Awning deteriorated 18 inches at roof line. Repair?

[summerlin51]

Hello, asking the old hands that are a bit frugal about the idea of removing approximately 18 inches of awning fabric at the roof-line and then resplining.  The heat and high UV Nevada desert sun has left many holes and a long tear at the last foot or so at the edge where it attaches to the spline (?) Is this a viable option?  The rest of the awning is in great shape, just that last 1.5 foot.  I know I will have to detach the awning counting the turns on the spring etc.  My thought was it would be much easier than trying to seam a new piece in.   This would essentially shorten the amount of awning.  PLease advise and thanks ahead.  Awning is a 8000 AE.

[Froggy1936]

If the problem is UV Damage it all has been exposed the same amt just because the area that recieves the most weather (exposed even when rolled up) I think that all the work involved in cutting off the bad and resewing the spine back on would not prolong the usefulness by much. Unless you have way more time than money you might just as well bite the bullet now and replace it all I would shop around for the best price ! Frank 

[cosmic]

Mine looks the worst for the first 9 inches because this is the part that is exposed to the elements 99% of the time in the closed position.
I'm  very interested as to what you do. because to me it seem easy to do and the most inexpensive root to take.
mine will be ok for a year or two but will eventually need to do the same

[chicknnhead]

I took mine off and had a piece sewn in , it has held up for 8 years, now may camper is not as nice as yours so I didn't have them match the fabric or anything, but it only cost me $40

I'll post some pics

[chicknnhead]

I took this pic last week, this is it rolled up


this is the best I could find I have with it rolled out, you can see the black at the top and the green stripes is the orginal awning. has held up for 8 years, however I only use my camper 5 times a year with the awing actually out

[SoakedKarma]

Appears to be A&E 8500 just replace the damaged section.. any good awning repair shop should be able to do the job quite easy.. In Sparks Nv I have used Eikelberger awning..  I now do my own awning repair/sewing, be sure any repair is sewn with at least V-92 bonded Polyester thread which is UV resistant, V-138 bonded Polyester is even heaver thread..  These threads will last for years in the Nevada sun..  Your awning looks to be Acrylic cloth which is far more expensive than vinyl awning material and well worth salvaging.. Acrylic is lighter and cooler than vinyl as well..

Edit: Duh! just noticed your statement A&E 8000 well I was close.. I have a 20' 9000 Elite and window awnings all around..  Aluminum weather shield of 9000 model is a plus..

[dezertgurl]

My trailer has an A & E 8500 with the same problem, it had been torn loose about 24" on each end and then left rolled up for years. Although the fabric is a bit brittle from UV damage right up next to the roof, I tried a no-dollar repair just to get me thru the rest of this summer. I simply sewed 'er back together, coated the seams with heavy-duty duct tape and hoped for the best!
Obviously this is a short-term solution, but so far it's holding up fine.

[LJ-TJ]

Yeah might want to have an eye on E-bay. I just picked up an 18' awning for $50.00. Picked it up in the States on Saturday and holy cow it's brand new. I have to harrow it up a bit as it's 18' 4" so I'm going to narrow it up to 17' but for $50.00 bucks I thought that was pretty good. D:oH!