Travel Trailer Slides - Is some bowing normal??

[bansai]

I think I've finally found my first warranty issue. Wanted to run it by everyone.

My 2016 27BHS has a fairly deep slide out that includes the dinette and a couch. When fully retracted, the center of the slide is basically resting on the floor. Each end of the slide out however is about 2 inches off the floor. So retracted it has a bow to it like --_____-- . Obviously not to scale, but that's the idea.

The problem is that on the left side, where it curves up, is a base cabinet, under one of the dinette seats, this bowing has caused the cabinet to 1) not close properly, 2 pieces of wood in that location are beginning to separate.

When the slide is out, the floor is straight, the cabinet closes. We noticed during our PDI that this cabinet wasn't closing properly, and they adjusted it. That fix has now been 'undone' by the constant flexing of this area in the slide out. I started beefing up the inside of the cabinet with oak flooring, used as a backer, screwed and glued like trim pieces in the inside corner, in an attempt to give me something solid to screw the whole thing together so the cabinet will no longer have any gaps in-between wood pieces... (a picture would probably help, and I'll get one tomorrow), but I'm afraid that this is just a band aid, and may cause even more damage when that cabinet area is no longer flexing, but the floor below it is.

I guess the question is, do your slides bow like this when retracted? I'll make my dealer aware, but trying to get a feel for how common this issue is. I've decided that trying to fix the cabinet before the underlying problem is addressed is futile. Camping season is almost done here, so I guess the bonus is if I park it at the dealer, I don't have to pay for storage. Long post.. I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Regards,
Mark

[Tunce the traveler]

They all bow and DO NOT SIT IN THESLIDE WHEN ITS IN.

[bansai]

I don't.. but good advise. Still my 'base cabinet' shouldn't be torquing itself so bad that it's splitting. I think the flex is excessive to do that? The cabinet door won't even close now when the slide is in, but snaps shut like it should when extended.

[Tunce the traveler]

Some of us place a board under the heavy sections Such as the dinette seat and or both ends. When I travel I keep the braces or boards under these sections because of the flex. Hard to see from this pic but I think you get the idea.

[Tunce the traveler]

That was the first pic now I run the boards the long way.

[bansai]

Originally Posted by Tunce the traveler

Some of us place a board under the heavy sections Such as the dinette seat and or both ends. When I travel I keep the braces or boards under these sections because of the flex. Hard to see from this pic but I think you get the idea.

Ok, so when my slide is in, that spot where you have the board on the floor, there is no clearance there for me to put a board, it's to the right of the couch there, and the left side (out of picture) where theres a big enough gap, when the slide is in for me to probably get a 2x4 under there, each end. If that sounds right, I think I get it.

I really like the idea of bracing the slide like that for travel. I guess I still think something is wrong with mine. My cabinet shouldn't be splitting after 7 days of use (braced or not). When you remove the board(s) and extend the slide, and that whole area becomes flat again, that's where the damage happens (in my case). I feel like I need to build one of those foundations like they used to make for underground missile silos... that sit on huge springs Appreciate the picture, thank you.

[Tunce the traveler]

[QUOTE=bansai;443680]Ok, so when my slide is in, that spot where you have the board on the floor, there is no clearance there for me to put a board,

Now this has me worried and before you extend your slide you should check the wall alignment bracket for the dinette. This is the main reason I have that board in the first place. In my photo I show the dinette back where it butts up to the sofa now I would like you to remove that back dinette cushion so you can see the alignment brace that's attached to the wall. Just make double sure that your dinette back does NOT slip out of that alignment brace when your slide is in. If it does and it's not aligned perfectly and you extend the slide and the brace hits your dinette back it will do one of two things #1, it will push the wall bracket through the wall ( it won't be the first one that's happened too) or #2, it will break your dinette back. You'll see what I'm talking about as soon as you remove that cushion. Brace yourself ( pun intended), what does it look like.

[bansai]

I'll check in a few minutes, and grab some pictures. I pulled the camper out of storage last night so I can check. I know the brace you are talking about. It's a small L bracket that bolts to the wall, then attaches to the dinette 'board' that the back cushions on that seat lean up against. This bracket was loose at the wall when I took the camper home originally, and I did tighten it up so it was snug on the wall. There was some play in that entire dinette 'back'. It's solid now.

More details incoming, just have to wrap up some things at work first.

Thanks again,
Mark

[bansai]

Adding pics now (or trying to anyway) These are all taken with the slide all the way in.

First picture shows the gap between the carpet in the slide, and the floor. This is the problem side. There wasn't a lot of room here with the slide in to get this picture, so the camera is only about a foot away from the carpet... makes the problem look even worse. I'd say that gap is about 1.5 inches.

Second pic shows what this is doing to the cabinet on that corner. I have glued it back together with strong wood glue, and what you don't see is a piece of Oak flooring that I clamped and glued inside that cabinet so I could run screws through from the outside (you see one of them in this shot) to try and keep this board from popping out - didn't make a difference

third pic shows why my door won't close.. the hardware is out of alignment, but this isn't the case when the slide is out. The flex is enough that when the slide is out, that hardware lines up perfectly.

4th pic I think is the bracket you asked about. This looks ok.

Last pic is the right side of the slide out, this also looks ok.

[Tunce the traveler]

First and last picture appear to be normal conditions when closed. Second pic, well That shouldn't happen at all but if you sit in the dinette when closed it will break the dinette up just like that. Third pic as you know happens when center sags ( one reason my board is needed for center support). Jayco will tell you that's normal. Conditions at the bracket when slide is in and no center support ( board on floor) looks very good and better than the way most look. If I didn't use that board my dinette back would be at most no more than 1/4" away from the very end of that bracket.

[bansai]

Cool, thank you for taking the time to look it over. I've made sure the whole family knows to stay out of the slide when it's in. My wife weights about 100 lbs (wet) and my daughter maybe 50. I know I haven't sat in it. They've both told me they haven't either, but that's normal around here whenever there's a problem with something. The cabinet problems showed initial symptoms during our PDI, but now require more than just adjusting the hardware.

I'll try and get the dealer to fix up that cabinet. We can't have the door swinging open and banging into stuff when on the road. When I'm out of warranty I will probably rebuild that entire dinette. Nobody is sleeping in that area anyway, there's only 3 of us.