The slide out topper on De Dutchess was looking pretty sad so yesterday I replaced the fabric . I did most of the work myself working from a set of metal steps that my Son has and a sturdy step ladder.
Since ours is a1998 Model the hardware portion was still functioning fine and attempting to unscrew the corroded parts was out of the question I tackled the operation by the simplest method .
I ran the slide out to its stop then removed the single anti billowing attachment carefully removing the two short screws after a spray of WD 40 and a light tap from the handle of my trusty hammer.
At that point I realized that there were a couple of wraps of the material on the outer roller so I merely back wound the roller and secured it in place using an awl that slid into place through a pair of the handy holes cast into the awning ends. I did stick another awl the same way at the other end for good measure.
Then it was a fairly simple job to pull the old material out of the channels .
I had sprayed the top rail and roller channels with some 3 in one slide out seal lubricant so that wasnโt much of a chore.
I then laid the new material down on the clean pavement of the driveway ,laid the old one alongside ,measured twice and using a piece of plastic deck board left over from another project as a cutting board sliced off the extra 34 inches of new material.
At that point I commandeered my oldest Grandson who is a tall young fellow to help slide the new fabric into and along the old channel as I fed it from the front he worked his way to the back.
Then it was a simple matter to reattach the anti billow piece and cut off the excess plastic cord secure the ends at the channels with some new stainless screws and remove the two retaining awls.
Unlike the main awning this slide topper roller does not have a lot of recoil spring strength so itโs not hard to turn it by hand or securely holding it in place.
A couple of test runs in and out and the job was done.
Not too bad for an Old Fellow!
I bought the replacement vinyl fabric on line . It came as a single piece 200 inches by 47 inches with the cords sewn into place . Cost about $80
