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Old 07-26-2021, 04:54 PM   #1
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Eau Claire , Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 18
Awning lift arms won’t extend

Automatic awning does extend but then the elevator arms don’t extend at all so the front of the awning is low to the ground so the maindoor can’t be opened without hitting the awning. Tried battery disconnect switch to force a reset- no change. Also now awning will retract but stops about a foot short of fully winding up. Batt voltage is 13.6v - I’ve read these run on 12v system. Any advice appreciated!!!
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Old 07-26-2021, 06:04 PM   #2
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Eau Claire , Wisconsin
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Test
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Old 07-26-2021, 07:03 PM   #3
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2017 25' International
West Lake Hills , Texas
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What is your rig? In other words, trailer or otherwise. Size. Awning model.
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Old 07-26-2021, 07:09 PM   #4
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2021 27' Globetrotter
Malibu , California
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Sorry to hear. They ended up replacing both of my awning arms after this happened. You can check the control board, one small LED per sensor. The awnings stops extending when a sensor isn’t reporting back. Randy @ ZipDee asked me to turn the metal knob inside the bottom of the awning. If the LED for that particular sensor comes on you know the sensor is broken. This was my case.
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:12 AM   #5
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Eau Claire , Wisconsin
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2021 Classic 30 Rbt.
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:13 AM   #6
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Eau Claire , Wisconsin
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Classic 30 2021
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:36 AM   #7
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2017 25' International
West Lake Hills , Texas
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Contact Zip Dee. They are very helpful. Stayed on the phone with me for nearly one hour one time.
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Old 07-27-2021, 09:12 AM   #8
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2015 28' International
St Helena , California
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Hi, I had the exact same issue. It turned out to be an issue with the board which needed replacement…good luck!
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Old 07-27-2021, 09:36 AM   #9
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2021 30' International
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Kingston , Massachusetts
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I had the same issue with my 2021 30rbt International. Once the awning was fully extending (arms in the lower position and I couldn't open the front door) I pushed the tilt button the rear and it raised, then the tilt on the front and it raised, then I closed the awning. I then hit the open button and worked as it should...not sure if this just reset the system but it seemed to work for me.

Good Luck
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Old 07-27-2021, 01:20 PM   #10
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Napa , California
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Been there as well. Ours went totally wackado, first too low on the front edge and then it went even lower and couldn't be raised. We tried calling Airstream, ZipDee and Coachnet (holiday weekend, hard to find help), Best advice was to turn everything off, use a bit of WD40 on the arms, wait a bit and try again. Waddaya know, it worked. Then we were to bring it into the dealer for service -except it's worked absolutely perfectly every time since.
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Old 07-27-2021, 02:36 PM   #11
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2016 27' International
Sherwood Park , Alberta
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I have been there as well. The problem started out the same as yours and progressed. At the end of the day I had to replace both arms, motors shorted, and 3 control boards. It still misbehaves once in a while and I will only open it if I have to and will retract it at least a day or two before I am scheduled to depart. I always touch my nose, stand on one foot, and say a little prayer before I hit the close button.

Seriously, there are a few tricks.
Always hit the close button before extending the awning, it is a sort of reset.

Always leave the power to the trailer on when you have extended the awning.

Always make sure your batteries are fully, or near fully charged before operating the awning. If not, plug in your trailer. They are very finicky about power requirements.

Always make sure the arms are clean and lubricated. Silicon spray works best.

I agree, the folks at Zip Dee are very helpful when trouble shooting a problem. But at the end of the day, these things are very expensive to fix when things go wrong.
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Old 08-04-2021, 04:28 AM   #12
rbs
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Decatur , Illinois
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replacing arm on zip dee

our awning has always been a little contrary, but recently it has opened to the fully lowered position, but was always corrected thru the tilt switches until our last use. The rear arm refuses to raise, but you can hear the motor running. Talked to Randy at Zip Dee and he said the arm needs replaced, they offer a rebuilt one and allow you to send your damaged one to them for credit. Anyway, he explained how I need to go about changing it out, but would sure appreciate any advice from someone that has tackled this job.
thanks in advance
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Old 08-04-2021, 06:22 AM   #13
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2017 25' International
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Originally Posted by rbs View Post
Anyway, he explained how I need to go about changing it out, but would sure appreciate any advice from someone that has tackled this job.
thanks in advance
I replaced the rear head casting but not the entire arm. Head casting replacement requires removing the roller from the arm. I did all the work with the awning extended and the door closed.

A couple of step ladders come in handy, one to support the roller and one to climb on. I ended with three step ladders. You'll need a helper and maybe wish you had two helpers.

Remove the rafter before removing anything else or you could bend it, costing you another $900. Rafter removal on my 2017 International required a hex key at the wall of the trailer and a wrench at the arm. If you can, disconnect at the trailer-end first so as not to potentially bend the rafter as it drops against the side of the trailer.

You'll need the "emergency" kit or whatever it's called. It contains the tool that allows you to calmly unwind the tension in the spring. I had no problem winding/unwinding mine (27 turns, IIRC) when using a 25-inch breaker bar for leverage. Even one end of the roller is heavy...support it with a step ladder by securing it to the step ladder. One of your helpers can be responsible for making sure it doesn't fall off the ladder.

Release the tension on the spring through the end of the head casting, remove the bolt that passes through the roller shaft and the head casting, then unwind until no more tension. Remove the head casting. You'll need it later. You might want to look at it now to see if it needs replacing while you're up there.

That's as far as I have experience with it.
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Old 08-04-2021, 07:40 AM   #14
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2018 27' Globetrotter
Elbert , CO
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Had the same problem.

I gave each arm a couple of shots of spray lithium grease (per ZipDee instructions) and started cycling the awning in and out. After a couple of times (to get the grease distributed), the awning finally extended all of the way and fully retracted.

Once I had it doing that, I wiped down the retracting arms with silicon spray (again, per ZipDee instructions).

Our awning has extended and retracted without issue ever since.
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