Life of a trailer slide out?

One thing nobody mentioned is the importance of a slide topper. Keeps all the debris off of the slide so there is no mess to sweep off the top of the slide before you retract it. It will make you a happier camper, especially when breaking camp in the rain.

Thanks everyone for their input and comments. It appears that the life of a slide is a lot longer than I initially thought.

SailorGuy wrote:
Or should we just get a trailer without a slide so as to not have to worry about a slide failure?

You can accommodate your comfort or your worry. Your choice.

I agree with Dick B. especially on a smaller trailer like a Lance 1985 or 1995.

We don't put the slide out until the trailer is level, disconnected from the TV and jacks have been set. While I don't have any experience with cable slides, I can see more problems with them than the rack & pinion slides.

Sometimes while traveling and only spending one night someplace, I won't bother deploying the slide. Because our side is very small, our trailer is still fully functional.

As far as a slide's life cycle, keep it lubed and inspect for loose nuts and bolts.

Go camping and enjoy.

We had to replace the motor for our slide this past year but that's the only problem we had. We wouldn't want a rig without a slide that provides much more living space when camped; but that's us.

How big the slide is could be a major part of any slide problem. Some are really huge. I’ve seen quite a few that looked like they were drooping a bit. I never put out the slide unless the trailer is level and stabilized.
Our cable slide has been flawless, but it’s only 18” x 84”.
Personally, we would rather not have a slide. The floor plan of our Dart was the seller for us and we could not find it anywhere else.

I would worry more about tires than a slide. Not sure what comes on the Lance, but buy a portable air compressor to keep them at max psi cold.

cables stretch, have a lot of pulleys etc. Hydraulics are simple, powerful. Fast. Electrics have many different ways to work, all are a rack and pinion gear design either in a 2 point under floor or a 4 point top and bottom design.
Fit and tolerance of gears is critical to longevity, as is the material they are made of. Lippert 4 rack top and bottom racks are aluminum. Longevity? wear? a few cycles.
Cables and electrics are mechanical, subject to wear.
For hundreds of cycles you choose. Threads of problems with slides abound around cables, my threads deal with electric RBW gear systems.
For lifetime use and dependability hydraulic is the only choice. Nothing to fail or left to installer or builders mis alignment as was our$$$ gear issue.

If it’s a rack and pinion slide, it should last a long time. We’ve owned four over the years. Cable driven slides are not even a consideration for us. Hydraulics are somewhere in between if the trailer is one we really like. Just my humble opinion.

A slide is pretty much as good as the rest of the trailer. Use and maintain it properly to push the odds in your favor. Dont sweat it. Enjoy your trip!

imo, you will find yourself staying more than a few days in some places you discover that you love.