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vjswhippet's avatar
vjswhippet
Explorer
Jun 29, 2019

Slide tilting question

My slide is just the jacknife sofa so it's not big and nothing really heavy. I don't notice it until I get ready for bed, which I use the sofa. It feels like the bed tilts toward the inside and the slant makes it hard to sleep. Could the awning over the slide out be too tight and not let it open all the way at the top? I can bump the bottom in to make it more level but not sure that's a good idea ...
so what I'm saying is the bottom of the slide goes out further than the top. There is a small gap at the right top side but not the left. Are slides completely square ?

6 Replies

  • When the slide is out, if you can push the top and it moves out enough to fix your problem, then the first thing to look at is the awning spring tension. Since the awning was replaced I would suspect too much tension on the springs. Small Lightweight slides have a tendency to do what yours does and having a Slide cover may cause seal problems if not installed correctly(spring tension). Usually, when you have your type problem and you sit or sleep on the couch/bed, your weight usually pulls the top of the room outward and tight. Doug
  • FWIW ON MY Bay Star Sport mh, when I put the bed slide out I have to push the top of the slide to get it flush. The slide topper is taught as yours appears to be. I’d adjust the slide topper to see if it helps. For me, no big deal to push the slide.
  • If the awning is guilty, it will still be tight when you adjust the bottom stop so the slide stays vertical. That could be too soon, it the slide floor has not dropped down level with the main floor yet. In that case the awning will need adjustment.

    EDIT--forgot to ask--when the slide is out and tilted, is the inside top up against wall, or can you find a gap there, so you can tell the top is not all the way out? If no gap it would be the bottom too far out.

    On our 5er just inside on the walls where the slide hole is there was black spongy rubber up and down that was to seal against the back of that "trim" on the sides of the slide when the slide was out. Some of that had broken up and I had to do a repair.

    So a "maybe", since there are no empty beer cans on the inside of slide roof :) jamming it, there could be where that black rubber has broken and doubled up near the top at the side ends of the slide, so it is doing the jamming.

    I did have an empty pop can roll behind the slide end on the floor that got jammed when the slide went out, but in that case the bottom stopped early

    EDIT--now I am wondering if that "stop" is to stop it from going in too far! I will look that up. Been too long since we had the 5er.

    OK here is the whole deal including about the stop can

    https://dealers.forestriverinc.com/Download/Warranty_Claim_Guide_for_ThruFrame_Slide_Adjust.pdf
  • PS: I've checked the inside to see if there is anything in the way and it's all clear. I often wondered if they had one of those slide stops ? in there for when you travel so the slide doesn't open, and they forgot to take it out before trying to open the slide. That might warp it ? They were included with the sale, but I've not used them. The guy that sold it to me didn't even know what the warning meant on the wall beside the slide button. I found them in a back cubby hole later.....
  • I know when it's out, the awning is very tight. There is no droop. It was supposedly replaced by a previous owner, the year before I bought it, so it's not the original awning. I'll have to check from the outside and inside to see how vertical it is when the top stops and how tight the awning is if I bump the bottom back in. Thank you !
  • Inside the RV, the top of the slide (its roof) might have something on it at the inner end that hits the RV wall where you can't see it behind the trim (forget the right word for that) so whatever it is gets jammed and stops the top of the slide going out farther.

    Is there any slack in the awning so it droops a little when out, or is it bar straight like it would be to hold the top of the slide back?

    You can compare how vertical the inside of the slide is wrt the wall of the RV, and watch it going out for when the top stops and the bottom keeps going out. Stop it there and check outside. Is that when the awning goes tight and stops unfurling?

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