You can leave the support arms hanging freely but it might help to simply slide the stops back into the leg channel.
Slide out awning tension adjustment.
Inflate the awning s air bladder to provide tension to the awning fabric.
Place the step stool near the lip.
The spring tension on the slide topper can be adjusted but you must do it carefully because there is considerable energy in the stored spring if it were to get away from you.
Park the rv and set the brake.
When you release the tension in the spring the cotter pin that is inserted in the holes in the awning arms are removed.
The following link will take you to a document that describes the proper and safe procedure for adjusting the slidetopper tension and replacing fabric.
Level the rig using its jacks and level system.
Roll the awning back up to observe how tight it is.
Reattach the rear awning leg and lower both leg sections completely.
Step up to the awning and clear out any leaves or twigs from the awning seam.
Now that you are going to re tension the spring it s time to insert it back after you have reinstalled the torsion assembly.
If your rv slide out awning is equipped with an air bladder use the internal air pump and flip the switch to on to inflate and add tension to the fabric.
The cotter pins are the ones that lock the spring tension securely while taking down the rv awning.
Depending on the make and model there is a different method to adjust the tension.
Sagging is normal on older slide covers and you should make a support to keep the water out of the sagging area.
You do not need to put the screws back in.
How to adjust the tension on an rv slide out awning step 1.
Since you do not tell me who manufactured your slideout topper awnings it will be very hard for me to tell you how to adjust the tension on them.
There are two main manufacturers of slide topper awnings dometic a e and carefree of colorado.