One step awning-

[Max Hubrich]

Does anyone have any idea how to move the awning in the groove, fore or aft, on the front edge (the roll up tube) if it's stuck there?

A friend has an'04 DS and we found that we can more the awning on his by pulling and yanking on both ends, together, and move it up to an inch or so, laterally. We are doing this so it retracts into it's framework properly. We got it just right, and now his retracts perfectly. We then put a short 1/4" #10 SS screw and washer into the fabric/tube to hold it in it's exact proper position.

My awning needs a little tweeking also (maybe a 1/4" of an inch), but we cant move it-. Now we have to work collectively (me beating and pushing, and the girl working the switch), Cindy and I, to get it correctly retracted for travel.

[bdaball]

Max,
When I replaced the slide topper on my living room slide we lubed the groove with Dawn dish soap after trying it dry. There was a huge difference. Might that work for you?
Is it possible the springs on each end of the tube are not in harmony tension wise? Causing a misalignment(??)
Too bad you are not still down east. It's down right sharp out there tonight!

[Max Hubrich]

Thanks Bill,

Boy, am I glad I'm not "Down East" tonight, it's cold enough in Southern Mississippi- (Bill is talking about coastal Maine). Heck, Florida is freezing.

Don't know about the soap, if it dries there, it might make it worse.

I didn't believe that a 1/4" movement of the awning, laterally, could make the difference to have an awning retract properly- but it does.

["007"]

What if you tried some dry talc in awning rail would wash off when you shine up your coach.
The weather sure is cold in these parts, northerners should be use to it in FL.

[JVR]

Why not a silicone spray?

[Max Hubrich]

JVR,

I might try that--. It should dry clear.

I just need to get about 3 guys together and tug and pull to break it loose.

A nice day project coming up-

[bdaball]

Max,
Don't worry about the soap build up, it will be washing away with each rain.
I would be very careful with any chemicals such as silicone. A petroleum based product could have a negative effect on the fabrics life as well as the vinyl spline.
My friend who helped me with mine is a chemical engineer. He recommended the DAWN dish soap. (non-anti bacterial-the blue bottle)

["007"]

Max
I guess bdaball has it right and you have hands ready for washing when done.

[Max Hubrich]

Okay, update time-

I got "Joe" up on the picnic table, me on the end we were pulling to.

We moved it about 3/4" . Then I fiddled with it for several days. I got it locking in perfectly on retraction on the upper ends- . Then I "NAILED" (screws, really) it in place on both ends.

Here are some pictures of how it now looks-




When I started, the aft end shown here, was up against the roller end cap!

I drilled a 1/8" hole in each end of the awning, and the roller tube. I don't think the canvas will move on me anymore.


Front end


The screws and washers



If you yank and pull on the awning, as we did, make sure you have someone pushing against the awning structure as it's a real flexible and springy setup.

We'll see how it holds up over the next year and I'll update this then.

The darn thing had never gone up, and locked in place as it does now. It was always off to the same end so I thought if it constantly repeats to the same position, I ought to be able to fix that. Looks like I did.

I saw how dirty the awning was so I washed it today. Thats what a 6 month season in the Maine woods does to a rig. It was a job I had scheduled for our brief stay at the homeplace in NC. But instead I promptly broke my collar bone, because my lawn guy went AWOL on me. Tony Roma (Dallas Cowboys) and me ended up in the same boat at the same time- . I'm just now getting back to normal (8 weeks). The weather was perfect, cloudy and damp in Gulfport MS today- shorts and 76 degrees .