Cover-Tech Assembly Guide

Ten Steps for putting together your new 10- to 20-foot wide shelter

Cover-Tech Inc.
327 Lockhart Mill Rd.
Jacksonville, New Brunswick, Canada
E7M 3S5
Phone: 506.325.2968
Fax: 506.325.1981
email: sales@cover-tech.com

Cover-Tech • email: jasoncox@nb.sympatico.ca • 10- to 20-foot wide shelter assembly instructions

Cover-Tech Assembly Guide
Ten steps for putting together your new 10 to 20-foot wide structure

Thank you very much for choosing a Cover-Tech shelter. There are lots of shelter companies you could
have chosen instead, and we appreciate the trust you’ve shown in us and our products. We’ve gone to a
lot of trouble to make your shelter as effective and durable as possible, and the detailed instructions
you’ve got here should answer all your installation questions. If not, please call us right away at
888.325.5757 or email at sales@cover-tech.com. We’ll do everything we can to help you succeed!

Before you begin work, read all the way through this instruction package. No, it’s not quite as much fun
as watching hockey, but useful just the same. Careful reading is vital, in fact, even if you’re one of those
amazingly gifted people who knows everything already. We make many different shelters, and not all
of the photos you see here may match what you have exactly. Close, but not necessarily identical. That
said, don’t worry. All Cover-Tech shelters fit together in the same way.

Step#1: Choose and Prepare a Location

There are two kinds of locations for your shelter – easy to prepare, and not so easy. You could select an
existing area of ground or lawn that’s flat, well-drained and accessible (this is the easy option), or create
a raised area by trucking in fill, leveling it, then mechanically compacting the area before putting up
your shelter. More trouble, but better results.

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A natural, existing location has the advantage of being immediately available and requires no added fill.
On the downside, natural shelter locations are also prone to get muddy or dusty as grass dies under foot
traffic and vehicle tires. If you’re preparing a
pad, realize that the best ones are made with 6
to 18 inches of compacted crusher screenings
or other finely ground stone. You could use
other kinds of fill, but stay away from stuff that
contains rocks larger than an egg. They’ll make
it difficult to pound anchor hardware into the
area later. Besides being rock-free, crusher
screenings are ideal because they pack down
hard in time, making for a terrific shelter floor.

TIP: Accurate Pad Preparation Shelter base made of limestone screenings

If you do opt to build a pad, here’s a trick for making it
level and flat. Pound 2-inch x 2-inch stakes into the ground at the corners of the pad perimeter and every
ten feet along the sides. Use a laser level or builder’s transit to mark a level point on all these stakes,
then saw the stakes to length. These trimmed stakes act as a visual guide for where the level of fill
should be. Position the stakes so the flat area between them is 36- to 48 inches longer and wider than the
size of your shelter, then, when you add fill, make it taper down past the stakes at about a 20º to 30º
angle from horizontal. You might also need to use more fill to make a ramp extending down to ground
level at a shallower angle in front of the door, as shown above.

Have your fill dumped in or near the pad location, then use a loader tractor or skid-steer loader to spread
it around evenly. You’ll compact the fill surprisingly well if you intentionally drive over all areas of the
fill as you level it. This should prevent settling, though you’ll eliminate all risk of settling if you let your
pad sit for several months before erecting your shelter.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
You should have created a level, well drained location for your shelter.

Step#2: Get to Know the Parts

The shelter frame parts arrive bundled up with metal bands, while the cover, lacing, door, anchors and
smaller fittings are packed into bags that we sew from left-over pieces of cover material. This bag will
be attached to the arches. Use tin snips to cut the metal bands (careful, they may be under tension) and

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lay all parts out on the ground next to your shelter location. Your job right now is to identify all the parts
and get a sense of where each one goes in the completed shelter. It looks complicated at first, but it’s
really not that bad. Take a look at the photo below to learn the names of the main frame parts. As you’ll
see in more detail later on, there’s a rectangular base frame that gets anchored to the ground. U-shaped
hoops interlock with this base and extend up vertically. These hoops support the cover and the door
that’s held onto the frame with 3/4”-wide lacing. This is the assembly process in a nutshell.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
You should recognize all shelter parts and how they fit together. Let nothing remain a mystery to you.
Please Note: only 1 end of the diagonal brace will use a clamp, the other end is bolted to the same
bolt as the purlin.

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Step#3: Assemble the Rectangular Base Frame
The base has two kinds of parts: two long side members and shorter components that enclose the ends.
The door end of the base frame is held together with a flexible metal cable; the end with the back wall is
enclosed with a steel pipe. If you’ve ordered a shelter with doors at both ends, there’ll be a cable at both
ends. In all cases the metal stubs welded to the long side members need to point upwards as you
assemble the base. The hoops that hold up the cover interlock with these stubs as they’re raised later on.
The cable and back bar (the piece with 2 flattened ends) are attached by clamps facing inwards at both
ends of the base.

** If your garage comes with a roll up door there will be a metal loop welded to one end of each side of
the base, this is for the roll up door and must be facing the front.
Both long sides of the base frame are made of pipes that fit together, with the smaller pipe ends slipping
into larger ones. Assemble both long sides sitting next to each other, to make sure the pipe stubs match
exactly. When everything looks good, lock the joints together using the self-tapping screws supplied in
the kit. These have a drill bit machined right into the tip, so you don’t need to predrill the steel. Just
chuck an appropriate nut driver into your
drill, then press the spinning tip of the
screw into the steel until it bores a hole and
tightens down. Use one screw per joint
oriented towards the inside of the building
(as you can see to the right) and be careful
that the pipe joints are fully interlocked
before driving each screw. Connect the
long sides with the cable and back wall
pipe using the clamps, bolts and nuts in the
hardware kit.

Base frame joint locked with self-tapping screw

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With all parts of the base frame together, square up the assembly by measuring and equalizing the
lengths between diagonally opposite corners by pushing the ends one way or the other. You can’t simply
rely on your eye to square corners precisely. As long as opposite sides of the frame are the same length,
and diagonal measurements are equalized, the corners will be perfectly 90º, just like you want them to
be. Guaranteed. While you’re at it, double-check that the base frame is exactly where you want the
shelter to be, since things start getting permanent next.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
Your completed base frame should be exactly where you want it, with square corners.

Step#3: Assemble and Raise the Hoops

Hoops are U-shaped sections that interlock with the short vertical stubs sticking up on the frame sides.
Hoops extend upwards to support the main cover, and each of the hoops for your shelter have three
parts: two legs, and one curved top section. There’s roughly one hoop for each five feet of shelter
length.

Before you get started, there are small but vital things you need to understand:

1. Two of the curved top sections you have are smooth, while all the others have clamps welded onto
them. The smooth curved sections go on the ends of the building, while the ones with clamps go in
the middle. You’ll see why later on.

2. All the legs have small rings welded to one side. These rings will hold the anchor ropes later and
must point inwards and at the bottom of the legs, so they won’t interfere with the cover.

Assemble one hoop, then get some help to tilt it upwards, slipping the bottom ends of the legs into the
first set of stubs on the base frame. If you can get a section of scaffolding to stand on while lifting the
hoop from the top, it makes the job much easier for the person down below as they fit the legs into the
stubs. Take a look at the photo on the next page. It shows where everything goes.

Raise all hoops, but don’t leave them alone. They’re not all that strong yet, since they’re only held
upright by the stubs. If a strong wind comes up they might get bent. That’s why you need to move right
on to the next stage as soon as possible, strengthening the frame with parts called purlins.

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AT THIS STAGE . . .
All hoops should be locked into the base frame and standing up vertically. Please Note: 20’ wide
garages will have an additional vertical upright in the center of the back wall. We leave this piece
long and so you may have to cut it off to the proper length.

Step#4: Secure the Purlins

Purlins are horizontal members that strengthen a roof, and there are three in your shelter – two just
below the place where the curved top of the hoop meets the legs, and one along the peak. With the
purlins in place the structure gains lots of strength, so get it done right away.

Each purlin is made of multiple, interlocking lengths of pipe (just like the long base sides are), with
joints secured using self-tapping screws. The purlins at the edges of the roof bolt to the end frames and
legs with
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separate clamps, bolts and nuts. The single purlin at the top of the hoop fits into clamps welded to them.
As you install the separate clamps you’ll need to
spread their sides open enough to go around the
pipes. Install bolts and nuts on the clamps finger
tight only, then go around your shelter adjusting the
position of the hoops on the purlins so all hoops are
parallel with their neighbours. They don’t need to be
perfectly straight up and down yet (that comes
later), but there does need to be the same distance
between the bottom of neighbouring hoops as there
is at the top. Only then should you tighten the
clamps, and even then leave the end clamps on the
lower purlins loose for now. Purlin clamped to top of end frame

AT THIS STAGE . . .
All purlins should be installed with clamps tightened so hoops are parallel.

Step#5: Fasten and Adjust the Diagonal Braces

Your frame is getting stronger now, but there’s further to go. That’s what the diagonal braces will do.
They bolt to the clamps at the top of the end frame walls, angling downwards to clamp near the bottom
of the second legs from the ends. There are four diagonal braces in all, and they not only add a lot of
strength to the structure, but they also hold the legs straight up and down. Or at least they should.

Bolt the top ends of the diagonal braces into the same clamp that holds the ends of the lower purlins
(make them finger tight only for now), then secure the bottom ends of the diagonal braces to the second
hoop legs using clamps also done up finger-tight only. The legs need to be able to slide within the
clamps so the hoops can be positioned plumb (straight up and down) before tightening. ** RV garages
have 2 braces in each corner spanning 2 sections.

Get a helper ready to tighten the clamp at the bottom end of one diagonal brace, then hold a level against
the end hoop leg and push or pull until it’s plumb. Tighten the clamp, then move on to the next brace.
Since all hoops are held parallel to each other by purlins, plumbing one end frame plumbs all the hoops.
Finish up buy tightening the bolts on all clamps.

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AT THIS STAGE . . .
The entire frame of the shelter should be assembled and strong, with clamps fully tightened.

Step#6: Secure Chafe Pads on Hoop Corners

The top corners of each hoop where the curved roof area meets the straight legs are bent sharply, and
this places extra stress on the cover in these locations. That’s why it’s important to install foam chafe
pads. They prevent localized wear of the
cover, and they’re easy to put on. Simply
use several wraps of electrical tape to
secure one piece of foam onto the area
where the bend in the hoops are sharpest.
It might go without saying, but just be
sure to orient the foam chafe pad facing
outwards. This operation happens before
cover installation, with each chafe pad
extending equally above and below the
bend in the legs.

Chafe pad in place after cover installation

AT THIS STAGE . . .
The top corners of each hoop should be covered with protective foam pads, secured with electrical tape.

Step#7: Anchor the Frame to the

Ground
Wind puts a lot of force on your shelter, and that’s why
we’ve developed a system for anchoring that you can
trust. It uses a type of earth anchor called a duck bill. It’s
got a sharp, swiveling metal point attached to a steel cable
with a loop in the end. Your shelter kit comes with a steel
installation rod that fits into the hollow end of the duck
bill, allowing it to be pounded into the ground using a
sledge hammer. You’ll need to install one anchor at each
corner of the building (just inside the outline of the base
frame), and one anchor at the bottom of where each hold
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Left to right: driving rod, duck bill anchor,
cable end after anchor installation
down strap will sit, 6” to 12” outside the base frame. Not all legs require an anchor, you will need one
in each corner and one on each end of the hold down straps. If you have extras space them evenly on
the inside legs as you did in the corners. Hold down straps are bands made of cover material and they
go up and over the shelter after the main cover is in place. If your shelter came with two hold down
straps, locate one at each hoop second from the ends. If there are more straps, position the remaining
ones evenly along the rest of the shelter.

Place the tip of the duck bill where you want the anchor to be, with the driving rod interlocked into its
hollow end, then use a sledge hammer to pound the mushroom end of the rod, driving the duck bill into
the earth. Use at least a 6 lbs sledge hammer (heavier is better). Don’t bother using any kind of one-
handed hammer. It won’t deliver enough force.

Keep pounding until the loop of cable is flush with the ground, then pull out the installation rod.
Although your final goal is to use rope to tie the shelter to the loop in the cable of the duck bill anchors,
don’t do it yet. There’s one more thing you need to do first.

Grab the installation tool again, but this time feed it half way through the cable loop, set the end down
on the ground, then lever up on the cable. You should feel the cable rise up a couple of inches, then stop
as the swiveling tip of the duck bill rotates so it’s perpendicular to the cable underneath the ground.
Neglect this step and your anchor cables will loosen later as the shelter itself pulls the cables up in the
wind. That wouldn’t be the end of the world, it just means you’d need to tighten the ropes later, when
it’s not so convenient with the cover in place.

Now it’s time to tie your shelter to the anchor cables, but first place temporary spacer blocks underneath
the base frame (4x4 blocks work well), to raise it up off the ground so you can slide lacing under the
frame. Use the rope supplied with your shelter to tie the raised shelter frame down to the anchors
temporarily. Tying permanently happens later, after the cover has been laced on and the spacer blocks
removed.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
Your assembled frame should be fully secured to the ground.

Step#8: Pull the Cover Over the Frame

This is the exciting part because your shelter is about to take shape. There are three things you need for
success: a wind-free day; one, two or three people to help you pull the cover over the frame (depending
on how large the shelter is), and something safe the stand on while the cover rises up and over the peak.

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Start by unfolding the cover along one side of the frame, with the edge for the far side positioned on top.
Pull the cover up off the ground, and keep pulling it over the frame. The higher you pull, the harder it
will get because you’re dragging more fabric as you go. One small section of scaffolding is much easier
and safer to use here than a step ladder.

The trick is to orient the cover so it’s in perfect alignment with the frame. It’s especially important that
the seams on the ends of the cover line up with the top of the hoops on the end of the frame. If you’ve
built the frame square and plumb, it won’t take much to finesse the cover into proper position. If no
amount of fooling around is working, then it’s possible your frame is out of square or out of plumb.
Check it and adjust if necessary to get things right. The cover should fit the frame perfectly. Complete
this stage by loosely lacing the bottom of the gable end to the horizontal parts of the front and back
frames. This secures the cover while also allowing it to be adjusted on the frame.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
The cover should be properly positioned on the frame, loosely secured on the gable ends.

Step#9: Secure the Door, the Cover and Tighten the Gable End Edges
Most Cover-Tech shelters of the size you’ve got use flat, flexible lacing to secure all edges of the cover
to the frame through the many grommet holes along the bottom. If your shelter has an optional ratchet
system for securing the cover, it will have long, tubular pockets running along each long side of the
cover instead. See page 15 Installing the Ratchet Tensioning System included in this package.

Your door will be one of two types: a sliding door or a roll up door. Sliding doors hang from metal rings
that go over the horizontal bar at the top of
the door opening, as shown to the right.
Temporarily unbolt one end of this bar, slide
the rings over it, then replace the bar. If
you’ve got a roll-up door, see page TK
Installing the Roll-Up Door for instructions.
Next, cut four 24-inch lengths of lacing, and
use them to temporarily secure the tarp at the
bottom corners. This prevents the cover from
shifting as the permanent lacing is installed.
Tighten the lacing on the end of the garage
before proceeding.
Sliding door hangs on rings above door opening 11
Begin along the bottom at one end, stringing lace from the roll underneath the base frame and up
through the grommets in the bottom of the cover. Work in sections, weaving the lacing back and forth
between the cover and the base frame until you get to the other side. Tie the end of the lacing to the
frame, then work backwards tightening the lacing and gathering slack as you return to the starting point.
Cut the lacing free from the roll, then tie the end to the frame. With the cover on the other side of the
shelter still free, be careful not to pull the lacing too hard on this first side. You don’t want to pull the
cover out of alignment.

Repeat the lacing process on the other side of the shelter, pulling
the lacing as tight as you can. Remove the 4x4 anchor blocks, then
tighten the anchor ropes you did up earlier. Run them back and
forth between the frame and the anchor three or four times as
tightly as you can, then wrap the rope around all the strands before
tying. This wrapping action tightens the rope and ensures the knots
will hold. Finish up by securing the bottom of the gable end covers
using lace in the same way.

AT THIS STAGE . . .
The cover should be aligned with the framework and laced or
ratcheted down tight, with doors in place. If you’ve used
temporary spacers underneath the base frame, remove them now
and tighten the anchor ropes.
Shelter secured with rope through
leg and anchor loop.

Step#10: Install Hold-Down Straps

As added protection against wind, your Cover-Tech shelter includes hold-down straps that go up and
over the completed structure, holding the cover down tight to the frame. These hold-down straps should
go directly over the second hoops from the end
and, in the case of larger shelters, a third strap
over the center hoop. Secure them to the anchor
cables with rope. Depending on the kind of skirt
around the edges of your cover, you may have to
cut slits in the skirt to accommodate the ropes as
they tie to the anchor cables. To prevent wind
from causing the skirt to flap, consider burying
the skirt all along the edge of the cover.

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Hold-down straps secured

Does Your Shelter Have a Roll-Up Door ?
Roll-up doors are made of the same
material as the cover, laced to the top
of the doorway opening and weighted
down with a pipe that fits into a sleeve
sewn into the bottom edge of the door.
You roll the door up or down using a
crank rod that fits into a square recess
in the ends of the door pipe. With the
crank rod hanging down vertically, it
holds the door rolled up and open.

Start by lacing the top of the doorway

to the horizontal part of the frame that
forms the top of the doorway opening.
The door itself fits underneath a flap in Roll-up door held
the cover, to shed rain. Next, fit
together the pipes that go into the loop in the bottom edge of the door – the small end of one pipe
interlocking with the large end of another, just like with other frame parts. You should end up with
square, welded openings on both outer ends of the assembled pipe. Don’t lock the pipes together with
screws, as you did before, since the screw heads will interfere with the sliding of the pipe. Instead, the
pipes get locked together with pop rivets that come next.

Centre the pipe in the loop sewn in the bottom of the door, then use a drill to bore holes through the
fabric and through the pipe wall – one hole at each end and two more equally spaced between them.
These holes are for pop rivets that secure the fabric to the pipe, allowing the pipe to roll upwards by
gripping the fabric. The size of holes needs to match the diameter of pop rivets.

You’ll also need a pop rivet gun to install the pop rivets. Place the larger end of the rivet into the hole
you drilled (it should be a snug fit), then place the gun over the thin end of the rivet. Pull the handle of
the gun repeatedly until the rivet “pops” and is permanently locked to the pipe.

Finish up by tying three lengths of lacing to the frame at the top of the opening – one at each end and
one in the middle – so the two, 24”-long ends of lacing hang down. This is for tying the door open for
long periods of time when it’s in the rolled up position with the crank handle removed.
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There are two features used to hold the door closed. A series of bungee cords tied to flaps on the side of
the main cover have plastic hooks that connect with grommets in the side of the door. Orient the points
of these hooks outwards when they hold the door shut, so they don’t cause wear in the cover. Also, for
added security and wind resistance, the ends of the steel base frame have loops for securing ratchet
straps that pull the door pipe downwards.

To roll up the door, insert the square end of the crank handle into the square opening in the end of the
door pipe. Turn the handle until the door is wound all the way up, then let the handle hang down
vertically. Tie the lengths of lacing underneath the door to hold it open if you want to remove and stow
the crank handle inside your shelter.

Lacing tied to hold the door open

Please Note: There is a mesh screen sewn to the top ends, if ventilation is needed cut the outer fabric to
your desired size. Some will cut 3 sides leaving the top attached to act as a flap.

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Does Your Shelter Have a Ratchet Tensioning System?
Some shelters use an optional system of ratcheting straps to hold the tarp down, instead of laces.
Ratchets take less time to install and allow cover
tension to be easily adjusted later. Shelters made
for ratchet tensioning systems have an additional
loop of fabric sewn along the entire length of each
bottom edge of the cover on the inside, designed to
accept metal pipes. Ratcheting straps pull these
pipes down towards the base frame, tightening the
cover in the process. Please Note: We
discontinued the welded loop for the ratchet strap,
you now will loop the strap around the entire base
pipe.

Begin by joining lengths of tensioning pipe using

self-drilling screws, as you did when joining the
base frame and purlins. Next, slide these pipes into
the loops of fabric along the bottom edges of the
cover. Thread the end of one nylon strap through
each metal loop welded on the base frame, up and
over the pipe, then through the slot in the clamp.
Pull out all the slack you can in the strap by hand,
then begin to work the ratchet to tighten the strap
more. Apply only a small amount of tension to each Ratchet pulling tensioning pipe downwards
ratchet at first, until all straps are in place. Finish up
by tightening the whole cover evenly, and just
enough to take out all the slack.

Cover-Tech Inc.
327 Lockhart Mill Rd.
Jacksonville, New Brunswick, Canada
E7M 3S5
Phone: 506.325.2968
Fax: 506.325.1981
email: sales@cover-tech.com

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