Slide out or no

[Cdaddy]

Looking at a gulf stream conquest 255 with slide out and a 25lx heartland prowler no slide out. Rest of the features are about the same. Price the same. It's me my wife 2 girls 7 & 10. Plus two big dogs. I've read were slide outs are the number 1 problem spot on modern campers. And I'm terrified of spending 16k for something more prone to problems. But also worry about comfort and space. So just wondering if everyone thinks slide outs are worth the risk? Thanks

[captnjack]

SoundGuy wrote:

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

SoundGuy wrote:
Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

captnjack wrote:
Guess YOU need to pay more attention. The sentence you reacted to was at the end of a paragraph aimed at people who DON'T have slides.

Nice try captn but you're going to have to do better than this. :W As I previously stated all the trailers we've owned previously has been non-slide but our current one does have a slide so we've been on both sides of the fence. Your comment that "the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides" overgeneralizes - the trailers we owned without a slide were chosen not because we "feared" slide problems but because at the time we were doing a lot of long distance camping and the last thing I wanted to deal with was the always present possibility of slide failure, whether leakage or mechanism issues. It was a rational decision based on common sense, not "fear". We now have a trailer with a slide and certainly one of the mitigating reasons we chose it is because we no longer long distance travel for weeks at a time as we used to - slide issues close to home are a far different matter than 1000 miles from home. Sorry captn, you're demoted to first mate. :W

OK. You did not "fear" slide problems. You only did not want to deal with "the always present possibility of slide failure". Again, not a fear. Should we call it a "worry" or a "concern"? Would that be better?
I already stated that I was just noticing what appeared to be happening in these discussions. I admitted it was not a scientific evaluation. Generalizing, yes. OVER generalizing? Maybe, maybe not. Aren't we splitting hairs at this point? I don't really care whether or not you get slides. Or if anyone else does for that matter.
I think we're done here. Happy camping and stay safe.

[RoyBell]

SoundGuy wrote:

Nice try captn but you're going to have to do better than this. :W As I previously stated all the trailers we've owned previously has been non-slide but our current one does have a slide so we've been on both sides of the fence. Your comment that "the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides" overgeneralizes - the trailers we owned without a slide were chosen not because we "feared" slide problems but because at the time we were doing a lot of long distance camping and the last thing I wanted to deal with was the always present possibility of slide failure, whether leakage or mechanism issues. It was a rational decision based on common sense, not "fear". We now have a trailer with a slide and certainly one of the mitigating reasons we chose it is because we no longer long distance travel for weeks at a time as we used to - slide issues close to home are a far different matter than 1000 miles from home. Sorry captn, you're demoted to first mate. :W

It's pretty simple. You didn't get a slide previously because you were afraid it may not operate when you were far from home. Had slides operated 100 percent of the time for everyone you would had gotten one. Correct? If so, then you did, indeed, fear the slide.

If you got a non-slide because you liked the layout better or wanted a lighter trailer, well then that would had been different. But you stated you didn't want slide issues. Seems pretty cut and dry.

[SoundGuy]

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

SoundGuy wrote:
Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

captnjack wrote:
Guess YOU need to pay more attention. The sentence you reacted to was at the end of a paragraph aimed at people who DON'T have slides.

Nice try captn but you're going to have to do better than this. :W As I previously stated all the trailers we've owned previously has been non-slide but our current one does have a slide so we've been on both sides of the fence. Your comment that "the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides" overgeneralizes - the trailers we owned without a slide were chosen not because we "feared" slide problems but because at the time we were doing a lot of long distance camping and the last thing I wanted to deal with was the always present possibility of slide failure, whether leakage or mechanism issues. It was a rational decision based on common sense, not "fear". We now have a trailer with a slide and certainly one of the mitigating reasons we chose it is because we no longer long distance travel for weeks at a time as we used to - slide issues close to home are a far different matter than 1000 miles from home. Sorry captn, you're demoted to first mate. :W

[captnjack]

SoundGuy wrote:

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

Guess YOU need to pay more attention. The sentence you reacted to was at the end of a paragraph aimed at people who DON'T have slides.

[captnjack]

colliehauler wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

Cap'n jack, I have owned 3 RV'S with slides and had problems with 2 of them:M. The 3rd RV I traded after 1 year so no problems with that one:W. I guess that blows your theory out of the water:h. Despite having problems I will replace my seasonal with a model that has 3 slides for the room. The RV I use for travel to remote areas will NOT have a slide.

I don't really have a "theory". I was just noticing that in this thread and others like it people w/o slides often have a negative view of slides while people who do have slides don't seem to be as negative. This obviously includes you since even though you've twice had negative experiences you will still buy a unit with slides.
Just an observation, not a scientific analysis.

[RoyBell]

colliehauler wrote:
One problem is water damage from poor design. The shop I will use (hwy 33 rv repair) does several floor replacements a year. The problem is it does not show up until it's to late. If you don't keep your RV very long the problem most likly will never show up. They replace a lot of rubber roof's as well, most from tree branch damage.

I guess it comes down to maintenance and making sure everything is tip-top. I notice my top rubber seal on my slide tends to move a bit and I just push it back over when I See this. I get up on the roof and inspect. I store indoors over winter to keep the snow & freeze/thaw off the roof which destroy them. I wax and wash and inspect stuff. I lubed the slides and stabilizer jacks this spring.

These are rolling houses and just like your house or any vehicle, they need to be maintained. I am not saying that's the main cause for failures, but I imagine a large part of it.

[colliehauler]

RoyBell wrote:
I wonder if people with slide issues are operating them wrong? I learned from my dealer when I bought my pop-up to open the entire camper up first, before leveling. It's even more crucial on the pop-up because there are so many moving parts that are tied into the frame. Plus the frame was a lot less heavy duty because it's only carrying 3500 lbs vs 9K potentially.

I have followed this same method on my TT and have had zero issues. Makes a lot of sense. If you level the camper first, you may have the frame out of alignment. There has to be a lot less stress on moving components under a "natural state" vs having one side jacked up and possibly tweaking the frame and then deploying.

I know some manf. say to level and then deploy but that just doesn't make sense to me at all. Too easy to rip stuff up imo.

What I have done is gone to a flat parking lot and got the camper leveled while open. Then I close it all up and put the level bubble as being leveled. Obviously it's not level when closed as the slide tilts the coach a little. But, then it will be leveled when open.

One problem is water damage from poor design. The shop I will use (hwy 33 rv repair) does several floor replacements a year. The problem is it does not show up until it's to late. If you don't keep your RV very long the problem most likly will never show up. They replace a lot of rubber roof's as well, most from tree branch damage.

[RoyBell]

I wonder if people with slide issues are operating them wrong? I learned from my dealer when I bought my pop-up to open the entire camper up first, before leveling. It's even more crucial on the pop-up because there are so many moving parts that are tied into the frame. Plus the frame was a lot less heavy duty because it's only carrying 3500 lbs vs 9K potentially.

I have followed this same method on my TT and have had zero issues. Makes a lot of sense. If you level the camper first, you may have the frame out of alignment. There has to be a lot less stress on moving components under a "natural state" vs having one side jacked up and possibly tweaking the frame and then deploying.

I know some manf. say to level and then deploy but that just doesn't make sense to me at all. Too easy to rip stuff up imo.

What I have done is gone to a flat parking lot and got the camper leveled while open. Then I close it all up and put the level bubble as being leveled. Obviously it's not level when closed as the slide tilts the coach a little. But, then it will be leveled when open.

[SoundGuy]

pira114 wrote:
I think the only reason to not get a slide is for weight issues. Other than that, they're just as reliable as anything else on the TT

That's not saying much. :W

Finding your water pump not working while on a long road trip 1000 miles from home may be inconvenient but having an inoperable slide is far more than just "inconvenient". :M

[colliehauler]

SoundGuy wrote:

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

Cap'n jack, I have owned 3 RV'S with slides and had problems with 2 of them:M. The 3rd RV I traded after 1 year so no problems with that one:W. I guess that blows your theory out of the water:h. Despite having problems I will replace my seasonal with a model that has 3 slides for the room. The RV I use for travel to remote areas will NOT have a slide.

[pira114]

I think the only reason to not get a slide is for weight issues. Other than that, they're just as reliable as anything else on the TT

[rbpru]

I am with the group that recommends a slide. Our is small about 14 inches but makes a big difference.

However, make sure the slide does not block the bath or other items you may need to get to at a road side stop.

[SoundGuy]

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

SoundGuy wrote:
I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

captnjack wrote:
But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

Guess you need to pay more attention :S - I do have a slide. :R

[captnjack]

SoundGuy wrote:

captnjack wrote:
Like many other issues we see mentioned here, for the most part, the people who don't have slides are worried about them and the people who have slides are not worried about them.

I'm guessing this slide owner and this slide owner might take a different view. :W

As for my anecdotal story what would lead you to believe this is operator error, especially when the rig had previously been into the dealer on two separate prior occasions because one or more of the slides weren't operating properly? This was the third time around, clearly something wasn't right, and the owner was rightly annoyed, particularly since he was so far from home. Easy to be an armchair quarterback when you're not the one having slide issues. :R

The part of the story that led me to think it might be operator error was that all three happened to fail at the same time. Plus, they then did manage to get one in. I thought I made it clear the first time.
I don't doubt some people have had slide problems. Just like they've had jack problems and AC problems and furnace problems etc. But the people who seem to fear slide problems the most are the people who chose not to get slides. Which is fine since it's their choice. But if you don't have them you should probably not refer to problems with them.

[RavensFan24]

SoundGuy wrote:

RoyBell wrote:
I have more issues with my electric awning than anything. After sitting it never works and I have to manually crank it once or twice and then it works all weekend.

SoundGuy wrote:
Sounds like a loose connection somewhere. Any chance it's a Dometic 9100 that may be subject to a recall?

RoyBell wrote:
Mine was made late '14 I believe as a '15 model.

I have brought it in for service once. They said the motor is weak. When it gets wet, it causes a little oxidation and the motor has a hard time operating when it's starting from a position like that. True or not I have no idea. Sometimes I can manually twist the roller and it frees it up. Other times I need to turn the nut and it works (makes me think it's not an electrical issue but mechanical). It's the model with the speakers built into the ends, whatever brand that is.

From your description it sounds like you may have a Solera Power Awning w/Speakers by Lippert Components. If so, and if this problem persists & your dealer can't resolve the issue I'd call LCI and ask for direction as to what to do about this to solve the problem. Scroll down that page I linked to and you'll see it says the awning can easily be retracted with a power drill. 🙂

I was amazed at how SLOW the movement of the awning was with a drill. I contacted Keystone and Lippert about it and even though it was outside of a year old, they told me if it persists to bring it in and they'll take care of it under warranty.