Slide Out Structural Issue My Fault or Warranty ??

Great ending :)

Okay Called Gulfstream customer service they said that there are no use restrictions on the slide out and for me to take it to my dealer and have them evaluate it and that it should be covered under warranty. So I called my dealer's service department for an appointment to find out that they are booked out to late August or early September! When I explained to the service tech what the problem was he said "if you need it sooner it's an easy fix if your handy with a screwdriver and drill, Just remove the cushions from the dinette take the screws out of the brackets on the trim piece and pull the paneling back so you can get to the screws that hold the dinette to the slide wall and pilot drill through the dinette frame and shoot some new 2" screws with flat washers into the wall. That's what we would do to fix it." So being the handyman I am and not wanting to go through the hassle of taking it 120 miles up a washboard I65 to Indianapolis I decided to investigate and followed his instructions to remove the panel and find that they had only used one screw to hold the frame of the dinette to the slide wall and it didn't pull out it broke off! So I did exactly as he instructed and put three 2" screws with washers spaced evenly and used a rubber mallet to drive the cabinet frame back on the staples it pulled out of, reassembled the panel on the dinette and it's good as new! actually better since it now has more than one screw holding it together. I do believe I will now come down on the side of not using the slide while it is in unless I put a block under the edge for support. Everyone talks about walking on the slide edge but mine is not meant to be walked on at all. Half of it is the dinette booth and the other half is the sofa with a sort of hidden storage cabinet behind it, so unless your sitting in the dinette your feet are always on the trailer floor!

From what I understand about slide outs is if it is raised at the edge when retracted you are not supposed to step on it as it may damage some of the rollers or whatever it uses along the edge. It should not have caused the issue you stated based on my knowledge. Different makers have different instructions and construction techniques. If it were me I would take it to them and tell them it broke. I doubt it will be questioned as to the circumstances if your dealer is worth his salt.

2-MTnesters wrote:
My Montana manual instructs not to stand or put weight on retracted slides as this may cause damage. Tim

WOW, Someone that has ACTUALLY read the owners manual, instead of calling the dealer or going to the Internet for answers to his questions. Doug

To answer Old-Biscuit's question the floor of the slide out is raised about 4 inches higher than the trailer floor there appears to be a sort of block under the center of the slide that is covered with carpet that supports the center of the floor when the slide is out and most of the way in but when the top of the slide contacts the side of the trailer the bottom is still out a little and when it pulls in tight it raises that block up off of the floor about an inch or so. When I went to pick it up at the dealer the slide was making an awful screeching noise when they tried to pull it in so the dealer had to adjust/ shim the mechanism is it possible that that is what caused the issue?

My Montana manual instructs not to stand or put weight on retracted slides as this may cause damage. Tim

Just take it in and explain the problem. I have never had such an issue, but The Manufacturers rarely care what caused the problem like you have, they just fix it. As to others stating not to use a slide when retracted, I have NEVER been instructed to not do that and I have worked on RV's with slides for over 25 years. YES, if you have a level floor type slide, stepping on the inside carpet flap "may" damage the edge but rarely. What you did should NOT have caused the damage that happened. Doug

It's a Gulfstream Amerilite 255BH 2012 year model but just purchased new in October 2013 so yes it is still under warranty. The only reason I included the story about the plastic sheeting under the sofa was for background as to how it happned. I'd really like to see them replace the sofa however it isn't defective just poor design/quality. I guess I should contact Gulf stream and ask if this would be covered under warranty, there seems to be a lot of different opinions as to using the slides while retracted but to me if it were not to be used there should be warning labels or at least a warning in the manual.

Does the slide out when retracted tilt UP at front edge
OR
Does it retract 'flat'???

Tilt UP....not suppose to be used when retracted

Flat......shouldn't be an issue when retracted other than cheap construction methods.

Many slide outs instruct the owners to stay off them when retracted. I myself damaged a plastic guide thingy under mine by stepping on the raised floor you describe.
My friend just bought a new Arctic Fox and was told that if he steps on the raised floor it may pull out of the bottom of slide walls.
So in general it may not be a good idea.