Quote: Originally posted by gazza12345 on 04/3/2009
I have the 390 one from towsure. The first time i put it up. it was a pain in the rear. It would not fit properly. The 2nd & 3rd time i started getting it spot on. I can now put it up in 15mins all by my self. You need to make sure the caravan is level with the ground. (eg) if the ground as a slight fall on it make sure the caravan as a slight fall as well.
This is how i fit it.Make sure its all zipped up. Feed it into the awning rail. then were the skirts goes down the side of the van. Peg these ends down first with the pegs pulling it slightly under the van so the skirt is tight to the van. Then put one of the end poles in fully. square that end up with the van & peg it down so there is a slight tension on the side panel. peg down guide rope to hold that pole up. Now fit other end pole in & do the same with this one but make sure the front panel at the bottom gets some slight tension as well. Peg down guide rope to hold this pole up. Now insert the middle pole & make sure its inline with the outer poles & peg it down. Next step put the two roof pole in & tension them up. Then tension guide ropes up. last job peg it all down. This is for the 260 its the same for a 390 just one extra pole to fit. bear with it buckley mug you will get there.
If that don't work take a spade with you. dig 2 holes in the ground & drive the caravan wheels into them. that should get the awning skirts on the ground.
I have a ground sheet that is bigger then the awning. I fold this over at the ends so it rests on the awning skirts holding them down to stop the wind from getting under them.
Yep you need to peg under the van in order to get a good fit, if you are on a hardstanding bungee to the chassis. We had ours up every holiday during 2007, including 12 out of 14 days of torrential rain in the June and apart from the odd drip on the seam nearest the van, it coped fantastically.
Ali
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Evenin` all. Call me stoopid, but have just bought an old Monza that has an Ultima 260. i read the info sheet, but it makes no mention whatsoever of a grey vynyl skirt that - according to a photo i have - fits along the awning rail. So, how exactly does the actual awning fit the van? Suckers? I see no way of attaching the skirt to the awning - Is this a non-standard accessory? Have no opportunuty to dry-run b4 going away in 2 weeks and any guidance welcome. ta.
They have a awning rail at the bottom of the caravan at floor level. This is were the grey vinyl skirt goes. This covers the wheel & bottom of caravan to floor.
We have the compactalite, fits our Charisma well, no gaps, and flaps peg down too. We had to buy the skit bit separate (asked dealer if he had a spare bit, cost us £3!!)
We bought a Sunncamp Ultima Acrylic 260 this year for use in France. Ours has vertical poles at the rear. To keep these in position, I drive a peg in the ground at their base, then locate the poles over them. This keeps the awning close to the van.
I then fit and peg the awning at the van, and peg the closed "doors" so that they open/close OK before completing the rest of the pegging. Regarding the mudwalls, I intend to fit eyelets to them (the clamp-together green ones available in most camping shops).
We did find a small (2x1mm) hole at the top of one front window. OH was a machinist, and is certain it was caused by the macine feed. I emailed Sunncamp for advice, but got no reply. Advised dealer, who said I would have to return it (warranty terms make this my responsibility), and the fault may still have been disputed. So I have bought a repair kit for about £10 incl P&P.
Learned the lesson: Don't distance-purchase heavy/bulky items that might have to be sent back, just to save a few quid. The ability to take it back personally to a local dealer is worth the loss of a bit better bargain.
We have a 390 and I have never managed to get it to fit tight to the caravan. If i peg it first like the other posters have suggested, i cannot get the ends of the poles into the little clips - the tension is just too great. Thinking of cutting 20-30 mm off the ends of the poles to see if that helps.
The clips/pins that fit into the ends of the poles are on adjustable straps. Slacken them off, then fit to the poles and retension to the required degree.
Very pleased with our ultima--used it on our old avondale and our new coachman with no problems.
------------- there are 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Quote: Originally posted by fortracfan on 03/8/2010
We have a 390 and I have never managed to get it to fit tight to the caravan. If i peg it first like the other posters have suggested, i cannot get the ends of the poles into the little clips - the tension is just too great. Thinking of cutting 20-30 mm off the ends of the poles to see if that helps.
I have same problem. I have found that bending the poles well does help,but I use pliers to grip the pin whilst fitting it; cuts down risk of cut fingers. I wouldn't risk cutting down the fibre poles, as this might cause disconnection in windy weather. Better to lengthen the adjustable straps which hold the locating pins, if you must ease off the tension.
The trick with these type awnings is as Gazza says to get the van level first then check which way the ground runs from the van outwards. If you look at the shape of the awning the awning rail acts like a hinge and if the ground slopes up then the awning will touch the ground and it cannot then form a seal down the sides of the van. I cursed and swore a few times before I worked it out. Now I take a few extra minutes to site the van and check the ground (wherever possible) and it goes up a piece of cake and seals very well. Even a slight slope away from the van is ideal but never sloping up!!!
Quote: Originally posted by fortracfan on 03/8/2010
We have a 390 and I have never managed to get it to fit tight to the caravan. If i peg it first like the other posters have suggested, i cannot get the ends of the poles into the little clips - the tension is just too great. Thinking of cutting 20-30 mm off the ends of the poles to see if that helps.
This is what I did to mine it seemed as if the poles were to long,if you pegged down under the van,& tried to move the pole closer to the van all it did was raise the "curve" of the pole causing tension on the door zip & pulled the awning away from the van again. Cutting 3" if the poles has helped it fit much better,
Quote: Originally posted by fortracfan on 03/8/2010
We have a 390 and I have never managed to get it to fit tight to the caravan. If i peg it first like the other posters have suggested, i cannot get the ends of the poles into the little clips - the tension is just too great. Thinking of cutting 20-30 mm off the ends of the poles to see if that helps.
This is what I did to mine it seemed as if the poles were to long,if you pegged down under the van,& tried to move the pole closer to the van all it did was raise the "curve" of the pole causing tension on the door zip & pulled the awning away from the van again. Cutting 3" if the poles has helped it fit much better,
Thanks - sounds the same as what i'm getting, Perhaps there is a problem with the fibreglass poles?? One of them in the middle of the bundle is about 2" longer than the rest and i dont know if this is normal?? I have spare poles so it might be worth trying a cut one on an end and see if it helps.
------------- The things that come to those who wait, may be the only things left by those who got there first.