Eezi Awn Tents, you might want to check...

[Bergger]

If you own an Eezi Awn tent you may want to check the bolts in the main two hinges. My last two trips involved covering approximately 35 miles of some very nasty washboard roads. The last trip was the AT Hurricane Lake Adventure and while that road was not as bad as my previous trip it was enough to finally vibrate two bolts out. I found the first one when we arrived and deployed the tent. The second was found when I arrived home. As I opened the tent it made bit of a crunch sound and would not open correctly. I looked at the hinge and sure enough the main bolt where the two plates overlap and the center support rod attaches had fallen out. I recovered the bolt from the ground but the washer and nylock nut were some where back on the road I'm sure. Once again Mario came to my rescue and put in a replacement. Lucky for me Paul May, of Equipt Expedition Outfitters, was also there. Paul is the main man in the US for Eezi Awn Tents. I told him what happened and he explained why it happened. I guess Eezi Awn recently started to make the hinges thicker, thus stronger. They continued to use the same hardware which works fine in every spot except where the two plates overlap. With the new thickness the bolt was not long enough to allow the nylock to thread on enough. I guess a number of tents were shipped that had the new thicker hinges but the old length bolt. Apparently this has been solved by using a longer bolt. It was apparent that mine had the original bolt. I checked the second bolt while at Hurricane Lake and it appeared okay. However when I opened the tent to clean it once I got home the same thing occured. The washer and nylock were missing. Today I replaced them with longer bolts and kept a few spares just in case. So after my long-winded talk here my point is that it may be a good idea for everyone to check the bolts on their tents. If the bolt extends a 1/4" or more from the nylock you are fine. If it does not then replace it because it will eventually come out. Here are a few pictures showing the original length and the new length.

Center bolt where the plates overlap is the problem bolt.
View attachment 21033

Original bolt does not extend past the nylock. As you can see the other bolts where there is no overlap are just fine.
View attachment 21034

New bolt I installed extends futher out past the nut.
View attachment 21035

 

[Martyn]

I'm not certain why, but the metric nylock set up doesn't seem to work as well as the US equivalent. It may be the coarser thread. I'm sure all the hardware is made in China, but we have had much better luck replacing hardware with something like a 1/4 / 20 bolt and nylock.

We have had issues with all of the tents loosing locking nuts, and the only common thing is they are metric thread bolts with nylock nuts.

I'd suggest you check the hardware every time you deploy the tent and carry a few spares.

The standard for a bolt to protrude through a nylock is two full threads

 

[MaddBaggins]

Had the same thing happen. I put in new, longer ones and so far all good.

 

[Equipt]

As you have noted, the improvement in one direction has developed a concern in another direction. Eezi Awn did increase the hinge thickness for the larger models of tents in response to flex concerns. The hinge bolts became a bit too short where the two hinge sections meet. So Eezi Awn has responded by lengthening these bolts and by adding plastic covers to the bolt ends. The bolts need to be long enough, but too long a bolt will generate another concern. That is damage to your mattress on the inside. We believe a solution has been found.

I think the more important message here is a watchful eye, and our tents do require some maintenance. Similar to what you do to your vehicle, trailer, and other important gear, you make a quick check of all the important components prior to heading out. A couple items to check in passing. Make sure the hinge bolts are in good order, look to see if the matching male/female extrusion between the hinge is clear and free from damage, look at the cover and verify the perimeter strap is has been pretensioned and ratcheted securely, and that all the corner clips are secure. It takes but a second to do, and will ensure your investment lasts.

Cheers,

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'm not certain why, but the metric nylock set up doesn't seem to work as well as the US equivalent. It may be the coarser thread.

FWIW, for Bergger, AAA Metric has fine thread hardware (and they would stock Nylok nuts). That would fix it if you wanted to use the right sized bolt. If it's not something that needs to be removed, a Stover nut (i.e., a jam nut) wouldn't come off and are designed to stay in place in high vibration applications. That would be better than a split washer or Nylok for a hinge pivot IMO.