Awning support

[Mike in Mission]

Wondering if anyone has any advice for me? I have a Bigfoot 17 and one of the awning support blocks has been ripped off. The lag bolts have pulled right out. Any thought on how to best re-attach the support would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[D Davis]

Could you post a pic Mike?

[Carol H]

Sounds like you need to do a fiberglass job from the inside out.

[Mike in Mission]

I have attached a pic, also any advice on those scratches would be great!?

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[Mike in Mission]

Just a follow up, lag bolts will thread back into the holes. I was thinking of filling the holes with Pl premium and putting in the screws while it was setting up.

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[Mike in Mission]

Here is a close up of the holes, there are some small cracks around the holes. Do the cracks need any special treatment or just some caulking?

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[frank_a]

If it was me, I would use Life Caulk. Once it sets up good, it is amazing stuff.

Amazon.com: LIFE CALK, 1 OZ TUBE, WHITE: Sports & Outdoors

Best of luck to ya!

Frank

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Mike in Mission

Here is a close up of the holes, there are some small cracks around the holes. Do the cracks need any special treatment or just some caulking?

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I would at least sand down the raised areas around the hole for sure although the experts I suspect would suggest you bevel the edge of the holes in before filing.

I would use an epoxy to repair it. A couple I have used & I know others here have as well is Marine Tex Epoxy Putty. Another one I have used that is really easy to use - just cut off as much as you need and kneed it is called Magic Bond Epoxy Stick although there are several other brands of the same thing out there. Check at a marine supply shop. Either product will dry hard and allow you to drill new holes.

[Harvey9]

MIke

Is it possible to get a piece of wood in behind where the lag bolts enter? That way the lag bolts enter the fiberglass then the wood. As others have stated sand it off flush, use whatever filling compound is strongest, re drill and use the lags. You should be good to go.

Harvey

[cpaharley2008]

Make sure the wood behind the holes is not rotten so that the lag screws have good wood to bite into. If accessible, you can use bolts in lieu of the screws, but still use the wood block behind to spread the stress out.

[Mike in Mission]

Unfortunately the wood blocks are not accessible, I will do a test drill to see if some longer lag bolts will hit some fresh wood. Then I will try the suggested epoxy filler, redrill and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestions.

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[Tyhee]

Carol, I like the look of that marine tex putty thanks for posting that. Hopefully I can find some within Canada. Never seen that product before.
I vote bolts with nuts and lock washers if possible.

[guitarman023]

as weird as it sounds, I've had great luck getting wood to bite again by using some toothpicks with wood glue inserted into the hole, just stick them in and break off the excess and thread the bolt. If it still doesn't grab, add more toothpicks. Works great on door hinges and stuff like that.

[stevebaz]

In the marine world we would drill a much larger hole to the depth of the old screw. Then we would use 5 minute epoxy and glue in a hard wood dowel filling the hole and leave the dowel just short of the surface and cover the end with epoxy. Put plastic and masking tape to contain the mess and keep it off the trailer surface. After cure drill a pilot hole into the new plugs and screw that bracket back on. I would mask around the bracket and use 3M 4200 sealant under the bracket if I wanted to be able to remove it later or 3M 5200 sealant if I want it more or less permanent. The bracket bedded in the 3m sealant wont let water into the wood behind it and will spread the load from the awning arms to the trailer instead of just into the screws. There is allot of load on those brackets. The hard wood dowels will hold screws better than standard wood and the oversize dowels will be bonded into a much larger area of weak wood making a stronger glue joint and sealing the old wood from moisture. Putting masking tape around the bracket before you seal under the whole bracket and squeeze it up tight will allow you to wipe up the excess squeeze out and then pull the tape for a clean install. This is how we repair loose railings on boats. The bracket will cover the repair and make it invisible. Its allot more work than slapping epoxy in the hole but it will be done once and done right. Especially since you cant get to the backside to put a new solid backing.

[Mike in Mission]

Wow, thanks for the detailed response stevebaz! I think I'll go a little simpler, at first at least. If that doesn't work out I'll go for your more detailed repair.

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[Derek Johnson]

I'm pretty sure that on the upper screws there is no wood behind the fiberglass for the screws to bite into--they only attach to the fiberglass. Perhaps it is the same for the bottom screws as well. If so, you want to be careful not to overtighten and strip them. I had a loose screw on top and I used the toothpick trick and it seemed to tighten fine. In fact, I have had to do this on a number of outside screws that would just spin and spin. If adding a number of toothpicks lets it tighten, then you can just caulk the top and edges of the bracket. If you go with the wooden dowel, keep in mind that if you push it so that it is recessed you may be past the thickness of the fiberglass and the only thing for the glue to adhere to and be supported by will be foam.

Some time ago there was a thread showing how a person added a wood block for the upper screws to bite into. Probably the way it should have been done at the factory.

Derek

[mszabo]

Mike, be careful in what you do. Your water tank is right there.
When I installed my bracket, I made a back plate and bolted through the wall.
It's close quarters, someone to hold a wrench inside helps.

[Mike in Mission]

Just thought that I'd post an update. I sanded down the the bumps flush, vacuumed out the holes, taped off the surrounding areas, then used a small syringe to shoot JB weld marine weld epoxy into the holes. I ended up getting the entire pack of epoxy into the holes, wear gloves its a bit messy. Next I waited the 24 hours, then sanded the epoxy bumps down flush. Drilled pilot holes and lag bolted the bracket back on. It felt like it bit really well. I also ended up having to tighten all the bolts on the other brackets as well. Seems like it worked really well and is solid. Will be taking a week long trip at the end of the month, hopefully it holds up! Thanks again for all the advice.

[Timber Wolf]

I have not used the Marine JB Weld but have performed pure magic with the regular kind. I mean the kind of magic that would have gotten you burned at the stake back in the day!

[krusty]

Hey Mike I also live in Mission, if you still have problems with the awning you can come over and have a look how mine was installed. It appears that the back side of the skirt had a small square hole cut out and then some wood backing placed inside to attach the awning bolts. The holes were then resealed.