Snow and Ice on Slide out tops problem?

Recently had a problem with ice build-up on slide topper. Topper always sags with rain and I was not aware that water had frozen into about 1/2" of ice. When I retracted the slide the ice jammed and put enough pressure on the cable slide gearbox that it broke off several of the gear teeth. Still would function but with a terrible noisy,jumpy action. Had to replace gearbox. Will check for ice from now on.

Bird Freak wrote:

ScottG wrote:
I don't think slide toppers would be any defense against snow anyway.

If it were me, I would cut a piece of plastic to cover the roof area of the slide. Then lift it off just before bringing the slide in.

I didn't think the topper would help much with snow and ice but I was wrong. As the topper rolls up it dumps it just like a conveyor belt.

That's exactly how mine worked on the camper. Just like a conveyor belt. plop. plop. plop

memtb wrote:

memtb wrote:
You probably won’t like my remedy! This is something that we experience a few times a year... we winter camp in Wyoming. The method is “not” fun and is dangerous, I sweep off the tops of the slides soon after the snowfall, before it melts and then re-freezes. The experience can take years off of your life just from the stress....more if you fall off ?? !

On another forum, a gentleman had a good remedy....if you have slide toppers. He built a support system (kind of like a tent ridge pole) out of pvc tubbing and fittings. He would slide the support between the slide roof and the topper. Helped minimize the snow/ice buildup, plus with a little creativity...remove the buildup off of the topper, without it getting on the slide top.

This is exactly what I do with the one topper that droops a bit and collects water when it rains. Really easy to do and it works great at keeping tension and slope so water runs off. I just made it out of 3/4" pvc pipe and don't glue it together so it disassembles and packs away compactly. Works like a charm.

ScottG wrote:


If it were me, I would cut a piece of plastic to cover the roof area of the slide. Then lift it off just before bringing the slide in.

I have a slide topper and it worked great the one time we have been out in snow.

But I was thinking along these same lines as ScottG. The OP'er could take a plastic tarp and fold it or cut it to fit on the slide out roof, attach a couple of ropes and tie it up under the slide. Then when your ready to retract the slide, just untie and pull it off along with the ice and snow.

I do something similar on my truck covering the windshield so I don't have to scape the windshield in the winter.

ScottG wrote:
I don't think slide toppers would be any defense against snow anyway.

If it were me, I would cut a piece of plastic to cover the roof area of the slide. Then lift it off just before bringing the slide in.

I didn't think the topper would help much with snow and ice but I was wrong. As the topper rolls up it dumps it just like a conveyor belt.

I was a Crater Lake Ski Patroller for 12 years. I took my pickup camper up there. Studded tires all around.
For a few years I didn't have the slide topper. I tried covering it with a plastic tarp. It stuck to the ice. I ended up taking tea pots of hot water to melt off the ice after shoveling the upper portion off. That sucked and was dangerous.
I chatted with other campers here on the forum. That said they did not have any problems rolling in the slide. They were right.
I installed the topper and it did very good. Sometime when I would roll it in, the blob of snow would just hang there till it was sticking out about a foot before it would fall off.

I sprayed the complete slide and topper with a silicone spray. Nothing stuck to the topper, but sometimes I would have waterfall chunks of ice stuck to the sides of the slide that would come past the slide seals when I slid in the slide.

I don't think slide toppers would be any defense against snow anyway.

If it were me, I would cut a piece of plastic to cover the roof area of the slide. Then lift it off just before bringing the slide in.

they make stuff you spray into the chute of snow blowers to keep the snow from sticking in them. they sell it on amazon and it is about $13 a can

Sandy43 doesn’t like slideout toppers. I got that response in the Keystone forum.

memtb wrote:
You probably won’t like my remedy! This is something that we experience a few times a year... we winter camp in Wyoming. The method is “not” fun and is dangerous, I sweep off the tops of the slides soon after the snowfall, before it melts and then re-freezes. The experience can take years off of your life just from the stress....more if you fall off ?? !

On another forum, a gentleman had a good remedy....if you have slide toppers. He built a support system (kind of like a tent ridge pole) out of pvc tubbing and fittings. He would slide the support between the slide roof and the topper. Helped minimize the snow/ice buildup, plus with a little creativity...remove the buildup off of the topper, without it getting on the slide top.