Well, we tried the cheap route with the set-up and clamp-on awning (see my post about the
Ezy-Awning.) It worked, but it was enough of a hassle to set up and tear down, that we didn't use it unless we were going to stay put for a couple days. Also, it was easier to set up if we had a step ladder handy, but since we don't travel with a step ladder, it really took some gymnastics to set it up.
Soooo, we decided to slash out the cash and buy a
Fiamma awning. The US dealer for Fiamma is in Florida, and while the folks there were very helpful, getting a hold of them is difficult. According to the Fiamma website, they make brackets for a wide variety of vehicles, so the awning can be
easily mounted to most recreational vehicles and vans. The Promaster brackets are made to fit over the three mounting buttons that are on the roof of the van. Seemed easy, and looked perfect.
But of course, things never workout that easily. First of all, the brackets didn't fit in the way they are shown in the diagram. The red arm labeled "A" was too short to reach the front awning support, mainly because the leading edge of the awning...the part above the gap, was already resting ON the top of the van, with no gap at all.
Luckily, Howard is a handy bloke, so he made some 3/16" aluminum shims to put under "B". This allowed the front of the awning to slip into the V-formation on arm A. You can see the shim (covered in glue) in the photo below. This allowed the front support of the awning to slip into the front support arm (A). But still did not allow the awning's leading edge clear the top of the van, as shown in the second photo below.
When we crank the awning out, it takes a couple of twists before there is enough force to pop the leading edge loose from being wedged between the awning housing and the van roof.
As you can see there is NO gap like the Fiamma diagram above shows. We figured (hoped) Fiamma would have worked out the brackets for the Promaster, since the Promaster is the same as the Italian Ducato, which has been in production for years, but apparently not.
We have left messages for the Florida Dealer of Fiamma USA two days ago, but have not had a return call, so for the time being we are waiting. What we really need to do is pry the darn thing off (yikes that SikaFlex sticks like mad) and add at least another 1/16th thickness to the shim, but we wonder what stress that will put on the back bracket--this thing isn't light. In any case, if you have a Promaster and want a Fiamma awning...proceed with caution.
