DIY Bundutec awning

[Rutdigger]

So if you haven't seen this awning before please take a look at it; the thing is simply awesome in my book. I wanted one for my trailer but didn't want to pay the price tag. So whats a guy to do...lol. Yup, build it. I won't bore you with posting every little picture of the fabrication process, because really there isn't a need to. You can build this thing as complicated or as simple as you want. Taking pics of making brackets etc i think is a waste of your talents.

This awning will cover three sides of my trailer and will mount to the upper edge of the outside wall. I left 1" of overhang to bolt to the upper frame of the wall and will fabricate four support brackets that will attach to the roof. The main riser of the frame is 8" in height and holds the 6 awning arms that rotate outward to cover the three sides.

The following pics show you how the awning will look (without the fabric on it yet). Only one side is fully deployed because I ran out of room in the garage, but I think you can get the point and a good look how the arms attach to the hinge, etc. This is the very rough frame, nothing has the trim on yet, or sanded down.









I still need to install the self raising ridge supports. This is what gives this awning the pitched look of a house roof, which is one reason I love this awning. Then fabricate and install the roof support brackets. I made this thing out of metal instead of aluminum for a couple of reasons. Cost and ease of building it. Aluminum is much lighter but I don't have the equipment to weld it and I hate bolt together things. Metal is much cheaper in price also.

It will be ready to start patterning it soon, so be sure and follow along with that. I know I had a ton of questions when I was learning how to pattern and such.

 

[Titanpat57]

Bundatec is gonna put out a contract on you...lol...very cool!

 

[Rutdigger]

Bundatec is gonna put out a contract on you...lol...very cool!

Brahahahahahaha....I better hide then!

 

[Rutdigger]

Set back

Ok, so I ran into a little bit of problem while trying to figure out the pitch lifting rods that make the pitched roof look on this awning. As I was rotating the arms around I noticed that the weight of the arms were placing on the brackets and the grade 5 bolts were just to much. Out toward the end of the arms they would sag and touch. They didn't touch much, but they still touched, something I don't want. So, my conclusion is that I am going to visit the metal place in the morning and look at getting Aluminum arms. The main frame will remain metal to keep it very stable. Stay tuned.

 

[Titanpat57]

Just thinking out loud...

A phenolic plastic block to fill the end of the rectangle tube...maybe a foot or so to help distribute weight and stress....and plastic washers (nylon?) In between to space the arms?

Seems to be a lot going on in that little hinge area...sub'd...good luck

 

[Rutdigger]

Just thinking out loud...

A phenolic plastic block to fill the end of the rectangle tube...maybe a foot or so to help distribute weight and stress....and plastic washers (nylon?) In between to space the arms?

Seems to be a lot going on in that little hinge area...sub'd...good luck

Good tips, I ran thru a gamete of things that would/might help with the weight, from going to grade 8 bolts to reduce flex to building a different hinge. I know it doesn't look like it but that hinge it made from 3/16 metal, which it pretty thick in comparison to the standard hinge thickness of most hinges.

However, in the end I accepted defeat and just bought aluminum....lol. I got a good deal on two 21' sticks of 1x2 .125 wall Aluminum. After they cut them into 8 foot length I could tell the weight of three of those arms are about the weight of one of the steel ones. I could literally carry them to the jeep with one hand! It will be a much better choice. I don't worry, I can find good uses for the other metal in my other projects...lol. I'm gonna try and get them drilled and installed tomorrow.

I also think I have the roof pitch support arms figured out to raise and lower as the awning is rotated in and out of place. I found a good pic of how Bundutec did it, so I think I'm just gonna use that design because to be honest, they have the most simple method of getting it done. Why reinvent the wheel, right?..lol.

 

[MountainD]

When attaching the arms, you should weld a bushing into the aluminum to distribute the bolts load. Ideally, I would size the bushing to allow a tapered bearing reside. Sounds harder than it is and then it will be very smooth not to mention not having the frictional wear. At least do the bushing. And make sure the bolt has a shoulder (not threads) that goes through it.

Looks great--can't wait to see the end product!

 

[Titanpat57]

Good tips, I ran thru a gamete of things that would/might help with the weight, from going to grade 8 bolts to reduce flex to building a different hinge. I know it doesn't look like it but that hinge it made from 3/16 metal, which it pretty thick in comparison to the standard hinge thickness of most hinges.

However, in the end I accepted defeat and just bought aluminum....lol. I got a good deal on two 21' sticks of 1x2 .125 wall Aluminum. After they cut them into 8 foot length I could tell the weight of three of those arms are about the weight of one of the steel ones. I could literally carry them to the jeep with one hand! It will be a much better choice. I don't worry, I can find good uses for the other metal in my other projects...lol. I'm gonna try and get them drilled and installed tomorrow.

I also think I have the roof pitch support arms figured out to raise and lower as the awning is rotated in and out of place. I found a good pic of how Bundutec did it, so I think I'm just gonna use that design because to be honest, they have the most simple method of getting it done. Why reinvent the wheel, right?..lol.

I was basing that on the aluminum tube....with my brief exposure to using aluminum, it appears anyway to help distribute weight down through the piece, maybe alleviating some pressure at the joint. I'll be doing my roof rack next for my truck out of aluminum, so I'd be watching this intently...maybe a mini-version truck mounted type?

 

[FMF]

Looks great so far! Here's a few pics of mine.

 

[Rutdigger]

Thanks for all the tips guys....I'm just now getting into using aluminum to build with. My Ready Welder arrived today and as soon as I get a bottle of argon gas I will begin to experiment welding aluminum. Once I get the hang of it you can bet your butt I will build a lot of stuff using it. Today I got the aluminum arms mounted and the rear support brackets that attach to the trailer done and welded on. I am hoping to start patterning this thing on Sunday. After I get that done I can figure out how much fabric I need. I decided to go with Sure-Last or Shelter-Rite. Both have exceptional abrasion resistance and Shelter-Rite is 100% waterproof. However, the Shelter-Rite is lighter and almost 100% waterproof. It will require to be retreated yearly, which is a good trade off for lighter material I think.

 

[FMF]

Took a few pics of the risers for you.

 

[MountainD]

I leave my ready welder hooked up to my miller all the time now-- just swap gas. Tip: when you turn on your welder, you need to depress the mug gun trigger to start the electrical flow to the ready welder gun.

 

[Rutdigger]

Took a few pics of the risers for you.
View attachment 352436
View attachment 352437

Thanks, I was wondering what they put on top of the risers!

 

[Rutdigger]

I leave my ready welder hooked up to my miller all the time now-- just swap gas. Tip: when you turn on your welder, you need to depress the mug gun trigger to start the electrical flow to the ready welder gun.

Sweet! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Rutdigger]

I got the frame painted up today. Hoping to get it mounted on the trailer in the next few days so I can start patterning it. I'll take some more pics when I get it on the trailer.