if your rv's awning looks like this and you're wondering how much it's going to cost to replace it before it completely falls apart we've said it before but it bears repeating swapping out awning and slide topper fabric yourself costs far less than paying a professional it's a surprisingly manageable job and when you use the right fabric the results are far superior to original equipment since every model of awning and slide topper is a little different we're going to show you yet another one today we're back in Vancouver Washington with Ray and Tyler of tough top awnings to replace an A&E two-step patio awning tough top awnings has a well-earned reputation for quality made in America workmanship and great customer service and Tyler and Ray are terrific people who are proud to call friends and were honoured that they offer a 5 percent discount to our viewers - so you just saw the entire process of replacing the awning where you're taking notes if that was just a bit too fast for you let's slow things down so you can really see how easy it is first we'll need a few tools a cordless drill and bits a large wire cutter Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers a large cotter pin a utility knife some zip ties a metal file a small box or crescent wrench a locking oil filter wrench a pop rivet gun and rivets a tape measure and some silicone sealant of course we'll also need two tall ladders and a helper or to start with the awning in a fully retracted position we'll be inserting the cotter pin into the right-side end cap to lock the roller tube spring pull the awning out about a foot and insert the pin into the hole in the cap roll the tube in and out a little bit to line up the holes allowing the pin to go all the way in insert a Phillips head screwdriver into the channel in the left end cap and push the awning arm closed then push the front awning arm in as well slide a zip behind one of the awning arms up near the top of the RV and secure the arm in place if your zip ties aren't long enough just connect two of them together now do the same thing on the other awning arm remove the set screws that hold the fabric in place on the side of the roof you'll usually have two of those screws to remove one at each end determine the clearest path for sliding the fabric out toward the front or the rear of the RV and remove any rain gutters that are in the way using a wrench as needed remove the bolts that secure the end of the roller tube into the top of the awning arms before we remove the bolts on the left side we're going to zip tie our screwdriver to make sure it stays in place now we'll remove the two screws at the top of the left awning arm these obviously aren't the original bolts so we don't need a wrench on this side with one person on each ladder simultaneously lift both ends of the roller tube out of the awning arms slowly and carefully unroll the fabric as you descend the ladders together take it nice and slow holding the roller tube away from the RV to avoid scratching it unroll it all the way until the tube is hanging at the bottom now it's time to release the spring clamp your locking filter wrench onto the fitting at the right end of the roller tube holding the wrench firmly apply enough pressure to allow the cotter pin to slide out and remove it now slowly unwind the spring being sure to count and record the exact number of rotations as you go also note the direction of rotation the top of the fitting rotates toward the RV to unwind we mark the track on top of the roller tube with the letter A for awning and mark the letter V on the track where the valance goes this makes sure we'll insert the new fabric correctly into the tube will also mark two dots here to be sure we line the cap up correctly when reinstalling now use the screw gun to drill out the rivets on the right end cap once the rivets are removed simply slide the spring assembly out the right side of the tube with a helper holding the fabric at the front of the awning slide the roller tube out the other side just keep on sliding the tube until it comes out the end of the fabric now let's slide the old awning off the RV the process is pretty much the same whether you have a protective metal wrap or not except of course it's less rigid without the wrap now we can really see the difference between the old fabric and the new if you have the space lining everything up side by side is a good way to make sure you keep the fabric metal wrap and roller tube oriented correctly with each other and the RV if you have a metal wrap like this one use a utility knife to cut away the first foot or two of fabric from the end the manufacturer secures the fabric and place by crimping the track use a large flat blade screwdriver to carefully UNCHR impe the metal it will take a little prying but you just need to bend it enough to allow the fabric to slide freely again now repeat the same thing at the other end cutting the first foot or two of fabric then UNCHR imping the track with a helper holding one end of the wrap pull the old awning out the other side on the side you'll be sliding the new fabric in to file any sharp edges off both corners of both tracks then spread them slightly with a flat blade screwdriver lubricate the entire length of both tracks with silicon spray insert the beading into the tracks and slide the metal wrap all the way on measure both ends to get the fabric centered on the wrap adjusting as needed now use your wire cutter to wreak rim both tracks at both ends of the metal wrap on the side you'll be installing the awning from spread the track on the RV slightly with your flat blade screwdriver and file any sharp edges for extra protection you can also cover the corners with some masking tape then lubricate the track with silicone spray now you can bring the new awning over to the RV insert the bead into the track and carefully slide it in keep going until it's approximately centered between the awning arms spray the tracks on the roller tube that you marked a and V with silicone before sliding the tube onto the fabric trim the ends of the beads down to about 3/4 of an inch long line up the bead on the awning with the a track and the bead at the valance with the V track then begin sliding the tube onto the fabric holding the fabric at the end continue feeding the tube onto the beads until it comes out the other side we're about to reinstall the spring and end cap but before you do slide the old awning strap out the end and slide a nice new strap into the same track now you can insert the spring assembly into the end of the tube making sure to line up the two dots and use your pop rivet gun to install new rivets where you drilled out the old ones slide the tube left or right as needed to get it perfectly centered clamp your wrench back onto the fitting on the right side of the tube and rewind the spring since we unwound it by rotating the top toward the RV we now rotate the other way and of course be sure to count the same number of rotations reinsert the cotter pin into the hole and remove the wrench along with a helper role the new awning up as smoothly as you can don't worry about it being perfect as any wrinkles will come out when you Center the fabric climb the ladders together rolling the tuba as you go when you get to the top simultaneously insert both fittings into the tops of the awning arms now reinstall the bolts or screws in both ends securing the roller tube to the tops of the awning arms now we'll cut the zip tie on our screwdriver and remove it we can also cut the zip ties on both front and rear awning arms and discard them and remove the cotter pin from the right end cap now we'll extend the awning and then roll it back up again this will allow us to see if the fabric is lined up correctly on the side of the RV if the awning arms don't line up perfectly give a tug forward or backward until they do reinstall both set screws that hold the fabric in place on the side of the RV and enjoy your beautiful new awning if you have a different type of awning or slide toppers that need replacing be sure to check out our entire series of videos covering a wide range of models and don't forget to use the discount code RV geeks Rock to save on your entire order at tuff top awnings com then the sections are welded together after welding powder coating comes next we're ready for final assembly so Roadmaster has asked the arms release with a single finger every and safety cables being housed inside the channel guides do make things a lot nicer and cleaner we also like the spring-loaded locking mechanism that holds the towbar in the stowed position