EZ-UP collapsed on my tear - pictures ( UPDATED w/pics )

[Ron]

UPDATE

Here are a few more pictures to show exactly how it collects water and where.





After I pulled the tear out from under the canopy I did my best to straighten out the bent metal. I then packed it up and headed back to K-mart to see what they would say about it. They said sure.....we'll exchange it for you. I really wanted another one because I really liked the size of it. But......they were out of stock on it so she said she would just give me a refund. So I got my money back. I think if it rains on this canopy you would have to put some weight pulling down on the side of the canopy fabric between the braces to keep the fabric tight so it will run off and not pool up.

WHEELS:

My trailer is the HF 1800 trailer. The wheels came from Northern Tool. The ones I got are the 13inch with trailer tires on them. They also had that wheel with Radial tires but they were too wide. The bolt hole pattern is 5 on 4 1/2 so that matched just fine. BUT....with this wheel.....it fits too close to the frame. So I bought some spacers at PepBoys and put them on, along with some new lug nuts. These new wheels are a little thicker than the HF wheels and add the thickness of the spacer and all this reduces how much thread you have for your lug nuts. This reduction bothers me! I need to see if I can get longer lug bolts to fit.
Northern tool has these wheels in 12,13,14,15 inch, also with radial tires or trailer tires. When I replaced my 12in. HF wheels with these 13in. it made a big difference in looks and how high it sits. The 13's seem to be alot bigger than the 12's I was surprised at the difference
You will notice in my pictures that I did not use the center cap that comes with the wheels. This HF 1800 comes with large wheel bearing dust caps that has a greese fitting on it. This prevents using the center caps. If you used smaller dust caps the center wheel caps should fit fine.
When I bought my wheels I had the salesman load up a 13 and 14in. wheels into a shopping cart and outside we went for a test fit on my trailer. The 13in. fit with the HF fenders in place but the 14in. will NOT fit with the HF fender and bracket. The 14in. tire was too wide to use anyway. I would guess that the their 12in. wheels would fit without any mods but I didn't try them because they didn't have any in stock at the time.

I hope this helps. (sorry about the underline, I cant figure out how to edit this back off this post)

Best Regards,
Ron

EDIT: ...cleaned up the underline for ya...MJ

[sid]

Hey Ron, THANKS for the info on the wheels!
They really set your trailer off!

[Ira]

God bless him, but I want to lodge a formal, offical, super-duper hijack complaint against Sid:

Some of us are worrying about DYING with our canopies, and he's talking wheels.

And Ron, thanks for taking the time to post those photos. We appreciate it, because they really show the problem.

[sid]

Sorry Ira, it's my first hi-jack, please don't get all crabby....

[Darren]

UPDATE

So I bought some spacers at PepBoys and put them on, along with some new lug nuts. These new wheels are a little thicker than the HF wheels and add the thickness of the spacer and all this reduces how much thread you have for your lug nuts. This reduction bothers me! I need to see if I can get longer lug bolts to fit.

You can get some special lug nuts to use with spacers. I can't remember what they were called but when I got rims on my 02 blazer the wheels rubbed on the tie rod ends. The shop put on the spacers and the special lug nuts, haven't had any problems for 3 years with them. Any custom wheel shop should be able to point you in the right direction.

[Ron]

Victor Star:

Thanks for the info,I'll check it out.


MadJack:

Thanks for the edit.


Ron

[bledsoe3]

Bled, I haven't even tried to put mine up yet, but, looking at our model, does it look like what Steve is talking about will even WORK? I think our roof configuration is a little different than the others.

Ira, I'll post a pict later of mine set up. It didn't rain so I don't know about water collecting. I did have another quick shade blow over with about the same results. So at least weigh down the legs. As far as weighing down the cover, there's no place to "hook" weights to, so you would have to come up with a way to do that.

[Ira]

My air conditioning died on Wednesday, and our service guy can't get here until TODAY, Saturday. We have a contract with a large company, so if the unit is kaput, they have to replace it--so that's what we're hoping for. (It's a really old unit.)

Anyway, so I'm stuck in the house all day waiting for the guy, between 8 and 5 (they're very specific with their appointments), so I'm gonna put mine up later and post a photo too.

And all of this AC stuff DOES tie in with all of this in an ironic way:

If the unit DOES have to be replaced, that means no AC for a bunch of days waiting for the new unit. And THAT might mean bringing the TD home from the boatyard to use the AC. And that's a good building lesson for some newbies:

I didn't have the skills nor see any easy plans for making the AC easily removeable. Since it was brand-new, and since I was so concerned in installing it in there rock solid, it never crossed my mind to come up with a real easy install/remove system. I figured that when the AC took a crap in 5, 10 years--I would worry about it THEN.

Hey, I hijacked this thread too, so you're off the hook, Sid.

[Ira]

It's me again with an 11AM update.

3 beers later, the AC guy still ain't here, and my EZ-Up is UP in the driveway. I took pictures, which I'll post later, but what's the big deal with THAT?

Except I have one photo that's really funny--a real SURPRISE that's going to brighten your otherwise sad and dreary lives compared to the glamorous and fascinating life I myself lead, like today:

Waiting for the AC guy, fixing a toilet, and no sex in 2 weeks. (I have a better chance of fixing the toilet than having sex.)

But...

There are often some disparaging remarks about drinking being made, not really here (thank God) but elsewhere, and I take humbrage with those sentiments. For if it wasn't for alcohol, especially so early on a Saturday morning, I would not have come up with the obvious, simple solution to this EZ-Up dilemma--both for me and others that now own this model.

First, we have a huge canopy for 99 bucks. Going out and spending at least $200 for a smaller one doesn't make sense. (Especially since disorganized guys like myself already threw out the box and lost the receipt.) Plus, a lot of the smaller ones aren't designated thunderstorm-ready either.

Next, we are a CREATIVE bunch, who can solve any problem and overcome any obstacle. (Well, YOU guys can, anyway.)

Finally, we are a caring, GIVING bunch, and Ron's submission here is GREATLY appreciated, so that others don't suffer the same fate.

So...

Looking at how tight the roof panel drapes here, anyone can obviously see that it will collect water and create a disaster. And because this large model has two center support arms, plus the peaked roof, you can't simply pull down on the valance to tighten the roof and minimize water collection.

What I am going to do, with your guidance, is the following:

While the EZ-Up is up, I will mark 6 small circles in the fabric to later cut. I will determine the position of these holes using Ron's photos and viewing my current "sag" areas. I will also go to the Smithsonian web site to determine average rain angle in Ron's area compared to mine, and make those calculation adjustments.

I will then glue REALLY thin rubber gaskets on either sides of these holes, with a 1/4" opening and a WIDE lip/flange. (This will hide a poorly cut hole as well, and look simply gorgeous.)

On the underside/inside gasket, I will glue some sort of PVC connector or other with a lightweight flexible hose that I can position OUTSIDE the canopy area to drain the collected water.

That's it.

I know it sounds real complicated and involved, but remember that it's only 11AM (well, 11:25 now), and I already had 3 beers. But I still don't think it's THAT complicated.

Your comments are welcomed, but not about my drinking.

[apratt]

Ira you crack me up.

[SmokeyBob]

Ira
A few suggestions on your EZ-UP.

With your EZ set up, apply water to the top to see if it collects water. If it does take it back to WalMart.

If you feel you just have to keep it and it does collect water then try this.

Go to your local hardware store and buy a grommet kit, the kind they use on tarps. They usually come in two sizes. The size that comes on these blue plastic tarps is the one I like to use. There easy to install.

While your EZ-UP is up, mark the center area where the water collects with a magic marker.

Then take your EZ-UP down and install a grommet where you marked the center area where the water collects.

Now you have one hole to allow the water to drain out.

If you still have problems with water collecting in that area where you installed the grommet or you don't like water dripping through that hole, then try this.

Get an adjustable tent pole from a store that sells camping supplies. Insert it in the grommet hole and adjust the height to keep water from collecting. Any water coming through the grommet hole will follow the tent pole to the ground.

If you can't find a tent ploe just make one out of PVC pipe. That's what I'm using for my PVC shelter.

To make a tent ploe get a 1" PVC pipe long enough to take the sag out of where the water is collecting. Get a 1" PVC end cap and a 1 1/2" long 1/4" bolt with a nut. Drill a 1/4 hole in the end of the end cap. Insert the bolt from the inside of the end cap and use the nut to keep it in place. Now glue the end cap to the end of the pole. Now you have a tent pole with a bolt sticking out the end of it.

Insert that bolt in the grommet hole under your EZ-UP. The pole should be long enough to take the sag out of the EZ-UP. If the pole is to short you can add to it or cut some off if it's too long.

[Darren]

A few years ago I was involved with the local USACI shows in Kansas City, USACI is car audio competitions for those that didn't know. Anyway we always had a large EZ Up with us and it collected a lot of water everytime we had rain. My thought was to put those aluminum or fiberglass poles like tents use to bow the roof out and force the water to roll off. Might work.

[Ira]

Bob, great ideas--to a point.

Do you think a grommet is going to hold in thin fabric like this? I'm grommet-ignorant, so maybe it will indeed work.

But I sure as heck understand your point about not wanting the water to drip through those holes where I have to cut them. It would have to be placed well in from the edge of the top, judging by my sag and Ron's photos, and I don't want water dripping THERE.

And as far as tent poles to bow up the roof, it just seems like way too much of a mishigas (Yiddish word meaning headache and overkill), and too much extra stuff to carry, when my plan would eliminate that.

But the grommets point is well taken. I just don't know as far as this fabric (nylon?) goes.

AND MY AIR CONDIOTNING GUY STILL ISN'T HERE AND I'M GETTIG REAL PISSED!

So my wife and I decided on prime rib and lobster tonight to make us feel better.

[Laredo]

Ira, the AC guys are the guys who used to work for the cable company before they got fired for being too unfriendly to the vict-- uh, customers.

Grommets are used to hold silk undies together so your nylon's probably safe. You can get some nylon net to put across the hole between the grommet pieces to keep out bugs, too.

[Juneaudave]

Ira......Grommets are used to hold silk undies together so your nylon's probably safe.

Don't go there with that quote!!!!