Patio Umbrella - Missing Spring

I have a patio umbrella from Target and that I just went to setup for the summer when I noticed that one of the springs that connects two of the ribs is gone.

Here is a pic of the ribs with their missing spring:



Here are some pics of working ribs with their spring:

Right side


Bottom


Left Side 1


Left Side 2


Anyone know if this is a generic part that can be bought from a store or ordered online? If not, or these are proprietary to the umbrella, any ideas on what I can do to fix this and connect those two ribs?

Thank you

 

That is a special part just for that umbrella. I seriously doubt you will find a replacement. I would use a long bolt and nut as a replacement.

 

Nut and bolt was my thought also. IF it has to have some give - maybe a heavy duty zip tie.

 

I think you might find a torsion spring that would do the trick, you could use a nut and bolt as the pivot point for it.

McMaster carries a wide variety; you should only have to get close. And you will have to cut the ends to length and form the little bend on the ends.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#torsion-springs/=17yb2h7

 

Pilot Dune/marksr, thank you for the Nut/Bolt idea. I'm going to try this short term as I have the parts in my home and can test it out soon.

CarbideTipped. thank you for naming what that part looks like. I'm assuming it was a torsion spring that was fastened with some type of rivet. The combination of a replacement torsion spring secured with nut and bolt sounds like a great combo.

I'm going to measure springs that are working to compare to the listings on that site. The only thing I may need to figure out is what Deflection Angle (90, 180, 270, 360) to select.

 

Since most umbrellas don't have springs at the joints I'll say it's really not needed. Most umbrellas use a winch or pin in the center to hold it open. The springs just help make it easier to open. Since you are only missing one you'll probably not notice that it's gone.

 

Just an additional suggestion when you nut & bolt it - use a self-locking nut so you can leave some freedom of movement but still keep the nut in place.

 

And slide a flat washer or two on the bolt between the two tubes. This will allow them to pivot without rubbing against each other.