Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I bought the 6' x 8' ARB awning to mount to my teardrop I am finishing up and need advice. I do not have a luggage rack or need one. I have seen some folks use flat plates that mounted through the wall (with a smaller plate inside the TD for reinforcement) and the plate extended up above the teardrop...sometimes connecting to a rack but sometimes not?

I assume this is something I could make? Any advice is appreciated. My teardrop is tall enough to mount the awning directly to the wall which is another option I suppose. I did a search but didn't find what I was looking for. Thanks!

Subscribed. I am seriously considering an ARB awning too, and would like to see mounting solutions. I was thinking L-brackets on the roof that are screwed/bolted to/through the “joists” that support the roof. Possibly with butyl tape sandwiched in between the L-bracket and roof skin for waterproofing.

I did L brackets screwed into joists with the roofing screws that have a rubber o ring to seal them plus glue.
I don't have a close up to post but just make sure you leave a little gap between the wall and awning so the hatch is clear of it.

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Thanks! That is very helpful.

Here is how I mounted mine (first post ever so hope it comes out well). Mounted to sides since there was more structure there for support.

I opted for the roof rack because it provided more stability and strength for the canopy and room. I could also use the roof rack for bicycles or simply a way to put a tarp across the top to reduce heat from the sun.

Still in progress. Going to take apart and paint everything black and re-attach.

1. Bought roof racks made for gutter mount. Amazon has the same one sold by 3 companies for about $100. Rolla and Apex were 2 of the 3.
2. Modified the brackets by pounding down the flange and discarding the gutter attaching parts.
3. Drilled an extra hole at bottom of the bracket for stability (triangle of bolts).
4. Made aluminum spacers (plate stock) to hold brackets a little bit proud so that the bracket would clear the edge trim. I had thought about flipping the brackets so that angle did the clearing but that would create a larger gap between the canopy and the trailer. I preferred to set it more towards the roof of the trailer.

5. Mounted low enough on wall to miss the ceiling inside.
6. Used carriage bolts all the way through the wall and a plate inside (rather than just washers).
7. Found that if I reduce the bolt size by one size I could use the same holes for both the bar attachments and the extrusion on the ARB canopy. This saved drilling extra holes for the canopy. I used grade 8 bolts to compensate for the reduction in bolt size. Since grade 8 only comes in hex and the bolts would not quite fit into the canopy slots I used trimmed the bolt heads with a angle grinder (just a tiny, tiny bit).


All of this of course depends on how the individual trailer is built (structure under the skin).

I am very happy with the results. Now just need to decide on the best way to join the back of the screen/room to the door. The room is so we can take the grandkids and I don't have to give up a comfy bed.

I’m still interested in new ideas for mounting an ARB awning, as well as follow up from the posters above. How well has your solution held up since you installed it? Any leaks or screws/bolts working their way loose from travel vibrations?

I’m thinking of screwing ARB’s L-brackets into my roof beams (using sealant of course) but I don’t want screws working loose or creating leaks. But to bolt them down instead would mean removing my ceiling panels and reinstalling, which I’d like to avoid.

Thanks All!
Lauren

Tube999 wrote:Here is how I mounted mine (first post ever so hope it comes out well). Mounted to sides since there was more structure there for support.

I opted for the roof rack because it provided more stability and strength for the canopy and room. I could also use the roof rack for bicycles or simply a way to put a tarp across the top to reduce heat from the sun.

Still in progress. Going to take apart and paint everything black and re-attach.

1. Bought roof racks made for gutter mount. Amazon has the same one sold by 3 companies for about $100. Rolla and Apex were 2 of the 3.
2. Modified the brackets by pounding down the flange and discarding the gutter attaching parts.
3. Drilled an extra hole at bottom of the bracket for stability (triangle of bolts).
4. Made aluminum spacers (plate stock) to hold brackets a little bit proud so that the bracket would clear the edge trim. I had thought about flipping the brackets so that angle did the clearing but that would create a larger gap between the canopy and the trailer. I preferred to set it more towards the roof of the trailer.

5. Mounted low enough on wall to miss the ceiling inside.
6. Used carriage bolts all the way through the wall and a plate inside (rather than just washers).
7. Found that if I reduce the bolt size by one size I could use the same holes for both the bar attachments and the extrusion on the ARB canopy. This saved drilling extra holes for the canopy. I used grade 8 bolts to compensate for the reduction in bolt size. Since grade 8 only comes in hex and the bolts would not quite fit into the canopy slots I used trimmed the bolt heads with a angle grinder (just a tiny, tiny bit).


All of this of course depends on how the individual trailer is built (structure under the skin).

I am very happy with the results. Now just need to decide on the best way to join the back of the screen/room to the door. The room is so we can take the grandkids and I don't have to give up a comfy bed.

I'm liking this. I had a similar idea, and figured why reinvent the wheel. I knew there had to be something somewhere to do the trick.