Re-attaching Girard Awning Fabric to lead rail.

[Rick Daniels]

The "rope" that secures the awning fabric to the lead rail on a Girard G2000 awning has failed and I need to replace the rope which is threaded into the outer end of the fabric and fed through the channel on the lead rail.  I do not have to deal with the attachment to the roller tube.  My thought is to fully extend the awning so that there is no tension on either the arms or the fabric.  Then disconnect the arms from the lead rail, then remove the fabric from the lead rail (with the help of a few helpers) and then replace the poly rope and again with lots of help re-attach the fabric to the lead rail then re-attach the arms to the lead rail.  Does anyone have experience dealing only with re-attaching the fabric to the led rail without disconnecting from the roller tube.  I hope I have explained the process.  l contacted Lippert which offered little support and only stated that they thought the fabric had to be totally removed and re-attached on both the roller tube and the lead rail with arms still in place.  Does not seem necessary to me.

[Eric Maclean]

Rick
My wife and l replaced my awning fabric this past winter in Florida but because we where doing the complete fabric replace we removed it from both the head rail and the roller tube at the same time and pulled the new one in the same way.
I can't speak to just removing the head rail , in theory it should work but there are several things you will want to make sure you do
1) make sure you have all the tension released on the arms .
2) mark the existing arm locations before you remove then as it is very important they are in the right position when done.
3) now is the time to thoroughly clean the head rail and awning track.
4 ) use 303 fabric protector as lube for the track to aid installation
5) be very careful not to snag and rip the fabric on the Sharpe edges of the awning rail while pulling it back into the track
6) after reinstalling the fabric run the awning in and out several times to make sure it tracks properly before reinstalling the screws in the head rail

Having replaced my awning fabric I can tell you this the fabric and rope don't pull out as easily as you would like I think because of collected dirt and grime in the track and the new fabric is always thicker because it hasn't been stretched or formed to the track.
And when you pull the fabric into the rail it helps to put a slight chanfer on the Sharpe edges and duct tape at the end of the rail to avoid ripping the fabric as you pull it back on .
Also clean the track and using 303 to lube it will help slide the fabric back in .
It will be a 3 or 4 person job as you will have to keep the fabric from pulling off square.
It should be easier to pull an old fabric in than a new one as it will be formed to the rail already

I hope this helps
And good luck
Eric

[Bill Lampkin]

You might want to contact Stone Vos for replacement fabric and/ or advice. Excellent customer service. They helped me when I replaced our slide toppers. 

https://stonevos.com/

[David T. Richelderfer]

Look online for a video that matches the model of your awning.  I found this video that offers many "tips" to make the job easier.  I am sure this video in the link is a newer model of awning but you will get the idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNmJdtBPJ7k

[Eric Maclean]

Bill is right it was Ingrid at Stone Vox that I bought my new awning fabric for my Girard .
I was very pleased with the service I got from Ingrid and the quality of material and workmanship are second to none.

PS :.  Rick if you haven't gotten the new poly rod ( rope) for the awning rail yet Ingrid can supply that too by the foot
          Be aware there are two common sizes so you should measure the diameter and length to get what you need.
Eric

[Rick Daniels]

Thanks all for the "tips".  Videos were helpful.  I ordered the rope using the part number in the manual from Lippert. Didn't know there were two sizes.  Hope they send the right one.  Eric, where do I get that 303 lubricant?  When I purchased this coach seven years ago a new fabric was being installed by the dealer.  Not knowing anything about awnings, I assumed they knew what they were doing but there is evidence they did not.  The end plate and motor mounts were all buggered up.  Got that fixed with the help from a friend.  I am not really impressed with the folks at Lippert.  Several of the parts listed in the manual are no longer in stock.  I guess my 1999 model is different than the newer models.

[Bill Lampkin]

Its usually the stitching around the poly rod that fails, and the awning fabric then pulls away from the lead rail. The stitching fails due to uv exposure. That's exactly what happened to my slide toppers. You may find that replacing the poly rod is followed by the stitching then failing. See Stone Vos website for discussion of poly rod stitching failure.

[Eric Maclean]

Rick
303 aero space marine protectant is a spray on water proofing used to protect fabric and help prevent stains it is recommended by Stone Voss and Girard for use on their acrylic awning fabrics . These fabrics are usually made from Sunbrella which is a brand name but there are others .
Stone Voss recommends using the 303 after cleaning the awning to help protect it from dirt and to replenish the water proofing which cleaning and the sun leaches out of the fabric.

You can pick up 303 marine protectant at most RV stores or on line at Amazon it's not cheap but it works well

https://youtu.be/G0jZ6Ndhk6I

https://www.amazon.ca/303-30606-Fabric-Trigger-Sprayer/dp/B00KMYYQ36
You'll notice the Amazon link is Canadian but you should be able to get it at Amazon .com as well.

Hope this helps
Eric