Replacing the stripes on a Cobra trailer

My 12 year old blue stripes turned brown several years ago, so I'm now
trying to install the new ones. It's not going well.

The factory instructions call for hot soapy water on the trailer and
stripe, then the end is pulled by one person while another feeds/pushes
it into the aluminum extrusions. This works until about 8 feet is on the
trailer, then it gets hard to go any farther. With 22 feet of trailer
left, I don't think we'll make it!

They do mention using an additional 1 or 2 people in the middle to help
push the stripe along, but we didn't have more people.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how did you get the stripe in
place? Ideas from people that have never done this are also welcome, as
I doubt there are many "stripe replacement" experts, and they might not
be reading RAS.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

On Jul 11, 2:37 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
My 12 year old blue stripes turned brown several years ago, so I'm now
trying to install the new ones. It's not going well.

The factory instructions call for hot soapy water on the trailer and
stripe, then the end is pulled by one person while another feeds/pushes
it into the aluminum extrusions. This works until about 8 feet is on the
trailer, then it gets hard to go any farther. With 22 feet of trailer
left, I don't think we'll make it!

They do mention using an additional 1 or 2 people in the middle to help
push the stripe along, but we didn't have more people.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how did you get the stripe in
place? Ideas from people that have never done this are also welcome, as
I doubt there are many "stripe replacement" experts, and they might not
be reading RAS.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Have you thought about a silicon or teflon lubricant? I did
aftermarket car A/C installations as a summer job back when
airconditioning was not standard equipment. We used silicon spray to
route rubber tubing through the firewall etc, to the evaporator unit.

Chip F

I've changed out the stripes on a couple of trailers. I use a soapy
wet brush to clean out the channel and a flat blade screw driver to
"repair" or widen areas that may have been pinched. It also helps
to use the wet brush to keep the portion of the stripe that is already
in the channel lubricated.

On Jul 11, 2:37 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
My 12 year old blue stripes turned brown several years ago, so I'm now
trying to install the new ones. It's not going well.

The factory instructions call for hot soapy water on the trailer and
stripe, then the end is pulled by one person while another feeds/pushes
it into the aluminum extrusions. This works until about 8 feet is on the
trailer, then it gets hard to go any farther. With 22 feet of trailer
left, I don't think we'll make it!

They do mention using an additional 1 or 2 people in the middle to help
push the stripe along, but we didn't have more people.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how did you get the stripe in
place? Ideas from people that have never done this are also welcome, as
I doubt there are many "stripe replacement" experts, and they might not
be reading RAS.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Pre stretch the strip. (make it thinner). also use car wash soap
without
reducing it.
Udo

Eric, Use hot soapy water, and this is the big one, do it on a hot
day, which should be easy in the NW this week. Goes on like butter.

John


On Jul 11, 1:17 pm, Udo wrote:
On Jul 11, 2:37 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:





My 12 year old blue stripes turned brown several years ago, so I'm now
trying to install the new ones. It's not going well.

The factory instructions call for hot soapy water on the trailer and
stripe, then the end is pulled by one person while another feeds/pushes
it into the aluminum extrusions. This works until about 8 feet is on the
trailer, then it gets hard to go any farther. With 22 feet of trailer
left, I don't think we'll make it!

They do mention using an additional 1 or 2 people in the middle to help
push the stripe along, but we didn't have more people.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how did you get the stripe in
place? Ideas from people that have never done this are also welcome, as
I doubt there are many "stripe replacement" experts, and they might not
be reading RAS.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Pre stretch the strip. (make it thinner). also use car wash soap
without
reducing it.
Udo- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I removed a gas strut from a 2000 COBRA Trailer and
the strut body is very tightly jammed into the small

square channel. I tried working it out but it is jammed
so tightly I may have to pound it out. This leads
me to
believe that the pressure of it being wedged into the
channel
has led to it losing pressure. Is this common or do
I have an
undersized square channel? Seems like it should easily
slide
out.

I took mine stripes off a few years back to clean. (I did not remove
the ends which are riveted on).

I just put in place and used my thumbs to squeeze and pop on.

Expect each side to take approx 1.5 hours.

I've had no problems over the years since using that techique.

Ira

Eric Greenwell wrote:
My 12 year old blue stripes turned brown several years ago, so I'm now
trying to install the new ones. It's not going well.

The factory instructions call for hot soapy water on the trailer and
stripe, then the end is pulled by one person while another feeds/pushes
it into the aluminum extrusions. This works until about 8 feet is on the
trailer, then it gets hard to go any farther. With 22 feet of trailer
left, I don't think we'll make it!

They do mention using an additional 1 or 2 people in the middle to help
push the stripe along, but we didn't have more people.

Does anyone have experience with this, and how did you get the stripe in
place? Ideas from people that have never done this are also welcome, as
I doubt there are many "stripe replacement" experts, and they might not
be reading RAS.

When I replaced mine the soapy water didn't work perhaps because of
the Az temperature causing it to start drying before it was totally in
place. Spray Pam did however. Just wait until your wife is shopping
and borrow hers. If your caught please don't tell her I suggested it.
I also noted from looking at a lot of trailers that the red strips
weathered much faster than the blue so I changed mine to blue.

wrote:


I also noted from looking at a lot of trailers that the red strips
weathered much faster than the blue so I changed mine to blue.


Red does that. Mine are 2001 vintage and there is no color left. Too
much FL sun, I suppose. I was going to paint them with something
rather than replace them. It seems cheaper, and perhaps easier.

I'm sticking with red because of the red logos on the glider.

Comments?



Jack

wrote:
When I replaced mine the soapy water didn't work perhaps because of
the Az temperature causing it to start drying before it was totally in
place. Spray Pam did however. Just wait until your wife is shopping
and borrow hers.

Did you spray Pam on just the extrusion, the stripe, or both?

If your caught please don't tell her I suggested it.

If it makes it easier and quicker, my wife will send you a six pack of
Pam as a gift! We've got one stripe on using the soapy water and 100 deg
F in the sun method, and she was melting into the puddle of soapy water
by the end.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org