Looking for recommendations for 8000lb GVW 5th wheel

[MoInEd]

Half & half? That would be strange indeed.

Not all but many are, e.g. look at this one
You can clearly see the floor of the slide out room is half inside and half outside the trailer, so when fully extended the room is more or less balanced, not so when fully retracted.
This maybe less of an issue with through frame slide mechanisms.

 

[CharlesinGA]

This thread is going sideways somewhat, but, its not like that slide is a teeter-totter. There are various designs of slide mechanisms, some carry weight, some just push and pull. When the slide is full IN, the outer wall is pulled up tight on the outside of the trailer and if you apply weight to the slide, the bottom stays put, and the top of the wall keeps it from tilting in. Older slides somewhat depended on the carpet under them to support them, with the move away from carpet, I'm not sure how its done now. In any case, saying you cannot use a slide when it is retracted is, well, outlandish.e

I have a friend that has a slide that is the full depth of the dinette. When it is extended, none of the slide is inside the trailer, none at all, so is he supposed to deploy it half way?

Me, I don't like slides, had one in the motor home, hopefully will not have one again in anything.

Charles

 

[steveblonde]

Not all but many are, e.g. look at this one View attachment 160374
You can clearly see the floor of the slide out room is half inside and half outside the trailer, so when fully extended the room is more or less balanced, not so when fully retracted.
This maybe less of an issue with through frame slide mechanisms.

thats an anomaly 99% of slides extend all the way out so that the entire slide is outside most have a sofa or fridge in the slide both myself and my wife sit on the sofa on one of our slides and its 100% flush with the side wall when extended - all 3 of my slides are

 

[UTTransplant]

In our last trailer, and Outdoors RV model, we were told to not stand on the very edge of the slide while it was retracted. The edge was just a piece of thick plastic and was unsupported when retracted. We took a look, and yup, it would have been a bad idea. Maybe that is what the OP’s situation was. We were able to sit in the dinette and the chairs (opposing slides) when the slide was in, but we had to get there by not walking on the edge of the slide.

 

[MoInEd]

thats an anomaly 99% of slides extend all the way out so that the entire slide is outside most have a sofa or fridge in the slide both myself and my wife sit on the sofa on one of our slides and its 100% flush with the side wall when extended - all 3 of my slides are

I suspect it has through frame support. When fully extended the far outside edge has support and the inside edge is also supported close to wall. When fully retracted does the inside edge have enough support underneath?
Anyway if manufacturer suggests not to use full loD oon fully retracted slide i think there must be a good reason for it.

 

[SeilerBird]

I have been living full time for the last five years in a 25 year old fifth wheel that I pais $4129 for. It has three slides. They all extend all the way out. I have my bed in one of them so it never sees any action. One slide is in the living room and it is where I ride my exercise bike every day. Third slide is very long and has a collection of my musical instruments. I leveled the fiver when it was first parked here and I recently checked and it is still perfectly level and the slides haven't moved a bit.

 

[DutchmenSport]

8000 #'s or less? Maybe something like this:

 

[TonyL]

This is our UK fifth wheel, 7300 lbs unladen, 1 slide.