fitting awning on tab keder rails

Tundra57

I bought the full size awning for my tab 400. Have not tried it yet. I camp alone. I wondered if anyone has tried sliding an awning through the rail on their own? I had a caravan in England many years ago and to fit the awning you needed two people, a puller and a feeder along with some candles wax or silicon grease.

Of course for first time fitment I will enlist my entire family. That should be fun. There is a campground maybe 10 moles from my house I have never tried.

Homebodyatheart

@Tundra57 I put everything up by myself. So far so good! I don’t have the Pahaque awning, just the xl visor but it’s the same technique. Spraying a very small amount of silicone spray along the rail track once every year or two will make your job easier, just have a paper towel handy for the drips. Good luck and have great journeys!

Marceline

Tundra57 said:

I bought the full size awning for my tab 400. Have not tried it yet. I camp alone. I wondered if anyone has tried sliding an awning through the rail on their own? I had a caravan in England many years ago and to fit the awning you needed two people, a puller and a feeder along with some candles wax or silicon grease.

Of course for first time fitment I will enlist my entire family. That should be fun. There is a campground maybe 10 moles from my house I have never tried.

I have the smaller T@B and I put up the awning myself. I spray the keder rail and the rope with this:
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/mclube--sailkote-high-performance-dry-lubricant-8-oz--17757741

grsiepka

The Travels with Delany folks have a video that might help. Looks like he was able to do it solo.

https://youtu.be/N98OBu3Y4vc

TNOutback

I have the Pahaque visor on my 400 and I can almost push it through the whole way.  Only 2-3 tugs on the other end when it catches on a screw inside the rail. For me, an easy one person job.

Tundra57

Thanks everyone. I have the full size Walker awning. It looks good in the pictures, I guess Ill find out what it looks like on my Tab

Tundra57

So I saw a UTube video where someone set up a pulley which slots in the keder rail and uses this to pull the awning while feeding from behind. It looks promising although I would have to reposition the pulley to go around the corners. They used a tarp clamp to grab onto the awning.

I'm going to give it a try next time the ground is dry.

Homebodyatheart

Another thing that I found to be a huge help was to carefully spray the rail first with silicone spray (not WD40). Keep a paper towel handy for the drips. Once a season makes a big difference! 

Marceline

Homebodyatheart said:

Another thing that I found to be a huge help was to carefully spray the rail first with silicone spray (not WD40). Keep a paper towel handy for the drips. Once a season makes a big difference! 

I sprayed my rail and the keder rope with this and it seemed to help a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/Mc-Lube-SAILKOTE-8OZ-Sailkote/dp/B01MRSUVEJ
You can find it at a marine supply shop (chandlery) for cheaper.

Tundra57

Thanks all