I always leave the zips closed when opening up the canvas and pulling it over the frame and beds. On the point of pulling the canvas over the beds - I don't suppose that you are pulling it too far under are you? I checked on mine this morning and if I open the zips and pull the canvas under the bed to the second set of stiching it looks okay but the the zip won't meet and the poles will not extend. I don't know if I have explained myself very well but it may be part of the problem.
Mike
------------- Some people have nothing much to say, but you often have to listen for a while before you realise it!
We'll definately give your suggestions a go. We have not been able to extend the poles from the bottom button. We may possibly trying to pull the canvas over the beds as you describe.
Thanks for sparing the time to try your suggestions on your own camper. Hope it works 'cos we want to go away for a weekend without the hassle of the awning.
One of the first jobs that I did on my Pathfinder was to remove all of the poles with the adjusting holes in them ,and drill another hole in each pole to allow for more adjustment,an improvement that has made a vast difference in tensioning the canvas to correct shape,a very easy job that a well trained monkey can do.
It is quite easy to drill new holes under the ones already there without removing the canvas.Just make sure that the inner pole is out of the way when drilling,although if you can't it wont matter as long as you dont drill near to where the spring button is on the inner pole.Also make sure you catch all the drilled fileings.I had to do this to mine a few years ago, and this method work OK with me
------------- Corpogreen esq
dead horse
and
donkey buyer
Your problem is tightness of the canvas across the width of the trailer. having buttons on lowest setting wont help the situation.
This is what you need to do. Reshape the bed board corners
mark out with a plate a larger radius cut with saw and sand paper the edges. do this to all 4 corners.
This will now allow the door zip to close if no relieve the corners a little more.
Now set the frame on the lower setting, fit the canvas around the beds, velcro the front and back sections, elasticate the bed flaps.
Do this on a nice warm day as the canvas is much more supple, you can now start to extend the frame to the next level and then again to the next level. when you get to the centre hole you have got the canvas back to an acceptable position.
Hope this helps
Blackrex