Sagging slide

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Yes, vertical support post during winter storage months does help prevent sag. Especially for long slides.

See my post on page 1 for details.

We tend to store our TT under cover with the slide out, and we have a 3x13ft. slide. Now wondering if we should store it with slide in to prevent sag as discussed in this post ?? Also wondering if gentle pressure from an external jack in middle of slide when out might help prevent sag ??

My main concern is to make sure the slide seals and right now the middle of the seal just touches. I like the idea of a support in the middle but the way my slide tips up when it closes I don't think it would work right.

Ceiling sag is not uncommon on a slide.Some with hanging fixtures really bow.

Doing nothing will not cure the lack of a proper seal, unfortunately. OP did mention in his second post that it was a problem so either the sag needs to be fixed or the sealing arrangement has to be modified.

The supersilde (14' w/dinette and sofa)on our 2004 Rockwood also developed a sag in the middle of about 5/8", which caused the center to actually fit under the front edge of the wall at the top and prevented a good seal.

I thought about the angle idea which would work.

What I ended up doing was to put a vertical support where the dinette ends and before the sofa begins. A support here doesn't hinder any access to the dinette or sofa but provides the necessary support.

The TT manufacturers like to brag about the long open area without any vertical supports in the middle on the slide, but as an engineer I can tell you the stiffness of the "beam" usually is not adequate to prevent eventual sag. An opening that long in a house would usually require a pair of sandwiched 2x8s at least. If you are lucky the sag won't affect sealing at the top edge. Mine was more than just cosmetic as it affected the seal at the top when open.

Steve

I agree, a 1/2" sag over a 12-14' span is nothing. I'd leave it, there are different (hundreds ) of slide seal styles out there. If 1/2" affects your seals have them swapped out or install a slide topper.

I think most of them sag a little. Pretty hard to get around it. Sticks and bricks standards for drywall, etc. is 1/360 of the span I believe. So, in 13 feet, that's about 7/16". It would have to be pretty beefy not to sag at all, then the weight would be the issue. If it's structurally sound and seals the weather out, I wouldn't worry too much about it. My .02.

The angle would be installed on the inside top edge of the slide. This is where it is sagging.The 1/2 sag is enough that the middle of the slide seal does not seal very well when the slide is open.

My wife tells me that some older things in life get a natural sag. LOL!

If wondering, my 2006 Jayco with its large slide has (had) at 1/2" sag as well. To remove this natural older age sag, we simply park our trailer during winter months, bring the slide in, then install a support vertical pole in middle of the slide beam. Crank this support pole to create a 1/2" convex (aka: upward bow) shape in the slide's long beam. When spring time finally comes and one removes this vertical post, the large slide will sag back down. But this time around, the slide beam is now level (instead of 1/2 lower then level). The vertical post similar to my setup is: - click here -

Now, our TT "had" large slide that sagged 1/2" in the middle. Now, it's level...

Winter storage support might work on your slide as well.