Help! Got a big problem with my slide toppers!

[mdpuff]

Well made a big Boo - Boo today, had our son and his wife come to visit and we wanted to show them our "New to Us" Camelot.
DW says put the slides out and show them how much room we have, bad idea.
It has snowed here and is cold with some temp fluctuations so the slide toppers were all frozen up.
When I went to put out the slides there was some snapping and popping then the front ones wouldn't come back in all the way.
Needless to say some damage was done, on the curb side slide it tore the rear of the fabric about 2 feet at the rear and popped the roller out of it's holder in the middle.
After some time on the ladder with a heat gun and air blower I got all the ice and snow out then was able to get the roller back into place and slide closed.
Now I need to take the topper off and have the bead end re-done and sewn where it attaches to the coach.
On the road side it pulled the roller right out so it broke out of the mounting housing at both ends.
Now I need new (or used) end caps for the road side slide topper.
I did manage to get all the snow and ice out of the way and the roller back into place but need the end caps.
Now I need to find out how to take them all apart to fix them, can't find any video's online.
Can anybody "Please Help Me"

[l1v3fr33ord1]

mdpuff-

I had to learn the same lesson, albeit without the permanent damage.

If your slide covers are made by Carefree of Colorado, the end caps should have the "Carefree" insignia on them. Look inside the end of the housings (usually the front end) for a label with the serial number. Then plug those serial numbers into Carefree's tool (Here's the link). This will tell you the model for each slide topper. From there you can download the manuals, part lists, and the like.

For help from a human, you can call Ingrid Throgmartin at Stone Vos. They make replacement slide covers, awnings, etc., and I think they may provide parts and service. Stone Vos made our replacement slide toppers, and did a great job. A link to their Web site is here.

I have installed, reinstalled and serviced our coach's slide toppers and awning. Removing them from the coach usually requires two people on sturdy ladders, although I've been able to remove and replace the smaller cover by myself.

[pduggs]

If your end caps are ruined, it’s likely the spring inside the tube has lost it’s tension. You’ll need to check to make sure the spring isn’t damaged. You can spin it to get the tension back, when you reinstall the topper.

If your slide topper material is still good, I’d flip it so that the material previously exposed to sun is now rolled up inside. Have all the thread replaced all the way around the slide topper material. The stock thread fails over time. I did this to my coach successfully.

Search YouTube for videos. You should find helpful videos to get the job done.

[Ivylog]

Search EBay
Carefree (R001520BLK) End Cap -:- Black
Carefree (R001521BLK)

These may be the same:
R001556blk End Cap Rh
R001556blk End Cap Rh Blk

[mdpuff]

Thank you all so much for your help. Unfortunately I will have to wait till spring to repair my slide toppers. I really like the tip to turn the material over to a "Fresher" side so they last longer. After all this is done I'm sure I will be an expert on these slide toppers! lol.

[mdpuff]

Thank you Ivylog so much for the part numbers. I was able to go to Amazon and order the end caps and they will be here by the end of the month and we are supposed to get some warmer weather then so I might be able to get the one topper fixed yet this fall!! (when I checked on E-bay for the end caps it said in the listing that the seller might not ship to Canada)
Now I just need to find a youtube video on how to change the end caps and tension up the springs.

[Ivylog]

The smaller slides have enough unused fabric that can be cut off so all new.

[mdpuff]

Just an update.
I've found the youtube video's for changing the slide toppers and end caps as well as re-tensioning the spring so I think I'm good to go when the parts get here.
Thank you all so much for your help, couldn't have done this without you fine folks information.
This site has always been a wealth of information for us RVer's.

[pduggs]

If you do it yourself as I did, you will need two of these to hold the tension in the spring.


https://shop.harborfreight.com/media.../3/63696_I.jpg

[mdpuff]

Thanks pduggs, I've already got these pliers in the plan. Just need to pick them up.
But I have another question if any of you fine knowledgeable folks out there happen to know the thread size that is used on the slide toppers? Mine are a canvas material if that makes a difference. Our son does leather work and has a sewing machine that could easily sew the slide toppers. Just need to get the thread and needles for him and he would be able to do it for us rather than paying through the nose at an upholstery shop.

Thank you all in advance!
Mdpuff.

[mdpuff]

Good day all you wonderful Monaco owners!! Thanks so much for all your help with my slide toppers.
It finally warmed up enough today to get out there and work on my slide topper that had the broken end caps. It is a Carefree of Colorado SOK 111 slide topper.
I got the new end caps the other day and searched relentlessly for info on replacing them and tensioning the spring.
How "I" did it. I replaced the left hand end cap first, the one with the bolt through it to the roller bushing, easy peasy. Then the issue was to tension the spring, from what I researched online they tell you to take the roller tube right off the coach and do it on the ground.
I wasn't about to do that! I was able to clamp a pair of vice grips onto the end where the spring mounts and wind it up 18 turns. My slide is 16' 4" long and by the instructions they tell you to wind it up one turn per foot, I wanted my topper to be a bit tighter so I gave it an extra 1.5 turns. Put a small screw driver into the locking hole to lock the spring then proceeded to install the end cap.
Piece of cake! Put the anti-billowing cover on and done! Works perfect with just the right amount of tension.
Now I just need to take the fabric off of the other topper to get it repaired. then I'm golden!!

Thank you all for your help, it's greatly appreciated!!
Mdpuff

[mdpuff]

Hello all. Well today I got around to removing the torn slide topper on my front curb side slide. Came off allot easier than I expected. Washed up the top of the slide now I'm going to treat all the slide seals with 303 Aeospace. Get the topper repaired then get it put back on. Doubt that will be this year, probably have to wait till spring to put it back on but it will be all ready to go.
At some point I want to remove all my slide toppers, go over all the stitching then re-install them flipped over and turned around.
Plan on treating them with 303 Fabric protectant as well. That stuff is amazing! I used it on the convertible top of our Mitsubishi Spyder Gt and water just beaded up and ran off.

That's all for now, safe travels everyone!

[mdpuff]

Ok folks, here the latest news on my slide toppers! (I know everyone has been on the edge of their seat wanting to know the latest news!!)

How about that election eh??? lol All kidding aside.

I got my front curbside slide topper off, the one that was torn, took it down to my son to have him sew it up. Fortunately about all it did was tear the beading out of the canvas topper.

Easy peasy right? Well, we sewed the edge back up after switching the bead around from one side to the other since the beading that goes into the roller is smaller than the bead that goes in the track on the side of the coach.
This way I turn the fabric around and over so the oldest crappiest fabric is rolled up on the roller. Good thing right, thought of everything and all is going to be perfect.

Well was I ever wrong!! After re-installing the topper to my chagrin the material is stretched at both ends and the middle is tight as a drum and the ends are flapp'in in the breeze!! Doh!!!

If I could kick myself in the A$$ I sure would, why didn't I just take a simple measurement on both ends then trim off one edge to make the material square. Instead it's shaped like a stink'in hour glass.

Am I ever ticked at myself. Oh well, next spring I was going to take off the other slide toppers and go over all of them with new stitching. I will make sure they are square before sewing them up!!!
I guess re-doing this one won't be a huge deal, it wasn't too hard to Re &Re.
That's all for now, have a great weekend everyone!!