Forum Discussion

Groover's avatar
Groover
Explorer II
Jan 13, 2020

Slide cover starting to tear

I noticed that my slide cover is starting to tear on the front end. I am wondering if I should just go ahead and replace it since it is 7 years old or can I slide it out, turn it so that the tear is either to the back or the slide side, and then put it back in. I have never had it off so I want ask if it is hard to do, other than being 11' off the ground. And, it is 18' long. I keep the coach under roof when at home so the fabric seems to be in pretty good shape but I hit some awful winds on my last trip that may have done the damage.

5 Replies

  • Johno02 wrote:
    Get some awning tape and you can stall replacement for another year or so. But replacement is in the future.


    It sounds like the consensus is that I should replace it. I am wondering if I should get some awning tape anyway and put some extra re-enforcement on this stress point to put off future problems.
  • By the time you go thru the trouble of removing it to flip it around...just get new material. It's not too expensive.

    Fairly simple, there are ytube videos showing you how. Just make sure to understand how to lock the spring mechanism as you don't want it to release uncontrolled.
  • depending upon your slide manufacturer, many times the spline inside the material is a different size next to the coach than it is on the roller.
  • Get some awning tape and you can stall replacement for another year or so. But replacement is in the future.
  • I changed the slide cover on my coach but it was only 10 feet long. Basically mine was under tension when the slide was extended so I had to lock the front piece with the springs so that it would not uncoil when I removed the fabric. I then took the old piece to a local marine canvas shop and they made a replacement in two days, after I had given them all of the info and picked a fabric for them to get. As far as changing it, the cover just slides out of the back and the front and the new one goes in the same way. Not that difficult but it does involve a lot of ladder climbing unless you have others to help you with one person pulling on the new fabric and the other feeding it in to the end so that it does not get hung up. Personally at that age, I would replace it rather than trying to flip it or patch it.