New roller tube for old Carefree awning

[maccamper]

I have a Carefree awning on our '74 Ambassador which is in kind of rough shape. I have already replaced all of the attachment bolts and screws and all the rusted screws and knobs on the support arms.

What concerns me now is what will happen to the end caps and internal spring when I replace the awning fabric. At the rear cap, the center rod will slide out of the cap about 3/4", which I don't think it's supposed to do. The end plugs that go into the support arms look pretty much the worse for wear. Photos are included below.

Does anyone out there know if A&E or anyone makes a new roller tube that either fits, or can be modified to fit into the old curved arms? I know the arms aren't made anymore. I am concerned that if the spring breaks or the end caps break while the fabric is being replaced, I will have to buy a new Zip Dee and put in mounting brackets in a completely different location.

Any information or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Laird

[Kevin245]

Laird,

Newer torsion spring sets are adaptable to your curved arms if you really want to stay with them, and don't mind spending an afternoon doing the work. You need a belt sander, a few hand tools, a drill, and access to a lathe.

Here's My Plunge....

I wanted to keep the curved arms (like the look) but was concerned about the degraded end caps. I went to the trouble of making new ones out of billet aluminum before I found a replacement that was similar to the original (new one gets riveted on). But I still wanted to get away from the plastic. When I disassembled mine I found some pretty serious wear and corrosion issues. I quickly found out that replacement parts are hard to find. The issue of replacement parts should a spring, or shaft fail is a big deal that can mean the end of a vintage awning system, unless adaptations can be made.

I had several spring assemblies left over from other projects and started measuring to see if something I had would work. With a little effort I was able to adapt an A&E spring set to work on my old Carefree setup. Most people don't notice the difference. The big change is that the new springs have a built in ratchet locking mech., so it clacks when being opened, or closed.


Modification

Word of Caution...The energy stored in an awning spring is very dangerous and can cause serious injury. Do not work on an awning unless you fully understand how it functions and are capable of doing it safely.

There are two key changes:

1. The overall diameter of the star wheel that rides inside the roller.

2. The shaft diameter where it connects to the curved arms.

They are both slightly larger than the original and would not fit my tube.

The star wheel modification was fairly simple. I used a belt sander to reduce the diameter by approximately 1/8". It took a few test fits but I was able to do it in less than 5 minutes. With star wheel now fit in the roller I moved to making the curved arm connection work.

This is a little more involved. The existing shaft on the AE spring assembly I used was a 3/4" diameter hollow aluminum tube. In order for it to fit the Carefree arms (as shown in your photographs) I needed to reduce the end diameter where it connects to the curved arm to about 5/8". Doing this made the tube to thin, and would not leave enough shaft material to support the roll tube.

To solve this problem I replaced the tube with a 3/4" diameter aluminum. I then turned down the end of the bars to a diameter that fit into the curved arm connections (approx. 5/8"). This took about 30 minutes for both shafts, and the new solid shaft was much stronger than the tube one.

Then I disassembled the AE spring assembly and replaced the hollow shaft with the solid one. The keeper (spilt pin) hole was then drilled and the spring assembly was re-assembled.

I didn’t photo document the modifications as I was going along. But I do have another set that I want to modify for my other trailer. I plan to do this later this month and will document the mods and post some pictures.

[overlander64]

Greetings Laird!

Have you tried contacting Carefree of Colorado? Casual observation of their product literature leads me to believe that their new awning roller tubes should be rather easily adapted to fit your existing arms.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[maccamper]

Kevin245, thanks very much for taking the time to respond to the thread. I certainly looked at your own thread with considerable interest as I was looking through the forum listings. You did a great job turning the new aluminum end caps for your awning. I don't have access to a metal lathe, so I will probably have to go with plastic end caps again.

I would be very interested in any pictures and information you could provide when you replace the spring on your next awning project. The inner workings of the roller tube are a complete mystery to me at this point.

Thanks also for the cautionary safety notes, I have read that the spring tension is not to be taken lightly.

Laird

[maccamper]

Hi there Kevin aka Overlander 64.

I have not contacted Carefree directly, primarily because a dealer had told me their new stuff was not compatible with their old stuff. I probably should have been a bit more wary of an "upselling" opportunity.

I will give that a try, thanks for the suggestion.

Laird

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings Laird!

Have you tried contacting Carefree of Colorado? Casual observation of their product literature leads me to believe that their new awning roller tubes should be rather easily adapted to fit your existing arms.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

Kevin's point is valid. I made several calls last year trying to find replacement parts with no luck at all. But it's certainly worth a few calls. You never know what kind of NOS is just laying around out there waiting to find a new home.


Regards,

Kevin

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by maccamper

Kevin245, thanks very much for taking the time to respond to the thread. I certainly looked at your own thread with considerable interest as I was looking through the forum listings. You did a great job turning the new aluminum end caps for your awning. I don't have access to a metal lathe, so I will probably have to go with plastic end caps again.

I would be very interested in any pictures and information you could provide when you replace the spring on your next awning project. The inner workings of the roller tube are a complete mystery to me at this point.

Thanks also for the cautionary safety notes, I have read that the spring tension is not to be taken lightly.

Laird

Laird,

I will post the pictures and send you a PM when I do the next set. If you decide to pursue this path, and lathe access is an issue you may try the local trade school (High School or Technical College). Around here a small material donation, or a couple of Pizza's will get you a fair amount of shop access. If you can't work that out, maybe we can do a beer trade or something.

Regards,

Kevin

[maccamper]

Thanks Kevin,

I will look forward to info on your next adventure. If I can't find a local source for aluminum work, that beer (or wine) trade sounds promising.

Regards,

Laird