I've got an h2 Transit van that I'm converting into a camper, and I really want to fit a drive away awning for longer trips away with the family.
The problem I've got is that the van has roof bars which secure into the guttering, stopping me from achieving this is at least 2 different frustrating ways.
Has anyone got any experience fitting an awning rail to a van with roof bars that they would like to share? I'm beginning to go mad with puzzling it out.
Cheers
You can attach awning to van by throwing straps over the top of the van and pulling the awning up to the roof. No awning rail required
What year is your van? I’ve an H2 with a Fiamma F45 fitted, I can take a quick look to see how it’s attached if it’s relevant?
I’m sure I looked at drive always before and they did work with this awning but I could be wrong there.
When we had a transit custom the drive away awning wouldn’t have gone near the guttering unless I was chucking straps over. You fit a Kador rail to the van, which the awning slides into.
You can fit a rail along the side, lots of options and Stitches and Steel do one which I fitted to my van a few months ago.
https://stitchesandsteel.com/products/the-s-s-multirail?variant=33793535943
You can use straps (which I did for a while) but they can mark the paintwork.
When you say roof bars do you mean along the van or across?
If you mean across can you unbolt them and bolt a c channel under them to feed a kador strip into.
kind of shown in these pictures...
https://camperessentials.co.uk/product/3m-kador-strip/
You can also get standard (cheaper) caravan awning rail. You can often buy it in longer lengths from a caravan shop for £5 to 10 per metre.
Examples:
https://www.homesteadcaravans.co.uk/accessory-shop/awnings-accessories/awning-rail.htm#description-block
https://www.towsure.com/caravan-awning-rail
You can use straps (which I did for a while) but they can mark the paintwork.
Just to add to this, I used straps for years and, with some tactically placed rags under the straps at 'tight' points, never had a paintwork problem.
Also pretty sure that you can now get magnetic/removable awning rails, might be worth looking at.
Our Trafic has a pop-top roof. I just fitted a Kador rail along the side below the line of the pop-top.