Godlykepower Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hey Guys, I have always planned on getting a canvas tarpaulin & just attaching it to the roof rack with some rope & having a couple of long poles to go in the ground at t'other end. Coming back from the Peaks this weekend, I saw a builders van with some sort of tubular device on his rack (seen quite a few actually, holding pipes or something I presume?) & I got the idea to manufacture something slightly better than just a tarp, that I can leave up there permanently. Seen the prices of these things HERE & I almost fell over!! Any suggestions on how to go about starting a project like this? I'm thinking some canvas tarp wrapped around an aluminium pole (or curtain pole!!) which is the easy bit, but as I dont have facilities to bend & chop up steel (let alone weld anything) is there anything out there I could use as a "cover" for the awning? Something like 2 halves of guttering stuck together, but better of course!! Cheers! Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I'm in the process of having a rear awning made to go over the back door. It's being made from the roof of a frame tent that we no longer use and haven't been able to sell. Another couple of weeks maybe and it'll be done. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotian Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Lots of armoured vehicles and box bodied trucks in the army (Royal signlas from my experience) have a vinal strip along the side at different heights depending on the application with eyelets along them. The strip is bolted to the side with a lip covering the bolts then you take the sheet that has the twist studs on one edge. you can then peg one end to the ground making a lean too, or put poles in the end and peg out with rope to make an awning. They were designed to connect between vehicles to make a usefell undercover space when vehicles are parked in formation. I'll try and find some pics to show you but it might be hard since the whole time I was in the Army I never saw one once. We ended up just using hessian or putting up a tent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Lots of armoured vehicles and box bodied trucks in the army (Royal signlas from my experience) have a vinal strip along the side at different heights depending on the application with eyelets along them. The strip is bolted to the side with a lip covering the bolts then you take the sheet that has the twist studs on one edge. you can then peg one end to the ground making a lean too, or put poles in the end and peg out with rope to make an awning. They were designed to connect between vehicles to make a usefell undercover space when vehicles are parked in formation.I'll try and find some pics to show you but it might be hard since the whole time I was in the Army I never saw one once. We ended up just using hessian or putting up a tent. Cheers Scotian, I THINK I see what your on about, but I want to go with something a little more rigid. Just dont know what to use for the cover!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cipx2 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I guess you wanted to give this link but I agree it wasn't so obvious. Here's a design similar to your idea but there's some fabrication involved. It can be done much nicer though. As for the tarp, see if you like something from www.canvas-tarps.co.uk , www.kover-it.co.uk , www.tarpaflex.co.uk or from your local hardware/gardening store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 saw this one some time ago and dragged it back out of my memory: Disco Awning I think the guy that did it posts on here as Darren I am thinking of doing something very similar on both the side and the rear of my disco... so watching with interest. [Edited, cos I still had a link to a set of tyres I was looking at in my clipboard.. ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cipx2 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 You forgot to drag something else from your memory: you need to be a member of that forum in order to access that link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Better??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I will be watching with interest as I too am looking for a solution. I have a couple of old caravan awnings which I hope will provide materials. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I seem to remember Brownchurch offering a side awning that would mount on on a roofrack, or just on the gutter... Saw it at Billing and was quite impressed by the idea, price and quality... See here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotian Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Asfar as material goes, over here in Romania (and I'm sure other places) there are alot of old advertising sheets (for want of a better term) for sale. They are giant sheets of reinforced vinal (like the stuff that wolf canopies are made from) with a huge picture or advert like car manufactuers etc. They are surrounded with eylets as they are used for strapping to the outside of building and over roads etc. I am going to buy one of these(they are cheap as chips) and see what I can do with it myself. The only thing is I dont want a stupid picture on mine and I would rather it wasnt with a white background as most are. I'm just waiting for the day they have a landrover one for sale (I;ve seen every other car manufacture so far :-) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you get your drawer made yet, Martin ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you, Mo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110WestCape Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I made one that fits onto my 110 Roofrack premanently from 80% shade net. Attached it with an aluminium "flat bar" riveted along the length of the roofrack. It rolls up when not used and ties to the roofrack via normal cargo straps to keep it tidy. Got someone with a sewing machine to seam it along the edges and a stronger material where the eyelets for the tent poles fits onto it. Considerations are ........... 100% waterproof material causes it to turn into a dam unless you allow for enough slope...... also how much wind do you need to prepare for ? The Southwesterly wind in Cape Town caused me to use sturdy tent poles and anchor ropes to keep it in place when in use. Will post pics as soon as time permits. Cheers Wikus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie D Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I've just bought an ex display fiamma caravanstore 3 mtr awnng for this very purpose, only£50. They come up on ebay fairly regularily, or in the f35 version which is in a hard shell like this one.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=003 Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you, Mo? Yup, mines finished Mark, have finished yours yet ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Did you get your drawer made yet, Martin ?Mo Not quite done yet. What I have done so far, is the storage chest (which came out brilliantly!) and the body of the drawers.....fitted the runners, now just need to do the actual drawer. Then its all the finishing touches to make it look pretty! Didn't bother posting any pics as I thought there were enough threads about storage drawers floating around. May start another thread when its completely finished to show you guys the end result. How is yours looking now its done Mo?? Mark, I liked the way yours was coming along very much! If I knew how to weld, I would probably have gone with something like yours. Anyway, with regards to the awning....... the link with the 2 halves of sewer quality guttering was almost exactly what I had in my mind. However, I dont what it to look plop....so is there some product out there, perhaps in the building/storage etc trades that uses something that I could substitute the guttering for.....like posh guttering made from aluminium!! That Brownchurch one might be an option really, as I have a Brownchurch rack, but I gather it doesent roll up?? Mart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Yup, mines finished Mark, have finished yours yet ?Mo Where's the pictures then Mo?? To be fair mine is as finished as it is going to get for a while... Until I get into prepping the Disco for traveling, and get the load rail in, and some idea of what sort of organization I need it's going to stay as you see it in the last post of my thread. It's already gained ropes, shackles and tool boxes in one side. The other side is empty for the moment... The next evolution will be when it gains runners for the fridge to sit on, but that requires me actually buying the fridge Martin, pictures are always good - especially work in progress stuff. A new thread, or added into mine would make it a good archive of different ways to skin the same cat - if you search t'internet there's not a huge amount out there on building your own, so the more we have on here the better! I am liking the brownchruch awning, but I am starting tho think along the lines of something to cover the back of the disco rather than the side, and have a couple of cantilevered designs that may or may not be suitable... either way if it takes the same amount of time to come to fruition as my drawers did (about 2 years from initial ideas, collecting bits up, and then finally construction them) this thread may be active a while! Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave4x42008 Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Thanks for all your information, i've now managed to make a great side awning that fully retracts into a small tube. I will upload some links for a picture once i find out how to do it. I found some great covers from a tarpaulin company called www.tarpsuk.co.uk . Really well priced. Speak soon need to check out all the other forums on here and i'll be back soon with pics..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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