Which is the best Fiamma F45 rafter?

Quasar524
Quasar524 Forum Participant Posts: 148
edited July 2016 in Parts & Accessories #1

Fiamma offer three different rafters for their F45 awnings, being respectively Rafter, Tension Rafter Pro and Magic Rafter.  My question is which is the best one to get from the point of view of making the awning as resistant to collapse as possible?  Reduced flapping would also be useful, but not worried about water pooling..

We already use a heavy duty tie down kit.

Comments

  • wye
    wye Forum Participant Posts: 241
    edited July 2016 #2

    Dunno , just put it into place and tension , cost 38 quid new , got mine for a Tenner second hand, peg down legs , when windy slot guy rope in the top of each pole , job done 

    When really windy roll it up ...

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #3

    Quasar

    We have a Magic Rafter Pro. Its quite effective at stopping flapping but whether that would provide any extra safeguard against collapsing is hard to say. I would also say that unless you leave the Fiamma up for more thatn a few days its a lot of work to
    set up on a daily basis.

    David


  • Quasar524
    Quasar524 Forum Participant Posts: 148
    edited July 2016 #4

    Well now, David, I'd missed that one on the Fiammastore website!  It looks a bit fiddly to put up.   I'm veering towards the Magic Rafter as by locking between the knuckles on the folding arms would seem to offer the best support for them, which is mainly what I'm looking for.

    I've never found it that much work to set the awning up - if a windy night was forecast we rolled it up, and put it out again in the morning. The storm strap pegs would stay in the ground.  That was without a rafter though....

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #5

    Quarsar

    You would look a long time on the Fiamma website as the photo is from my own websiteWink. I have to say that it was taken on the one and only time
    we have used the rafter as we generally wind it in at the end of every day. We did use the awning for four days in Salzburg as it was so wet and asolutely no wind so the rafter was not needed. The bad weather this year has played a big part in us not using
    either awning much or the rafter. What always worries me about leaving the Fiamma up is not so much the flapping but my concern about the legs being locked in place by screw fittings. I did wonder if there was a more reliable way of locking the height of the
    legs more securely which I wonder if that was what you were hinting at in your OP. We want to try and get to the next NEC show and ask the question on the Fiamma stand.

    David

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #6

    We got the centre rafter as others had said it stopped the flapping of the canvas. We didn't find that it made much differance at all when we were away earlier this year. We have now bought a tiedown strap to through over the top of the canopy to see if
    that helps, not intending to fasten it overly tight, just enough to stop the canvas lifting and dropping. We have 2 straps that slide into the front of the Fiamma which we use if we intend to leave it out and use the wind blockers. The centre rafter does help
    in that it stops water pooling in the middle if you have forgotten to lower 1 leg.  I have trouble tightening the legs but OH gets them ok, but I agree in time will they slip. I like the look of the Magic rafter and if we were starting again would probably
    go for that instead.

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