cut down a zip dee awning?

[Jada]

I have been offered a zip dee awning from a 31' airstream of approximately the same vintage as my 29'. Is it possible to shorten the awning? Has anybody done it?

Jada

[azflycaster]

I know that Brad (flyfshr) had one cut down to fit his tradewind. It looks good and is fully functional.

[flyfshr]

Yes, I have done this. I had a ZipDee from a 26' Overlander and cut it down 2' to fit my 24' TradeWind. Actually, my awning guy did all the cutting and restitched the edge of the material. It really should have been cut down an extra inch because it's a real tight fit to get it to fit in the slots for the turn knobs. I have the owner's manual for the '65 it came off of if you're interested. Measure the exact length of your awning rail and also measure the exact distance between the furthermost ribs on each end. This is where the mounting brackets go. I can take pix tomorrow and post in ordfer to ecplain better. I'm a visual guy.

Brad
FF

[Jada]

Thanks for the reply. I'm wondering if there is anything in the big tube ( roller ) that can get damaged, such as a spring.

Jada

[flyfshr]

There is a spring but it is only mounted from one end. I'll need to verify its location this evening by looking through the manual at home. Apperantly, ZipDee is the only awning manufacturer that uses only one length of spring on all of their awnings thereby being the only brand you can shorten. The tension on the spring, number of turns, is determined by the length of awning.

Brad
FF

[Brook Brooks]

Originally Posted by flyfshr

Yes, I have done this. I had a ZipDee from a 26' Overlander and cut it down 2' to fit my 24' TradeWind. Actually, my awning guy did all the cutting and restitched the edge of the material. It really should have been cut down an extra inch because it's a real tight fit to get it to fit in the slots for the turn knobs. I have the owner's manual for the '65 it came off of if you're interested. Measure the exact length of your awning rail and also measure the exact distance between the furthermost ribs on each end. This is where the mounting brackets go. I can take pix tomorrow and post in ordfer to ecplain better. I'm a visual guy.

Brad
FF

Hi! I recently purchased a 24' TradeWind (1965) and I am trying to make it my own (on a budget) I wanted to add an awning and found a used one at a reasonable price but it is of a '32 Sovereign (1967) ... Do you think it is possible? Looks like you have some prior experience with this and may have better input before I launch my self on this project.

[flyfshr]

As mentioned above, my awning guy cut mine down and I wasn't in attendance when he did it so I don't know how easy or difficult it was. I DO know he charged me less than $100 to do it and even helped me install it. If you're in the Phoenix area, I'm sure he do it for you too.



If you plan on doing this yourself, be careful of the tension on the spring, I've heard its seriously maimed guys in the past who didn't pay attention.


Sorry I'm not much help.


Brad
FF

[Jada]

I successfully shortened the awning I had by about 3 feet. You are looking at shortening by something like 8 feet. I can’t remember how long the spring is but that should be determined before starting. Good luck.

[flyfshr]

I was told years ago, Zip Dee uses the same length of spring in all of their awnings and it is attached to one end only. That is why Zip Dee awnings are the only awning able to be cut down. The tension on the spring is determined by the length of the cut down awning and is set by the number of turns of the arm based on the length of the awning. A call to the service dept of Zip Dee would tell you the details as well as which end of the awning the spring is attached.


Brad
FF

[perri]

My husband cut down an old zip dee roller and reassembled with the same hardware. Zip Dee was super helpful with replacement parts, see their web site.

The awning fabric was worn out so I had Marti of Marti's Awnings make a new awning. She added the correct diameter welt (they vary, depending on vintage), shipped it, and we were able to slide it into our awning rail. She did a beautiful job for a great price. Be sure to measure how long you want the awning sash.

We have a new-old trailer with a blue striped patio awning. We need additional hardware for the remaining 2 awnings we will add to the other windows, and when we have those I'll order 3 matching awnings from Marti. My work would never be as clean as hers!

At that point, I'll have a blue striped awning available. It's in pretty decent shape, not like the last one.