Replacing Awning Arms
Greetings Michelle!
While I am not as familiar with Carefree of Colorado awnings as with the A & E Travel Awn 5000s like the one that my Overlander had when I purchased the trailer in 1995, there is one down-side to trying to restore anything other than a ZipDee. According to my research, ZipDee is the only manufacturer who still maintains the capability to produce arms with the correct curvature for the sides of Vintage Airstreams. I tried for nearly five years to restore the A & E Travel Awn 5000 on my Overlander only to give up and have ZipDees installed after spending more than 50% of the cost of a new awning on repairs to the A & E.
It sounds like your Carefree may have a similar problem to my A & E Travel Awn - - an arm that was twisted in a storm and no longer properly aligns with a structural rib so its mount refuses to remain attached to the coach (or it is also possible that the awning may not have been properly sized and the arm(s) never aligned with structural ribs for attachment). The previous owner on my coach had shortened the arm and installed a plate on the interior of the coach through which the arm was attached - - and it still would pull away at least once a year. A & E (Dometic) at that pont told me that the only solution was a new arm, and that part had been obsolete for more than a decade.
I will say this much for the ZipDee as it relates to my experience with the A & E. The ZipDee is much easier for one person to operate, and it has a more pleasing appearance asthetically (IMHO).
Good luck with your awning dilemma!
Kevin
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Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Pride Streamers/Wisconsin-UP Unit (Primary)/Missouri Greater Ozark Unit (Affiliate Member) #7864
AIR #827
1964 Overlander International
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
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