I replaced the fabric in our awning back in 2011 and wrote up a post with pictures. The pictures don't work anymore in that old post due to an issue with Photobucket.
I copied the old post and added the pictures back in case you want to use my method of changing the fabric.
2011 post:
I replaced the fabric on my A&E awning last week. I took pictures while doing the job. IMO, this is not a difficult job at all.
I bought the new fabric from RV Workshop.
The old fabric was the original - about 8 years old - and the vinyl was separating from the fiberglass fabric at the top where most exposed to the weather.
Our Minnie has the top support bracket for the awning hardware below the awning rail, so it wasn't necessary to remove this bracket in order to pull the awning out of the top rail. I did have to remove the two screws that hold the fabric from moving. One screw is visible at the top right of the picture, laying in the rain gutter.
The end cap in the roller bar only had a hole and slot at the groove for the awning strap. Following the instructions that came with the new fabric, I drilled a hole in the end cap, then used a hacksaw and file to cut a groove in the cap to allow the old fabric to be pulled out. I did the same thing for the valence fabric groove. I used the file to clean up any burrs and sharp edges that might damage the new fabric. When drilling, I started with a small drill and worked up in steps to the final hole size of 3/8".
Both holes and grooves completed. My awning had the valence connected around the roller bar to the main awning. No way would this have passed over the end cap.
The simple solution to this issue was to use a utility knife to cut the valence free from the main awning. After a tug to break it loose, the valence slid right out.
In order to make it easier to remove the main awning, I lifted the roller bar and tightened the rafter bar nut at each end to hold up the weight of the roller and thereby remove the tension from the fabric. A quick tug at top and bottom broke the fabric loose in the grooves. With DW at the bottom and me on a stepladder at the top, we pulled the fabric out of both grooves. The roller bar remained hanging from the rafter bars.
On our Minnie, it was easiest to pull the fabric out toward the rear of the MH.
The old fabric was really in bad shape.
The instructions said the install a cotter pin or nail through the end cap and the shaft as a precaution to keep the springs from unwinding if the normal ratchet mechanism should not hold. This turned out to be a mistake, as I couldn't get the nail back out. I wound up having to shear off the nail in order to free up the roller bar so it would wind up with the new fabric.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING! With the high tension on the springs, due care must be exercised when doing this project to avoid injury if the ratchet mechanism is accidentally released.
Sliding the new fabric into the top awning rail and the groove in the roller bar was easy, with DW at the roller and me on the step ladder feeding the fabric into the grooves. We did have to replace the 1/4" rope in the valence and the lower end of the awning with the 3/16" rope supplied with the new fabric, as the larger rope was too large to fit into the grooves in the roller bar.
After centering the fabric and checking that it rolled up straight, I installed the two screws in the awning rail and called the job done. This job did not require removing any hardware or unwinding/winding any springs.
I copied the old post and added the pictures back in case you want to use my method of changing the fabric.
2011 post:
I replaced the fabric on my A&E awning last week. I took pictures while doing the job. IMO, this is not a difficult job at all.
I bought the new fabric from RV Workshop.
The old fabric was the original - about 8 years old - and the vinyl was separating from the fiberglass fabric at the top where most exposed to the weather.
Our Minnie has the top support bracket for the awning hardware below the awning rail, so it wasn't necessary to remove this bracket in order to pull the awning out of the top rail. I did have to remove the two screws that hold the fabric from moving. One screw is visible at the top right of the picture, laying in the rain gutter.
The end cap in the roller bar only had a hole and slot at the groove for the awning strap. Following the instructions that came with the new fabric, I drilled a hole in the end cap, then used a hacksaw and file to cut a groove in the cap to allow the old fabric to be pulled out. I did the same thing for the valence fabric groove. I used the file to clean up any burrs and sharp edges that might damage the new fabric. When drilling, I started with a small drill and worked up in steps to the final hole size of 3/8".
Both holes and grooves completed. My awning had the valence connected around the roller bar to the main awning. No way would this have passed over the end cap.
The simple solution to this issue was to use a utility knife to cut the valence free from the main awning. After a tug to break it loose, the valence slid right out.
In order to make it easier to remove the main awning, I lifted the roller bar and tightened the rafter bar nut at each end to hold up the weight of the roller and thereby remove the tension from the fabric. A quick tug at top and bottom broke the fabric loose in the grooves. With DW at the bottom and me on a stepladder at the top, we pulled the fabric out of both grooves. The roller bar remained hanging from the rafter bars.
On our Minnie, it was easiest to pull the fabric out toward the rear of the MH.
The old fabric was really in bad shape.
The instructions said the install a cotter pin or nail through the end cap and the shaft as a precaution to keep the springs from unwinding if the normal ratchet mechanism should not hold. This turned out to be a mistake, as I couldn't get the nail back out. I wound up having to shear off the nail in order to free up the roller bar so it would wind up with the new fabric.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING! With the high tension on the springs, due care must be exercised when doing this project to avoid injury if the ratchet mechanism is accidentally released.
Sliding the new fabric into the top awning rail and the groove in the roller bar was easy, with DW at the roller and me on the step ladder feeding the fabric into the grooves. We did have to replace the 1/4" rope in the valence and the lower end of the awning with the 3/16" rope supplied with the new fabric, as the larger rope was too large to fit into the grooves in the roller bar.
After centering the fabric and checking that it rolled up straight, I installed the two screws in the awning rail and called the job done. This job did not require removing any hardware or unwinding/winding any springs.
