Slide-out attach bolts

[dufferDave]

We bought a 2003 Fleetwood Jamboree GT (if that means anything to anybody) and we (I) are reworking much of the interior. I have replaced 90% of the floor, and while crawling around on hands and knees I noticed that one of the slide-out attach bolts seems a bit loose.

These bolts are set in pairs. The front pair is spread apart a few inches but is centered over the front slide-out actuator (I crawled under the chassis a few feet and looked). The front bolt of this pair is tight and I was able to get a socket on the nut (underneath) and another socket on the bolt head (on the slide-out floor) and check it. The second bolt of this pair is loose enough to turn when I put a wrench on the bolt head. Snug but not tight.

This second bolt is easy enough to reach from the top, but the nut underneath has me stumped. I cannot even get a direct visual on the nut because it is behind so much other framework under the slide-out. I can touch the nut but I have not figured out how to get a socket or any other tool on it. I would really like to get this bolt as snug as the first, but how do I do that?

Any advice is appreciated, including "take it to a shop where they know what they're doing"

(The other two attach bolts are located over the rear slide-out actuator, which I cannot see or reach at all. Beats me how they ever got it installed at the factory, but they are both good and tight so I am not gonna worry about them.)

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Hard to guess without seeing it.  RV construction is not sophisticated, but it is done in steps and subsequent layers too often block access to previous ones. There is seldom any regard at all for future maintenance needs.

If it is reasonably snug, there may not be anything to worry much about.  The pressures on it are probably mostly shear (sideways push/pull), so as long as there is no danger of the nut falling off, it's probably not a big deal.  You will have to make a judgment call on that, effort vs risk.
The notion that a typical RV dealer shop would "know what they are doing" when it comes to slides makes me chuckle.  a good mechanic may know some tricks for dealing with hard-to-reach bolts, though.  Some of the tricks I've used over my 74 years include slim-jawed Vise Grip pliers, super-thin open end wrenches, and even a hefty screwdriver jammed along side of the nut.


https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Super-Thin-Wrench-Set/dp/B001HZQW0Y
https://www.ebay.com/itm/V8-Tools-629-Super-Thin-Adjustable-Wrench-/362395562495
https://www.amazon.com/VISE-GRIP-Original-Locking-Pliers-1602L3/dp/B0000BYD9A

 

[dufferDave]

The notion that a typical RV dealer shop would "know what they are doing" when it comes to slides makes me chuckle. 

You are confirming my worst expectations.

Thanks for the suggestions, but as far as getting any sort of tool onto that loose nut, I was probably overstating things a bit to say that I can touch it. I can indeed touch it, but I cannot envision how to get any kind of tool to do any good. I think this is one of those buried-during-construction-and-never-intended-to-be-seen-again parts.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think this is one of those buried-during-construction-and-never-intended-to-be-seen-again parts.

And quite common in RVs. However, you can also deconstruct anything that was added afterwards, if really necessary. A PITA, but usually quite feasible.