Driveaway awning with or without Fiamma F65 Top Forums

nomizo

We have a 2008 Adria Twin (which we got in August 2007) with a Fiamma F65 Top awning. (I note that some contributors have commented that the F65 overlaps the front of the van. I think that is only true of the pre 2007 Fiat Ducato which is half a metre shorter than the later ones. Anyway, ours does not overlap.) The Fiamma Awning is great as a sunshade (or even as a light rain cover) for overnight stops, if it is not windy. We have enjoyed eating under it and recommend it for Mediterranean trips every time. But it is not very satisfactory for long stays, as we have to wind it back in and pack everything away if we want to drive out for the day. (Dismantling a Privacy Room would be even worse.)

So we have decided to get a big driveaway awning for long stays. (A Royal Harrison Hi-Top looks nice and big. happily the Twin has an enormous garage space.) Our problem is how to fix it to the van.

The theory is: The Twin has no J rail. But the front beam of the Fiamma Awning has a groove in it which is apparently intended so that one can slide a length of double sided piping (about £6 a metre) into. (The groove is 2.4 m above the ground, so it is at a nice height for even a big awning.) So wind the Fiamma Awning out about 6 inches and feed in the piping. The other side of the piping is figure of 8 size, so one can slide up to three 1.2 m lengths of fig 8 onto it. The other side of the fig 8 slides onto the beading on the awning tunnel. Then you wind the Fiamma Awning in tight and relax. Disconnecting from the van consists of sliding three lengths of fig 8 off, and then pulling the piping out of the Fiamma Awning. Great! All nice and simple, if a bit tedious - but acceptable.

But: we hear that the Fiamma Awning is not strong enough to hold that setup if there is a strong wind, and there is a danger of either damaging the Fiamma Awning, or pulling it off the van, and damaging it (the van). (And Thingy's Law dictates that strong winds always start at 3 a.m. which is not a time to get up, out, and dismantle awnings.)

Has anyone any experience of this method of fixing a driveaway awning, and is it strong enough? Or is there a simpler, stronger and better method which does not involve screwing a J rail onto the van (which is not big enough to take it anyway)?

JohnsCrossMotorHomes

Hi, if you give Darren or John a ring, what they dont know about awnings is not worth saying!

you are correct about leaving F iamma awnings out in windy conditions especially if you do not use the leg restraining straps.

Peter

Spoobar

We'd be interested to know what your final solution was to this as we have a Adria Twin (March 2008) with the Fima 65 on but want a drive away for longer stays.

nomizo

Dear Spoobar,

Well, we have taken the bull by the horns and we went and bought a Royal Harrison Hi Top. (I think it must have been the last one in the country, as we had to search high and low to get it. Have they stopped making them?) We have unpacked it, and it looks great on the sitting room floor. Next week we will be getting a length of double piping so that we can attach the awning to the Fiamma F65. Then we will try assembling it on the lawn.

I am sure it will take ages to put up and down - but if we are to stay a week somewhere, then that is not a problem. The next thing is to trundle off to Europe for a long time. (There is no point in being retired if you can't go for a long time.) So the next report, as to whether the awning tears the Fiamma F65 off the van or not, will be in a few months.

But I have to mention that I intend using storm guys on the awning, and even, maybe throwing some guys over the van as an extra precaution. And I will take a few photos and post them, with or without any disaster that might befall us.

And I guess that was not at all helpful Sad

Naxos10

Hi Spoobar

We purchased a Sunncamp Aspect stand alone awning for our Trigano Tribute which does not have a roof awning fitted. This is not as big as Nomizo's Royal but is around 2.4m x 2.4m and has 3 types of fixing, double piping, a bar insert (still seeing how we can apply this one) and 'over the van' guy ropes.
We have used the guy rope option and since the valance between the tent portion and the fixings is elasticated a decent seal from the outside elements is acheived (it even allows assisted opening and closing of the side door).

BR
Very Happy