Anyone ever drive off with a slide out left out?

[RedJeep]

Maybe I'm the only one to have ever done this? I drove off from a gas station where I had extended the slide about a foot to allow the kids to grab clothes from the dresser in the back. I figured it out soon enough but man was that embarrassing and dangerous.

[pusherpilot]

Once. Drove a MH on a test drive and the bed slide deployed while making a right turn. Seems the sales guy forgot that the slide needed fixing. He went back and held it while I crept back to the dealer.

[egh33]

Yes indeed, drove thru Cheyenne WY. with the bedroom slide out and almost all the way back to Texas Because the slide went out but would not come back in. No repair place could be found. About half way back to Texas, we stopped for a little rest. Hit the retract and in it came.Came on back home.

[Mr_Mark1]

2oldman wrote:

fpresto wrote:
..check my mirrors to make sure they are adjusted properly. ..I think it would be hard to miss seeing a slid blocking my view.

x2.

Guys, you would be surprised at what you could miss. I'm a fanatically careful driver. When I left our slide out, the paint scheme continues with the same design when the slide is out. I check my mirrors too and because it was getting dark, I didn't notice that it was sticking out, it was somewhat camouflaged.

Certainly my error. We were lucky it was just a trim piece that had to be painted to match the design.

Safe travels,
MM.

[2oldman]

fpresto wrote:
..check my mirrors to make sure they are adjusted properly. ..I think it would be hard to miss seeing a slid blocking my view.

x2.

[fpresto]

I suppose it is possible but I kind of agree with Corkey05. The first thing I do before putting into drive is check my mirrors to make sure they are adjusted properly. It is a habit ingrained from the very beginning of my driving and I probably couldn't change if I wanted to. I think it would be hard to miss seeing a slid blocking my view.

[Corkey05]

Executive wrote:
Not by choice, but when we had our blowout earlier this year, we had to drive about 100 miles to a repair shop to get the hydraulic line fixed so it would retract. Fortunately it had extended only about 10" or so....Dennis

Dennis, ... I'll bet the only thing you saw that 100 miles was your slide. I would be as nervous and a toad in a traffic jam with a broken hopper, if that was me!

[btilfan]

Nope

[Executive45]

Not by choice, but when we had our blowout earlier this year, we had to drive about 100 miles to a repair shop to get the hydraulic line fixed so it would retract. Fortunately it had extended only about 10" or so....Dennis

[Scars]

I always thought it would be fun to stop close to an event like a family reunion, balloon festival, or RV park and put my 2 slides out and then drive in to see the reactions! I'd tell 'em I was only getting 2 miles a gallon too!

[Corkey05]

I've seen folks move their rigs with slides out, in a park for a campsite move, but never on the HWY.

I suppose it happens, but with slides open there's no way to use the mirrors for lane changes or clearance navigation ... that alone kinda puts the pasky slide right square in your vision. That said, when it does happen I guess it's obvious the driver made it that far and never used the mirrors.

And yes .... I was about a block from my home and when I turned a corner I noticed a 30ft power cord following me. 🙂

[Gonzo42]

Once the local security guard backed by the city's finest chased us off the parking lot where I was going to race a triathlon in the morning. We went to the local Wally World lot, where I parked, then realized the slide was out.

[Jim]

Over the last 13 years of full timing, I've seen several people on the road with slides open. One guy and his wife looked to be 80 and they passed me (two lane road) going the opposite direction so quickly I didn't have time to wave or point. Oh, well. Once saw a 5th that had 4 slides and two of them were sliding out than back in at corners.

So I've seen it happen, never done it myself. But have left the antenna up a couple times, and the door awning extended when I moved the RV inside a park once. Once left the 18' patio awning out and tried to drive away (doh!), only drove a few feet though. Once drove a few feet in gravel with the toad's tranni in Park and another time drove a couple miles with the tow bar installed wrong...car was weaving back and forth.

Twice over the years have driven away forgetting to unplug or disconnect the hose. Embarrassing.

My brother drove away once with his towed car in Park and ruined the engine. $5000.

[Two_Jayhawks]

Yes. With first coach steps should have retracted but didn't and I did impact a concrete barrier on the highway. Must have been a glancing blow as all it did was ruin the rug on the step. Second coach drove off with bedroom slide extended and pulled over after a block or so. Current coach drove off with door awning & made it to the interstate before we retracted it. Been very lucky on all counts.

[Mr_Mark1]

tinkerer wrote:
On my present MH, if you release the air brakes the slides come in, jacks come up, and steps come in. You better be prepared!

What kind of motorhome do you have? Never heard of that.

On our current coach, there is an emergency switch in the electrical bay compartment behind the rear passenger tag axle. If for some reason we have to move the coach 'pronto', the switch releases the transmission safety switch.

(The story goes...) Prevost install a safety release switch years ago when someone needed to move their coach because the coach next door was on fire and couldn't move fast enough and their coach burned too.

MM.