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04-04-2020, 05:18 PM
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#1
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Ashtabula, Ohio
Posts: 1,494
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E 7.3L
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Simple DIY Awning
This is the simple awning setup I have been using for over a year now and have had no issues with it. I feel this is the way to go instead of a roll up RV awning which can collect mold and mildew and also have malfunctions. Total cost is right around $100 for all the materials.......
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04-04-2020, 11:24 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,775
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For those can't do video, is there a written HowTo anywhere, ideally with links to example sources?
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04-05-2020, 05:54 AM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Thanks for that. You mention in the video that it’s not as easy as an awning, but that looked easier than a factory awning.
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04-05-2020, 10:54 AM
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#4
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New Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: West Florida
Posts: 1
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 8.9l Cummins
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The wife and I are thinking of doing something very similar. We already have the materials from a previous project, just a sunshade. Yours looks very nice.
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04-05-2020, 12:08 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western Oregon
Posts: 876
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue-Bird
Chassis: TC RE 3408
Engine: 5.9 Cummins 12V Mechanical/Allison MT643
Rated Cap: Blue-Bird says 72 pass.
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Very interesting video. Thanks very much for sharing. Your awning is obviously very effective at providing shade. But here in the PNW one of the main reasons for having an awning has nothing to do with wanting shade. Instead it has everything to do with providing a bit of a dry spot next to the bus or RV during a torrential downpour.
So I wonder if you have ever had a really hard rain on your awning and how it handled that. I can see that if one were expecting regular enounters with heavy rain, it might be best to replace at least some of the magnetic hooks with more permanent hooks attached to the bus. The permanent hooks would of course have to be located just right.
And I know placement of more permanent hooks would be tricky. I have enough experience with these white Amazon tarps to know that the grommets are not evenly spaced along the edges. It's obvious that the distance between grommets is at the discretion of the workers who make the tarps. So one could not necessarily expect those hooks to all line up with the holes in a replacement tarp.
And even with several more permanent hooks I am not sure this awning setup would be strong enough to handle the hard rains and +25 mph winds that we get so often around here. From my perspective the one big advantage to the standard roll up awnings is that the good ones are strong enough to handle most PNW weather.
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04-05-2020, 05:07 PM
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#7
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Clearlake, Northern California
Posts: 2,511
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC-2000 Frt Eng, Tranny:MT643
Engine: 5,9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 84
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That is exactly how Millicent's awning began also.
Then....
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04-05-2020, 05:11 PM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western Oregon
Posts: 876
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue-Bird
Chassis: TC RE 3408
Engine: 5.9 Cummins 12V Mechanical/Allison MT643
Rated Cap: Blue-Bird says 72 pass.
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The rail looks like a very good idea.
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04-05-2020, 06:36 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,000
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess
That is exactly how Millicent's awning began also.
Then....
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Now I can die happily, knowing that I got to see the king of all skoolie awnings.
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04-05-2020, 07:09 PM
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#10
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Clearlake, Northern California
Posts: 2,511
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC-2000 Frt Eng, Tranny:MT643
Engine: 5,9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 84
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LOL
A rather ragged-looking king, but functional.
And it laughs at 80-MPH winds.
Setting it up in 2018 -- 24 tarps, each measuring (close to) 10 x 20 feet.:
It started out on only one side.
Next year, it covered the roof and opposite side, to keep the interior cool, in 2012:
It is vital to have an air gap between the tarps and the bus, so the breeze can carry the heat away.
And so on, adding a few sections each year.
I am bragging, but to show what is possible with a modicum of mechanical savvy.
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04-05-2020, 07:18 PM
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#11
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Clearlake, Northern California
Posts: 2,511
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC-2000 Frt Eng, Tranny:MT643
Engine: 5,9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 84
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Back to a small awning.
Not a school bus, but still a good friend of mine.
Notice how he paid attention to details. Those tarps are almost drum-skin tight. (And color matched to the bus!)
Take time to think it thru, and you can do this!
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04-05-2020, 09:31 PM
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#12
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: N.C.
Posts: 1,136
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess
but to show what is possible with a modicum of mechanical savvy.
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From seeing your work, I'm pretty sure you passed the 'modicum' stage decades ago.
Another way to skin the same cat.....tarp is screwed to the inside of it's storage box.
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04-05-2020, 10:28 PM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Clearlake, Northern California
Posts: 2,511
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC-2000 Frt Eng, Tranny:MT643
Engine: 5,9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 84
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Mahvelously kind of you to say! But I am actually not very smart, bright, or clever; I simply make a point to learn from my mistakes, and keep trying until the project serves its intended purpose satisfactorily.
Look at the photo from 2012. See the half-moon-shaped slashes in the tarp? Those were vents, to let air thru, hurriedly cut when the wind tried to carry Millicent off to Winnemucca. That tarp was all one piece.
The new version uses many smaller tarps, with natural gaps between them which let plenty air thru.
Perhaps the most important item I am babbling about here is that... WIND can utterly ruin an awning that seems perfectly OK when you build it.
And I have help with my projects. Notice the 31-foot long trusses on the passenger side? Friends of mine came up with that idea and built them -- then brought them over on the roof of a Jeep! Alright, the trusses were in two halves and were spliced here. I have serious can-do! friends!
Trusses and gaps between tarps better visible in this photo.
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04-07-2020, 02:41 PM
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#14
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 15
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We used a similar awning style on our 4x4 for a trip to Baja and after that, we decided against it due to wind and weather. The commercially available awnings from companies like ARB are not that expensive and built to hold up a bit better. Plus they are much easier to setup in my opinion and the availability of awning rooms and walls is an easy decision for us. Points for coming up with a solution!
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BUILD- https://bit.ly/2wlf9WP
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BLOG-https://www.okienomads.com
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04-08-2020, 12:04 PM
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#15
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Ashtabula, Ohio
Posts: 1,494
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E 7.3L
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04-11-2020, 03:31 PM
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#16
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Northern California (for now)
Posts: 55
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Except for this being DIY, and possibly cheaper, there's no advantage over a roll-out. A roll-out even stores itself.
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04-11-2020, 06:43 PM
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#17
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Moved to Zealand!
Posts: 1,517
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner FS-65
Engine: 7.2L Cat 3126 turbo diesel
Rated Cap: 71 passenger 30,000 gvwr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DWJoyce
Except for this being DIY, and possibly cheaper, there's no advantage over a roll-out. A roll-out even stores itself.
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Huge advantage if you drive down forested roads...
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04-11-2020, 07:08 PM
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#18
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 57
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What's not to like for $100? Fantastic.
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04-12-2020, 05:26 AM
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#19
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,856
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Thomas Built Bus
Chassis: Freightliner FS65
Engine: Caterpillar 3126E Diesel
Rated Cap: 71 Passenger- 30,000 lbs.
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Some very good handiwork on dispay in this thread.
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05-02-2020, 11:01 PM
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#20
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Skoolie
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: NE Oregon
Posts: 148
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
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Thanks for posting the set up and video. I've been thinking of doing something similar, but wasn't sure what hooks to use.
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