Can the springs on slide toppers be re-tensioned?

I completely rebuilt mine,....bushings completely wore out just from going down the road. I did it myself, no problem once I understood the procedure. Springs are wound to X number of revolutions.
But that's not saying a helper wouldn't be easier, and faster.

mine broke. a tech replaced it. but it took two of us to torque up the spring which requires a set number of turns. i would not tackle the job alone. in fact, i couldn't even if i wanted to.

Additional tension can always be added to the spring or springs. But here is what I normally run across.

Customer complains that the topper fabric is loose. I take a look and the fabric is tight in the middle but loose on the ends and flaps in the wind. The end fabric has been stretched. If the fabric is tight in the middle, adding tension will not help the ends. It just makes the slide motor work harder to get the slide out.

As a test, get up on your ladder and grab the fabric roller. Try and turn the fabric tube to simulate a tighter spring. If this solves your fabric sagging problem, the add more spring tension.

In many cases when a "Technician" says "It can't be done" what he really means is "I do not know how to do it"

True story.. I ask if a specific machining operation cold be performed on parts of a car.. The mechanic said "Impossible"... Later I'm talking to a machinist. He pointed to a machine and told me how much it cost and said "If it can not be done then I wasted that much on that machine, it does it".

I told him I never had any doubt it could be done.. And gave him my business.

Same thing here.. I know how to retention those springs.. If I know it and your technician does not.. TIME TO FIND A NEW TECHNICIAN!!!!!

ALL slide cover springs can be tightened. I believe what the Tech MEANT was this--- If the slide cover fabric is sagging or is NOT taut, then adding tension rarely fixes that problem. A quick test to see if tension will help is simply taking your hand and manually rolling the awning tube tighter. IF that pulls the fabric taut, then add tension. But, once a fabric sags, it needs replaced, because it has stretched. Remember, adding TOO MUCH tension can affect the operation of the slide motor mechanism. If too tight, the room may not extend correctly. Doug

What brand and if you know model tell us that as well. THEN we can likely give sage advice.

See if you can get a brand and model from your toppers and go into the manufacturers WEB site. There should be info there on maintenance and installation that will give you specifics on handling the spring tension and how many turns to use when setting it up. The springs in these units are quite strong, and if you loose a grip on the mechanism, a runaway can cause serious injury. That said, you can deal with the springs in an awning or topper if you're using a good pair of Vice Grips and a little care. Just go slow, be careful and understand the the instructions fully before going at it.

Moved from Forum Technical Support

Yes it can be wound tighter. You have to remove the end mechanism's to wind it (I had to replace one and did it myself). I recommend you find a qualified tech to do it.

My slide awning has a metal cover that fills the gap between the wall and the actual fabric. The awning is 44 inches long and will extend out to that length. I use only 24 inches of that. So, I would say yes.. it can be tightened up. Follow the instructions carefully and be very careful when you are setting the tension.