awning.

Trailer choice is all about trade-offs.

Alaskan SS · 07-12-2018, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkDNC

I have the same trailer.

You have to be careful when opening the awning.

The door will not open up all the way with the awning extended.

Nor will the awning extend with the door all the way open.

It's more than 90 deg though.

Like others said, use a bungee cord to hold it open.

It's not a bad design, the trailer is short and it's the only way to get a 10' awning.

Trailer choice is all about trade-offs.

I agree with this. To a point. In some cases, it really is about where they put the door. My old Cherokee, that has been sold for quite some time now, was right at 30’ long. But the door was at the very front of the unit. Just inside the awning arms. So I had the same issue. I never thought anything of it, though. Like mnoland30 and Tom911 mentioned above, I would just bungee cord it when I wanted it open and went on about my business.

You may also like: