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02 Zip Dee main awning
I have an older coach 02 Liberty. It has an automatic main awning and the others are manual. I told a service guy that I had never opened the awning and would like him to open it for me. He said he did not want to do that and suggested that I replace it with a manual one because his experience with that type was not good. Apparently it is air activated? I personally would rather have manual but I am sure there are others that have had experience.
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18 Replies
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Wave,
You can find a lot of complaints about the Zip Dee, but if they are maintained properly they work well. The maintenance is critical and if yours has not been opened you should drain and lubricate the arms per Zip Dee’s instructions. Mine was ruined from my own negligence and was replaced with the box type awning you see on newer coaches. I believe Zip Dee is still the only manufacturer who builds a model for older coaches which mounts without roof modifications. The old awnings are air and electric and mine is electric only and has been problem free for several years. If you decide to switch I suggest you take a look at the roof model and compare with the manual model so you can decide which of the three models meets your needs. My favorite feature of the new awning has been the ability to open it just enough to shade the windows without leaving the coach for short stops as well as camp spots.
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When it works, it is great. But, big but, there are so many things that can go wrong with the system, unless you don’t mind standing on a ladder and cranking the thing back up, you will live in fear every time you deploy it.
I have one, it worked a few times, got stuck out once and I quit using it. If you are going to use it be sure to do the maintenance detailed in many prior posts – lube struts, replace dedicated batteries in the little box in bay 3. It even has its own little air compressor to drain periodically.
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I had one and they are problematic. The biggest problem is water in the cylinders that never get drained. I don’t blame the tech, it will likely be a nightmare if he tries to open since it’s not been maintained.
Mike Harper
2004 Marathon XLII -
So for a newbie would a 2001 be manual, air or air and electric? If manual are there still problems?
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I would rather eat bees than own the Zip Dee version with arms and air / electric operation. The original manual version was wonderful and in a nanosecond that is what I would replace the automatic version with it.
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We had Jeff install the NX mod to our manual Zip Dee patio awning this summer. It has made a world of difference and made it much easier to deploy and store the awning. We didn’t use the patio awning much in the past because it was such a pain to put out & then put back up, especially if alone & in high or gusting wind. The NX is the way it should have been designed from the get go, IMO.
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Jon
What year did manuals exit and go to automatic and can you convert back to manual if needed?
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I think I started seeing the automatic Zip Dees late 90’s. They seemed to have ended being installed around 2005 or 2006.
On XL models I do not think the switch back to manual is an issue, but the XLII has had arms attached to glass if I am recalling correctly and that might make a switch a problem. That is a guess.
I have no idea what is involved in an H3.
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We have the ZipDee automatic on our 1999 Liberty Coach XLV (1998 shell). Its only been opened twice, both times by Jeff Rowe and he was able to get it closed.
How much trouble is it to install a new manual Zip Dee patio awning in place of the automatic? I was concerned if there were different mounting locations that would necessitate opening up the interior of the coach.
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Why would someone with a million dollar coach put up with awnings that won’t work? Is this why is Girards sometime? I always thought the Zip Dee’s were the greatest because they were on Prevost
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We were at a rally at Liberty in 2004 and ZipDee had a team there working from daylight until dark on those awnings. The folks from ZipDee were working like borrowed mules.
I think those awnings turned out to be a disaster for ZipDee and problems for owners unlike anything else except for the delamination issue. The original ZipDee manual awning was excellent, took a couple of minutes to open or close and was generally very reliable. It was easy to service if there was an issue and if it had the sleek look of the current cantilevered awnings I now have I would put them on my coach. My current late model ZipDee awnings have worked fine, but I am just not comfortable using them so I rarely do.
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It’s exciting! Every time I use mine I’m reminded of that line from the movie Dirty Harry: Do you feel lucky, punk?
BTW, I have eliminated the two batteries on mine by wiring directly to the 24 volt circuit on my coach that contols the bay lamps.
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Joel: That’s the way I feel about ours. I don’t feel as lucky as Jeff Rowe is.
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Prior to our purchase, but within the last two years, our ZipDee main awning was changed over to the manual version. Trawick Luxury Coaches did the swap for the prior owner, and I had ETLC do a bolt change because the bolt head for one of the new mounts was impeding the riser sleeve from passing. Here are before & after pics from which you can, hopefully, see attachment points.
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Excellent decision and now the maintenance nightmares are eliminated.
Just be certain when stowed and used all locks are engaged and that it is not left out on an unattended coach.
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