Slide out supports

[N1538sv35]

i have a toy hauler with three slide outs. I plan to park it for the summer and will leave the slide outs extended. Should I put some kind of supports under the slide outs? If so, what do you suggest?

[fpresto]

MPI_Mallard wrote:
Really! I spoke to Cedar Creek on the phone about them and as I said they had no concerns when used properly, that was five years ago and perhaps things have changed, i'll see them in Tampa and ask again.

I don't doubt at all what they told you but,like most companies when you call you are not talking to Cedar Creek but an employee who may or may not have a clue and you have no idea who you are talking to or what their qualifications are. If what they tell you is wrong you have no recourse as it was just a phone call with no record. It is like calling the Motor Vehicle Administration. Call three times and you will get three different answers. The simple answer is ask for it in writing and you will get the correct answer because that commits them. I am confident that they will not recommend it.

[MPI_Mallard]

fpresto wrote:

MPI_Mallard wrote:
all I said was Cedar Creek had no issues with them

Are you sure? My Cedar Creek owners manual is very specific and it says not to use slide out supports.

Really! I spoke to Cedar Creek on the phone about them and as I said they had no concerns when used properly, that was five years ago and perhaps things have changed, i'll see them in Tampa and ask again. I have one large deep slide and two shorter deep ones and as I said they work well for my rig.

[fpresto]

MPI_Mallard wrote:
all I said was Cedar Creek had no issues with them

Are you sure? My Cedar Creek owners manual is very specific and it says not to use slide out supports.

[Miles_Away]

We use them on our super slide when we are having an extended stay (more than two nights). Why? Because it makes me feel all warm & fuzzy! If BOTH tires go flat on the SAME side at the SAME time (what are the chances?) it might cause some damage. I'll continue to take my chances.

[bobsbbq]

We use the slide supports on ours. We live in a semi permanent location and don't plan on moving much. We are on a concrete slab, have 6 support jack stands under the frame for stability. We have custom made bunk beds in the slide so we wanted the extra support. I don't worry about a flat tire as the jack stands would not let it come down anyway. And we are in it all the time. Just make sure you use them as directed. We check ours about every 3 months just to make sure they are still snug.

It really depends on how you are using your RV. If we were just going campground to campground I would not use them.

[SkiSmuggs]

My owner manual recommends the slides be retracted every few days if in a long term stay. My slides use a cable system and I've had the cables on the main slide adjusted twice in 3 seasons due to binding during operation.

[NC_Hauler]

C-Bears wrote:
Does it really matter with the new 6-point leveling systems if a tires goes flat while stationary?

There are six jacks extended straight down supporting a level fiver. If all four tires were to go flat would the fiver somehow sink lower?

I have 3 larger slides and never really thought I needed slide supports outside, no matter how long I was camped in one place.

Not every 5er out there has the 6 jack system on their unit...I only have 4 jacks and my 5er has never needed supports for the slides either.....I think the concern is more for the slide going out 3 or 4' and just "hanging for want of a better word...I look at my set up and it's quite robust, like you, I see no need for slide supports, 5er is almost 9 yrs. old and never had an issue with slides needing support.

If all 4 tires were to go low or flat, don't see an issue if no supports under the slides.. If all 4 tires went flat, seeing as how the majority of the 5er's weight is setting on those 2 axles/4 tires and one had supports underneath the slides, I could see the fixed support, pushing upward on the slide.....like what I saw at the campground the one time I actually saw this scenario.

[C-Bears]

Does it really matter with the new 6-point leveling systems if a tires goes flat while stationary?

There are six jacks extended straight down supporting a level fiver. If all four tires were to go flat would the fiver somehow sink lower?

I have 3 larger slides and never really thought I needed slide supports outside, no matter how long I was camped in one place.

[MPI_Mallard]

spadoctor wrote:
First they can cause damage as I have personally seen....Second trailer manufacturers do not recommend their use....third some will even void the warranty if used...fourth....most of the weight of the slide is supported by the slide mechanism not the surround. I seasonal as well as travel and have seen one very common problem. When a rig is parked for an extended time two things happen....the ground packs down under the weight of the rig and the tires lose pressure slightly causing the main trailer to be lower then when set up. If slide supports are used the do not lose floor height as much as the trailer so the supports push up on the slide causing weight to be added to the slide where not engineered to be placed and cause the seal between the slide and coach to open leaving a gap that might leak. Slide supports are another example of a product designed to sound good but just a waste of money.

First....I've been doing this a long time and have seen very few rver's using slide support stands and have never seen damage done by them but I have seen damage caused by other miss-use of equipment.

Second....all I said was Cedar Creek had no issues with them not the rest of the industry however from what iv'e seen of some of the other brands of fiver's I'd be leary of hanging a towel bar in one for fear of it falling apart.

Third....One would have to do something remarkably stupid to do any real damage to their slide with a slide support that might void whatever manufacturer's one or two year warranty.

Fourth....Yes, Sidewinder was very clear about using their stands on soft ground and if I did to do a weekly check that the stands aren't too tight so I don't use them back home but on my concrete site in Florida I do as it's stable also tires do lose pressure but the front and rear landing gear or jacks don't and they carry the weight of my fiver along with the two I put on the rear. I have large slides and I consider them to be well engineered but I do notice additional movement or "shimmy" without them and I can't help thinking the stands assist the slide rails while being extended for six months at a time.

As I said earlier they work well for me as I use them properly as the manufacture intended and I'd recommend them in that fashion.

Red Green;
Remember, If it moves and it shouldn't, duck-tape,
if doesn't move and it should,WD40!!

[mileshuff]

I've never had a need for braces but how about some sort of brace that connects from the bottom outside edge of the slide to the frame of the trailer?

[Allworth]

It would seem that that 99% is one of those "GEE WHIZ" numbers pulled out of thin air.

Having had the inside fascia completely off of my heavy kitchen slide chasing a leak, I can tell you that it runs out supported on the arms just fine without trim. Just don't run it TOO far out.

As for supports; I've never found them necessary but I don't seasonal.

[spadoctor]

First they can cause damage as I have personally seen....Second trailer manufacturers do not recommend their use....third some will even void the warranty if used...fourth....most of the weight of the slide is supported by the slide mechanism not the surround. I seasonal as well as travel and have seen one very common problem. When a rig is parked for an extended time two things happen....the ground packs down under the weight of the rig and the tires lose pressure slightly causing the main trailer to be lower then when set up. If slide supports are used the do not lose floor height as much as the trailer so the supports push up on the slide causing weight to be added to the slide where not engineered to be placed and cause the seal between the slide and coach to open leaving a gap that might leak. Slide supports are another example of a product designed to sound good but just a waste of money.

[MPI_Mallard]

On the other hand,,,, I have Sidewinder slide supports and I use them properly as the manufacturer suggests. I was told they are to be just "snugged up " to the slide gear beams and to NEVER use them on grass or gravel as after a time the rig might settle and put too much pressure on the slides. Cedar Creek told me they had no issues with them and as my Daydreamer only has jacks in the front and just behind the wheels with the addition of two scissor jacks under the rear corners and the sidewinders under the slides and sitting on my concrete lot I have a rock-solid fiver however back home on my gravel lot without them I do notice a bit of shimmy. I'm not saying this should be the same on other rigs just mine.

Red Green:
They say necessity is the mother of invention.
Don't know who the father is;
probably remorse.

[Bumpyroad]

I believe that it is foolish to totally reject the idea of a possibility of a tire going flat, putting undue pressure on a slide out supported with some device. It could happen, and one doesn't need to have experienced it, or for anybody to have experienced it to realize the possibility and to avoid it.
for the record, I have never seen it happen and yet I never supported my slides with external devices.
sort of like the folks who say that they have never used a surge guard and have never had an issue. I still use one.
bumpy