At the NorthWest Overland Rally we had the opportunity to look at the Alu-Cab 270 Deg Shadow Awning in person, we really liked the construction and that it can handle higher winds than our Batwing awning without the legs being deployed. Since we live in the desert and winds are very common this is an important feature for us. Our existing Batwing will hold up to wind as well but they recommend always using the legs and staking them down, I really prefer the free span option of the Alu-Cab. After returning home from the rally we sold the Batwing and purchased a Shadow unit.
The coverage is also slightly better with the Alu-Cab and it uses a more square shape, you can get a idea from these two drawings.
Batwing
Shadow
Batwing removed from the truck. Here you can see the factory FWC 1/4" stainless mounts for the Batwing, we will re-use these mounts for the Shadow awning and fabricate a 4th bracket as well for additional hinge support. The bolts go through the frame and have backing plates on the inside wall.
Here is a shot of the Batwing next to the Shadow awning. The shadow is a little larger and not as compact when collapsed.
Differences in mounting requirements. The Batwing uses an extruded rail along the back of the awning allowing for a lot of adjustment and easy installation. The Shadow has mounting holes on the internal framework and the bag completely encloses the mount, you need to pick your mounting holes then punch a hold through the bag for the bolts to pass through.
This is what allows the Shadow awning to remain free-spanning in higher winds (up to 20+ mph). The support arms on the Shadow are completely boxed for added strength and fully welded at the hinge assembly where the Batwing uses lighter open C-channel tubing and a extruded/riveted hinge assy. Again the Batwing works just fine and is slightly lighter (by 6 lbs) and more compact but does need to be staked down with legs in higher winds.
Batwing
Shadow
With the help of 3 people we held the Shadow awning up in place and determined how far back the rear hinge needed to be. Once that was determined we started marking out the hole locations on the awning mounting brackets to match up to the FWC brackets. Since our awning brackets are already mounted on the camper we will modify the holes on the awning to match the brackets.
The existing brackets on the camper have a wider bolt pattern than the awning so a few new holes were in order.
The 3rd mounting bracket on the camper (rear most bracket) is located right where the hinge assembly starts in the awning, preventing me from drilling holes in this location. Since the bracket is already on the camper we will modify the bracket by adding a stainless extension and move the mounting location slightly forward for clearance.
Fabricating the extension out of 1/4" stainless to match the OEM mounts.
It will be welded onto the bracket at this location.
Welding the extension tab on the rear OEM awning mount.
Next up was to fabricate a stainless backing plate for the mount directly behind the hinge, this mount takes the majority of the load when the awning is extended so it needs to be very secure. A custom mount will need to be fabricated for this 4th mounting location.
Supporting the weight of the awning from the rafter while we fabricate the hinge support.
We were busy and I didn't go a great job at taking pictures, so now the awning is magically on the truck and the 4th support bracket is built and installed lol.
Continued Below...
The coverage is also slightly better with the Alu-Cab and it uses a more square shape, you can get a idea from these two drawings.
Batwing
Shadow
Batwing removed from the truck. Here you can see the factory FWC 1/4" stainless mounts for the Batwing, we will re-use these mounts for the Shadow awning and fabricate a 4th bracket as well for additional hinge support. The bolts go through the frame and have backing plates on the inside wall.
Here is a shot of the Batwing next to the Shadow awning. The shadow is a little larger and not as compact when collapsed.
Differences in mounting requirements. The Batwing uses an extruded rail along the back of the awning allowing for a lot of adjustment and easy installation. The Shadow has mounting holes on the internal framework and the bag completely encloses the mount, you need to pick your mounting holes then punch a hold through the bag for the bolts to pass through.
This is what allows the Shadow awning to remain free-spanning in higher winds (up to 20+ mph). The support arms on the Shadow are completely boxed for added strength and fully welded at the hinge assembly where the Batwing uses lighter open C-channel tubing and a extruded/riveted hinge assy. Again the Batwing works just fine and is slightly lighter (by 6 lbs) and more compact but does need to be staked down with legs in higher winds.
Batwing
Shadow
With the help of 3 people we held the Shadow awning up in place and determined how far back the rear hinge needed to be. Once that was determined we started marking out the hole locations on the awning mounting brackets to match up to the FWC brackets. Since our awning brackets are already mounted on the camper we will modify the holes on the awning to match the brackets.
The existing brackets on the camper have a wider bolt pattern than the awning so a few new holes were in order.
The 3rd mounting bracket on the camper (rear most bracket) is located right where the hinge assembly starts in the awning, preventing me from drilling holes in this location. Since the bracket is already on the camper we will modify the bracket by adding a stainless extension and move the mounting location slightly forward for clearance.
Fabricating the extension out of 1/4" stainless to match the OEM mounts.
It will be welded onto the bracket at this location.
Welding the extension tab on the rear OEM awning mount.
Next up was to fabricate a stainless backing plate for the mount directly behind the hinge, this mount takes the majority of the load when the awning is extended so it needs to be very secure. A custom mount will need to be fabricated for this 4th mounting location.
Supporting the weight of the awning from the rafter while we fabricate the hinge support.
We were busy and I didn't go a great job at taking pictures, so now the awning is magically on the truck and the 4th support bracket is built and installed lol.
Continued Below...
. It's amazing how solid this awning feels, just like their commercial I can pull myself up on the center arm and it barely moves!
