Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 11, 2025 ...

Re: Recommendations on where to replace awning fabric (and cost?)

Reply #25 – November 28, 2021, 10:00:42 pm

If anyone is replacing the flex joint.  ZeeDee's video shows to take the awning cover off the coach with the use of the two tools they send with the flex joint.  But, not sure why that is the best way?  I followed the removal and worked on the work table, for one side.
But this last year I did the other side's 3 window awnings, plus the huge awning, without removing them off the coach.  My thoughts were, to stitch the new flex joint to the old, and use the old to pull the new flex into the channels.  It worked really well, and allowed me to do the 3 window joints myself.  I had a helper for the main awning pulling the tape in.

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Re: Recommendations on where to replace awning fabric (and cost?)

Reply #26 – December 05, 2021, 10:17:46 pm

All awnings now have the new fabric installed, so I am doing the update on completion.

I already posted about the Girard patio awning, so this update is on the window awnings and slideout awnings.  As posted earlier in the thread, all awning fabric was ordered in advance directly from ZipDee, and Xtreme in Nacogdoches did the install.

There were some issues with ZipDees work on providing the awnings.

I had provided the exact measurements ZipDee had asked for, that were the demensions of the existing awnings.  They also wanted to know the depth of the two slideouts.

When the awnings arrived in Oregon, I pulled each awning fabric out of the box, and verifed the measurements to the existing.  The new ZipDee bedroom slideout awning fabric was 5" longer, from coach to maximum extension.

I called ZipDee and informed them.  They looked it up and told me they did that intentionally based on slideout depth, and that it would ensure the "slope" was correct when installed (saying original was too short and slope was wrong).  They offered I could ship it back to them and they would cut and resew it to my measurements.  I was short on remaining time in Oregon so did not do so.

So when installing at Xtreme, the bedroom slideout fabric  was indeed too long, my measurements were correct, and their "fix" of the slope was wrong.  Another issue was the driver front awning strap they provided was a couple of inches shorter than required.  Luckily I had a extra awning strap of the correct color on board, longer than needed.

Solution: Infinity in Nac cut and resewed the bedroom slideount awning, and cut and fixed the extra strap I had to fit the drivers front awning.  My out of pocket cost  fixing ZipDees errors was $135 at Infinity.

Next issue was with ZipDee awning  fabric:  The new fabric is thicker than the originial (Infinity called it Sunbrella Pro in the thicker version). 

While thicker more robust fabric seems better, it caused thicker wrap when rolled up, which meant the awning latches now would not work (could not be latched due to thicker roll when closed).

Xtreme had to relocate the travel latches on the window awnings, and make spacers to go under the slidout awning latches.  All awnings can now be latched.

Most of the awnings look fine with the thicker material when stowed, and all look fine when extended.  However, the living room slideout awning is no longer fully enclosed by the metal slats when stowed.  The top and side is enclosed, the bottom of the rolled up fabric is exposed.

I may take a pic of that and post it in a  couple of days (dark outside, travel day tomorrow).

Xtreme says every ZipDee sewn set of fabrics they have installed over the past year plus have been issues and a hassle.  They are "likely" going to stop installing ZipDee sewn fabrics.  Instead, they intend to pull awnings off, have infinity make the new fabric, then install that.

Xtreme resolved all the issues, but needed more man hours to overcome the ZipDee issues.  I am happy with the work Xtreme did, on both awnings, and some fiberglass and paintwork. 

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