spirit3kd
Arizona
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I have a 20' Faulkner awning, hardware in good condition, but the fabric is many years old. Sun rotted at top and tearing on both edges.
I want to order new vinyl fabric, any suggestions on how you get the old one off and the new one on??
How many people do I need to do this? I am hoping that there is a simple solution other than taking the hardware off, or taking it to a dealer. I live fulltime in this and do not move it frequently.
Thanks, Kaye
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ccxnola
Wherever the rig is - I'm there too!!
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Joined: 07/02/2003
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Kaye,
It can be done without too much dificulty IF (really big IF) you know what to do and do the right things in the right order. Otherwise, it is really easy to break a finger or two or even your wrist as you remove the old fabric since this usually involves removing the end cap of the roller tube that has a spring under a lot of tension. I bought a new fabric for mine off of the Internet and it arrived with installation instructions. That said, just remember it is NEVER as easy to do as it appears in the instructions!! And it will take two people working together to get the job done! If I ever need to do it again (I hope not), I'll take my rig to a repair place or have them come to the rig. It was about a two hour job that took me (the original dummy) all day!!
To answer your first question, you pull the old awning out of the holder - on the rig and on the roller tube (removing the end cap is the danger and then you need to re-tension the spring
to the correct winding) and then slide the new one in - EASY!!! HA-HA!!! On each, it is like a 'C' slot with a flexible rod (usually plastic) on each side in a 'hem' that is formed in the awning fabric.
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1997 Rexhall Rolls Air - mid-entry DP w/cummins c8.3
Look for the Mardi Gras 'Gators
Laissez le bon temps roulez - Let the good times roll !!
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Pusher
Albuquerque, NM
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Joined: 12/17/2004
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I have a 20 ft Carefree of Colorado that had the same problem. I ordered and had installed an aluminum covered one. I also had the center flip up travel support added and the whole thing came to about $700 give or take a few. I could have done it with just the fabric but the aluminum is just to much to take a chance with. The fabric just doesn't last as long in the hot NM sun. It is not easy but not all that hard either. Two guys did this and they knew what they were doing to start and had all the tools laid out and there aren't many. Good luck
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RVSnowbird
OR-NV-AZ-OR
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Joined: 10/21/2003
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I did it once Kaye and in the local telephone book under "Tent and Awning", I found someone that duplicated it to the last stitch, even with my choice of fabric for half the price of catalog versions!
Replacing it on the awning is another matter as you most certainly will be undoing do the spring recoil which will have to be rewound after the new fabric is installed. This is very tricky but the instructions should be in your awning owners instructions if you have them. If not, they should be on line under their name. Add to that, the many members here like myself that have done it a time or two..... ok?
have you checked out the new RV.net Blogs yet?
Deceased 2/28/08 RIP
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tommy wilson
southern ca, usa
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my wife and i replaced the awning over our slideout and the trick used to avoid broken fingers is to use a nail thru each end of the awning. that will hold the spring tension. on the a&e 9000 there are holes in the metal end cap for the nail to go thru to prevent the springs from unwinding.
tommy wilson
1996 kountrystar dp
spartan mountainmaster chassis
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CamperTech
Seacoast, NH
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Joined: 01/05/2005
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Carefree of Colorado makes replacement fabrics for the older Faulkners.
If you call them, be sure to have the bead diameter available for them. (the round plastic tube that slides thru the loop in the fabric.) Faulkner used 2 or 3 different sizes at the roller end.
If you find a catalog, you'll see they have specialty fabrics too....like a checkered awning for race fans, an American flag, and others. Really cool, but a little more expensive than the standard striped one.
I would also recommend you let someone else do it....those springs are strong enough to break your wrist or fingers (as someone else mentioned). It requires proper procedure and proper tools. A dealer should charge for approx. 2 hours labor.
Happy Campin'
W
Happy Campin'
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spirit3kd
Arizona
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OK... now I am getting a little nervous!! This is an older Faulkner bought back around 1986. If I remove the end cap, mine is rivets, and I don't know anything about drilling out and redoing them. (I have no bolts/screws on the end caps.)
I have had thoughts of rolling out, laying each end of roller bar on saw horses, remove the top arm brackets, so that I can get to the top track to slide the old out. Drilling a hole in the roller bar in one end just deep enough to make a space big enough to slide the old out and get the new in, and then plugging this hole with a large screw so the fabric doesn't slide back and forth. Would that be a possibility, or would I be screwing up the tension bar? I did find a picture of what it looks like inside on a web site.
I found out Faulkner is out of business and very limited parts are available, so if I screw up this end cap and spring, I will need a whole new unit.....
Please give me your thoughts on my plan....thanks Kaye
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NetBoy
Portland, OR
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Joined: 11/30/2003
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Quote:OK... now I am getting a little nervous!! This is an older Faulkner bought back around 1986. If I remove the end cap, mine is rivets, and I don't know anything about drilling out and redoing them. (I have no bolts/screws on the end caps.) ... I found out Faulkner is out of business and very limited parts are available, so if I screw up this end cap and spring, I will need a whole new unit.... Please give me your thoughts on my plan.... I'm wondering if you have been reading the replies -- the general opinion is that if you don't know exactly what you are doing, you are best off not attempting the replacement yourself as these things are under a lot of spring tension. Paying an experienced tech for a couple of hours labor to do this job seems prudent to me.
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evergladesgator
South Florida
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IF y'all are "A" little mechanically minded, it should be no problem. I replaced my awning on my old 1975 Champion that i drive out to my hunt camp in August and drive back in in early January. Sits the rest of the year. Got my replacement from camping World. Came with COMPLETE instructions. My son in law and i changed the awning with no major problems. Took a couple hours. NO broken bones. No fractures, strains or sprains. Read the instructions a few times to be sure y'all understand em. Then go get em. We had to drill out a few pop rivets and replace them on the end caps. Course, if y'all have the loot, by all means take it to a dealer.
gator
2000 F250 Super Duty 7.3 PSD.
2007 Gulfstream 29rlfw Canyon Trail
Rancho 9000s, Prodigy, TomTom Go 300, Toshiba laptop, Roto Chocks, 16" XPS.
Me, wife & two spoiled chihuahuas. PeePee aka Penelope(6/97-7/08) & Hannah & new kid Chiquita aka ChiChi.
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carl66vw
Orlando, Florida, USA
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I have no idear what awning you have. Mine is a Carefree. When I ordered the fabric for mine,..It came with instructions. If you can read, you can replace the thing. You will need at least three other people to do it.. Carl
Have worked on cars most of my life but with these new ones I seem to be getting dumber and dumber. The more I learn, the more I need to learn. I was taught old-school tactics and have many stories to tell. I also have what I think are good ideas.
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