slide outs

[walter faulkner]

I am looking to buy a 5th. (only looking, not soliciting) and have heard good and bad about slideouts. what types are there and like to hear + and the -.

 

[Tom]

Hi Walter and welcome to our forum.

Slideouts sure give you a lot more living space, although there are some potential meshanical issues with them.

 

[Jim Dick]

I am looking to buy a 5th. (only looking, not soliciting) and have heard good and bad about slideouts. what types are there and like to hear + and the -.

Hi Walter,

Welcome to the forum! I think you will always hear good and bad about most things. The older slides used to have problems but the newer ones are fairly trouble free. You do have the potential for water leaks but proper maintenance should help prevent that. If there is enough space above the slideout exterior a slide topper will help keep debris off the roof which helps prevent damage to the seals.

Slides definitely add value to an RV. Most of the newer slides appear to be electric with rack an pinion type mechanisms. They move easily and don't creep after operation. The more slides you have the less space there is to move around inside the RV if they are not extended. This might be a problem for some. Best to see the unit with slides in both positions.

 

[Ned]

It is very difficult to find an RV today without any slideouts. ?The big advantage, of course, is more living space, as Tom points out. ?We have had very little trouble with our slideout in over 8 years, but it's only 20" deep and is electrically operated.

 

[Ron]

Welcome to the RV Forum.? Some of the earlier slides were prone to problems but now days they seem pretty reliable.? Slide do provide more room.? Like a friend once told Sam that its the difference between living in a room or living in a hallway.? We have a slide in our Eagle and have had no problems with it.

 

[walter faulkner]

See that most of the replies are (there were problems with some of the "older" slides. What is sort of the dividing line between newere and older. Also what are the mechanical types of  slider units...
thanks Walt

 

[Ned]

Walter,

There are two types of slideout mechanism, electric and hydraulic.  The electric typically uses a motor drive shaft with 2 or more cogs wheels driving mating racks to move the slideout in and out.  The advantage is it's practically impossible for the slideout to get misaligned with such a mechanism.

I'm not familiar with the hydraulic drives, but I believe they replace the electric motor with an hydraulic motor.  The disadvantage of hydraulics is more parts to fail and much messier if you spring a leak   In addition to the motor, you need a pump and reservoir plus hydraulic lines.

Any slideout built in the past 5 years or so should be trouble free.  Ours is 8 years old and has only needed service due to an improper seal installation at the factory.  It wasn't a big problem but Monaco fixed it at their expense, even though we were out of warranty.

 

[cowboy49]

Hi.. new to the forum.. Canyon Trail 5W.  I recently noticed that the bottom edge of my silde out is getting skinned up. It looks like it must be dragging when it slides in and out. Can I adjust it by loosening the bracket on the outboard end of the slide and screwing in on the stop bolt?
A friend had some metal strips attached to the bottom of his slide out.  Is that a good idea?

 

[caltex]

Ned, on my coach they use hydraulic rams to push out the slide. It's faster than electric I guess, but probably more trouble prone.

Robert

 

[Jim Dick]

See that most of the replies are (there were problems with some of the "older" slides. What is sort of the dividing line between newere and older. Also what are the mechanical types of  slider units...
thanks Walt

Walter,

I believe the hydraulic slides used to have a tendency to creep. I've heard tales of slides starting to come out when the coach was going down the highway. Not a good situation for sure. Electric slides do not exhibit that tendency.

 

[quapaw]

Most of the slide problems have been corrected but they do require regular maintanence.  Various products for lubricants and cleaning.  Make certain the roof does not have debris that can damage seals and make sure everything is cleared away when you retract the slide and nothing in the way when you put it out.  I have only two sides, both hydrualic with no problems.  It is a good idea to be level when you put them in or out.  Many MH slides only extend 20 or so inches although some have the "super" slides that are more common in trailers.  Those generally extend 36 inches or a little more.  A couple schools of thought about those requiring "legs" or braces when they are extended.  I don't use any but some do.  I believe they put more strain on the slides but that opinion is debatable.  Always check to see if you can access the applainces and the bathroom with the slide retracted if you plan on using them on the road.  Not a lot of room in many rest areas to extend them.  I also have a squeege to wipe any water off the sides of my slides if I have to retract them when they are wet.  The seals are supposed to to that but I just do it as an additional tool.  It keeps a little moisture from getting on the carpet.  Your resale will be better with a unit that has slides.  The extra room is worthwhile IMHO.