Awning Stuck in the Rail

[Tom Nugler]

Being fairly warm for February in Northern Illinois I thought it would be a good time to remove the awning from the GT. The fabric has deteriorated to the point that it’s long overdue for replacement.
Having released the spring tension on the roller and getting it ready to drop off the arms I was ready to slide the fabric off the awning rail on the body.
After 2 hours of pushing, pulling, expanding the ends of the rail and lubing with silicon spray it hasn’t move a bit. Even clamping a big Vise-Grip to the edge of the fabric just above the rail and whacking it with a hammer wouldn’t budge it.
The last vintage trailer I owned had a removable pole awning that freely slid on and off the rail. I somewhat expected the same result as there was a screw at each end going through the spline and rail to hold the awning in place on the body.
After doing a search of the awning sub-forum I’ve come up short on answers. I’m sure someone else has run into this problem before. Anyone with a solution? I’m open to any and all ideas. I’d like to get this apart and have a new one made before the season starts.

Thanks in advance,
Tom.