Forum Discussion

C_J1's avatar
C_J1
Explorer
Jun 20, 2017

Slide-out question

Our motorhome has been in storage, outdoors, for 4 years, with the slides in. Is there anything special we need to do before we extend the slides?

10 Replies

  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Once extended, at least a little bit, LUBRICATE, LUBRICATE Oil them suckers up.

    Follow manufacturer's (Slide out) recommendations as to lubricant and how much.
  • C&J, just curious, why was the motorhome not exercised in 4 yrs.?

    Safe travels,
    MM.
  • We like Effy's advice. We know the slides might be the least of our problems!
  • Besides the slide sticking issue has the motor or jenny been ran during these 4 years, how bout the gas, I would be most concerned on this than slides at this time.
  • Moving the slides out just a hair initially sounds like a great idea.

    Thanks again to all.
  • In 4 years, rubber can stick to about anything very good! A modification to the suggestion above.... hit the retract button for just a second to just initially move each slide and then stop. This will move the slide out a tiny bit. It needs to be just enough you can get a finger between the rubber and the side of outside wall of the camper.

    Now, that you can get your finger between the two, simply slide the finger all the way over the rubber, all sides. It' might be easier too, if you get some RV rubber slide-out conditioner to help soften it and let your finger slide a bit easier.

    The idea is to make sure the rubber seal is not sticking to the side of the outside wall, so it won't rip to shreds the first time you try to retract. It may take a few minutes to do this, but it will take a lot longer to replace the rubber if it tears.
  • Thanks for the responses. I especially like the idea of checking the seals before deploying the slides.

    Four years in storage was not our choice, but now we're eager to get back on the road again!
  • C&J wrote:
    Our motorhome has been in storage, outdoors, for 4 years, with the slides in. Is there anything special we need to do before we extend the slides?

    That's a long time, but after being sure it's level and the batteries up, give it a go and see what happens. All else fails, so it manually and even though you, you've given no info on your rig, there's usually a way to do it.
  • Remove the slide lock. Make sure the batteries are all fully charged. Maybe run something along the edges to make sure that the seals have not stuck to the side of the coach so that they are not torn when the slide is extended.