I love this forum

Cupie · Guru

I love this forum

magraret · Senior Member

I realy enjoy reading your posts all you guys out there

They sure make good reading

I love how you can put a post on and then read the feed back that is given

i have learned a lot from your posts and comments

i enjoy reading the banter between you, the positive and the not so positive

i like the frankness of opinions and how every one is so differant and how each persons perspective can differ so much

as this is my fist big trip and the weather has not been kind to us out of 7 weeks we have had to spend 6 of them in the van due to bad weather we have had anough and will be heading home to brissy yes it sure was the wrong time for us to travel as weather wise we could not even put our awning down as it would have blown us away

so thank you guys for giving me lots of laughs while in the van just remember be gentle with each other or if you cant be gentle then give it to them good haha

PS be gentle with me

Gerty Dancer · Guru

You are very wise to keep your awning in, in windy weather Margaret, it can become a sail. Pity about the weather, its raining in Bris too... hope you have more sun next time.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

The forum - and all the sub forums therein - are a mixture of people, most of whom love to camp, travel and enjoy this wonderful country. One thing about being retired and living in a motorhome or caravan, is that you have the time to "sit out" bad weather, of just move on to better weather!

Better luck with the weather next time Margaret - we are sitting in Boonah showgrounds, with rain and fog. Yeoeleven is leaving here today, has to decide whether to go north via Cunninghams Gap (my choice) or the Toowoomba Range road (Billeeeeeee's choice)! After our last wet trip up the Toowoomba road, would never attempt it in rain again! Scary!!!! A B double lost traction on an oil spill half way up - slewing all over the road, and some idiots were still passing him on the left hand side!!!!

Since Cunninghams Gap had the landslides in 2011, it is a much better trip up than it used to be - some of the worst bends have been "softened", and I would prefer to use that one.

GaryKelly · Guru

6 out of 7 weeks stuck in the van is not good, Margaret, not even with the forums to keep you entertained. Hopefully, your luck will change on the next trip.

neilnruth · Guru

And we love the forum too.

Miss it when we don't have the laptop with us.

-- Edited by neilnruth on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 07:23:16 PM

Sheba · Guru

You sound as though you won't be contributing to the Forum when you get back home, Margaret. You don't have to be on the road to do that you know. Keep on looking and posting. A lot of us aren't on the road yet, but that doesn't stop us.

Cheers,

Sheba.

-- Edited by Sheba on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 07:44:57 PM

Duh · Guru

Agree fully with you Margaret, this forum is the greatest! As we grow bigger I just hope we don't become like another forum who have a number of members whose lives revolve around sniping at others posts. Opposite views are great, we are all different like Jules says, as long as we stay aware and do our best to keep it friendly.

Regards the awning, as well as wind, also wise to pull it in before heavy rain, I have seen a couple of bent barrel rollers bent from the weight of water pooling on the awning. I always make one side lower than the other to help with water run off. Some with awings have spars they underneath to deal with the pooling.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

You are 100% correct about this forum Margaret and I tell you that for free.

I'm currently in Townsville and the weather gods keep saying rain, well it has drizzled a couple of times at night but the days are great. Having said that though yesterday and today are the warmest days and nights since I arrived 3 weeks ago, very muggy last night and it looks like much the same again tonight.

So if you want to get away from the rain head up this way, it's just up the road from Brissy.

herbie · Guru

Duh wrote:
Agree fully with you Margaret, this forum is the greatest! As we grow bigger I just hope we don't become like another forum who have a number of members whose lives revolve around sniping at others posts. Opposite views are great, we are all different like Jules says, as long as we stay aware and do our best to keep it friendly.
Regards the awning, as well as wind, also wise to pull it in before heavy rain, I have seen a couple of bent barrel rollers bent from the weight of water pooling on the awning. I always make one side lower than the other to help with water run off. Some with awings have spars they underneath to deal with the pooling.

Hello Vic ,I had no end of problems regarding water pooling on the annex roof,as it is so long ,tried to lower on end ,but that only made the water put too much weight to the lower end .The only thing that fixed it was to buy two extra "arms '( supports )and now I have no problem, but in saying that I still make sure one end of the awning is slightly lower than the other end ,even when I have all the canvas sides attached.

GaryKelly · Guru

I have a well known brand of awning (roll out) on my camper and the user manual says they're not meant for wet weather, only shade, so they recommend not using them if it looks like rain.

Cupie · Guru

GaryKelly wrote:
I have a well known brand of awning (roll out) on my camper and the user manual says they're not meant for wet weather, only shade, so they recommend not using them if it looks like rain.

Gee that's a worry. I find that mine is of most use in the rain particularly with the annex walls fitted.

I always drop one end by at least two notches to ensure good run off. If you don't, a pool forms & the weight of the water stretches the vinyl, allowing more water to pool increasing the weight etc etc until something breaks. Once the vinyl stretches it seems that you have a problem for ever.

If it's raining I keep a good look out for signs of pooling & take quick action. Have been known to be up & in the rain in the wee hours checking & adjusting.

If I haven't got the walls on & it looks like rain, I put a massive fall on the awning just in case.

Duh · Guru

herbie wrote:

Hello Vic ,I had no end of problems regarding water pooling on the annex roof,as it is so long ,tried to lower on end ,but that only made the water put too much weight to the lower end .The only thing that fixed it was to buy two extra "arms '( supports )and now I have no problem, but in saying that I still make sure one end of the awning is slightly lower than the other end ,even when I have all the canvas sides attached.

Hi Herbie,

Glad you resolved your problem, I do believe with long awnings the spars (extra arms) are a good thing to have. smile

No fun having your awning break or having to bring it in during the night in a storm or high winds..... wink

JulieM · Veteran Member

I love this forum too although this is only my second post! I left Townsville to attend my Mum's 85th in Taree.

I'm a solo, towing a caravan. I travel with my dog and have camped most of my life (in one form or another)

The year I was born has a lot to do with a change to a caravan.

Love it!!!!!!

biggles · Senior Member

Hi Julie and welcome to the Forum ..

.. and as you said, the year was important .. sort of now seems just like it was meant to be .. enjoy !

Jon

neilnruth · Guru

Welcome from us too JulieM. We hope you continue to enjoy this forum and keep posting!!

Bunkerbob · Senior Member

Still new to the forum and our new van. We move in permanently on Monday as the house sale is finalised on Friday the 2t8h. We also had a problem with pooling due to the awning being 'slack'. I think the problem has been fixed. Once the awning is out and the bars tightened, release the wind out/wind in mechanism so it is on 'wind in'. This tensions the awning against the bars and takes the slack out. Our awning is 5 metres long and about 2.5 metres out. Remember when it rains, 1 sq metre of space for 1 mm of rain gets you 1 litre of water. Our awning is 12.5 sq metres, therefore 1mm of rain should get us 12.5 litres of water. Extends the free camp experience.

Cupie · Guru

Bunkerbob wrote:
Still new to the forum and our new van. We move in permanently on Monday as the house sale is finalised on Friday the 2t8h. We also had a problem with pooling due to the awning being 'slack'. I think the problem has been fixed. Once the awning is out and the bars tightened, release the wind out/wind in mechanism so it is on 'wind in'. This tensions the awning against the bars and takes the slack out. Our awning is 5 metres long and about 2.5 metres out. Remember when it rains, 1 sq metre of space for 1 mm of rain gets you 1 litre of water. Our awning is 12.5 sq metres, therefore 1mm of rain should get us 12.5 litres of water. Extends the free camp experience.

Sounds like a good idea .... I'll try that next time I set up.

I usually apply maximum tension on the awning by loosening the end beam lock nuts and reaching over the roller tube from the outside and applying pressure as hard as I can & then tightening the lock nut while still under pressure. It stops the 'clunk' 'clunk' as the awning moves in the wind during the night.

(Hard to put the process into words but I hope I explained it well enough)

-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 23rd of June 2013 11:08:49 AM