[encantotom]

hi all,

my 22' classic zip dee awning started to not work well. it ended up that the piece of canvas between the coach and the aluminum slats had sun rotted and was just ripping to the point of the awning could eventually separate from the coach in a stiff wind.

the piece that was rotted is called the "flex key" and is available from zip dee. it was almost a hundred bucks for mine shipped. it is sold by the foot and is two different diameter plastic sold tubes that have a 1" piece of heavy canvas doubled up and sewn around them. it is like a canvas hinge. they slide in the first aluminum slat cover and the mount to the coach in round slots.

it is not hard, but time consuming and takes a number of people and 2 sets of 10' high scaffolding to hold it up at each end.

you pull the awning down, then take the arms off the coach. then the tension side take the outer arm off carefully and hold onto the short arm. it has considerable tension on it and can whack you and the coach pretty hard. it is wound to the number of turns = the length of the awning in feet.

un wind it so there is no tension on it.

then we set the scaffolding at each end of the awning and set it up with the awning fully extended resting on each end of the scaffolding.

then we carefully rolled it up by hand until it was about a foot from the coach and set it on towels on the scaffolding.

then i drilled out the rivets that held the end pieces on that the arms hook into when stored. also the rivets that held the canvas flex key in.

zip dee said to slide the new flex key in as you took the old one out, but mine was too rotten. so i took a box knife and cut the flex key in half all along the coach. then carefully set the aluminum slat side of the awning to hang down.

then i just pulled the two pieces out from one end and it was out.

next my wife darlene sewed two strips of heavy upholstery vinyl onto one end of the flex key so we could use it to pull it.

then she fed it in one end, my son supported it and we leap frogged pulling the new flex key in. took about 30 minutes.

then i trimmed the ends, riveted the end pieces on to hold the flex key in (the pieces that act as the slotted holder for the arms as they store.

next i cleaned the arms and polished and lubed them so they would operate smoother, then hand rolled the awning back out, then moved the scaffolding out and set the awning on ladders, then re-tensioned it, re-installed the arms and off to the races.

i have to tell you it took me many hours and it is much easier to describe now that i have done it.

pictures to follow,

tom