Leaving the slides out

[MtnGoat]

My rig doubles as a "man cave" when parked in our yard. Rather than exercise the slides each time, I'm considering to leave them open and cover with an over size tarp.



Any thoughts or "don't do its"?

[norty1]

Mine stays open unless the winds are high and it's rainy. No tarp but mine is a metal carport.

[Flashdman11]

I lived in mine for 16 months and never closed them once. I thought about getting those slide supports but never did and all still works fine.

[Murff]

Originally Posted by Flashdman11

I lived in mine for 16 months and never closed them once. I thought about getting those slide supports but never did and all still works fine.

DO NOT EVER USE SLIDE SUPPORTS!

If your slides are out for an extended length of time, your tires may lose some pressure. As the main part of your trailer sags, it puts more weight on the slide supports pushing up on them and straining the slide mechanism!

Murff

[spoon059]

Why do you need to tarp them?

[Jim Smyth]

We built a summer home and made a dedicated camping site there (full hookup) for guests with campers. So my 5th wheel is parked there 5 months a year and the slides stay out all the time unless were on the road camping. The slides are built to stay out so no worries and no need for tarps unless you have leaks and then its time to fix those.

[Tunce the traveler]

My slide is about 11foot long and I leave it out all winter long from Nov. to April.

[MtnGoat]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Why do you need to tarp them?

I try to tarp our rig during the unused months. For the sake of roof longevity. Likewise the slide tops. I normally leave the slides in. But this new to us Eagle is too comfortable to just let it sit closed up for the winter.

[Jerry713]

I think having the slides out is easier on the seals. Slides out also allows you to keep the slide seals lubed and maintained.

[RAurand]

I lube my seals 2 times a year. Inside and outside seals.
I also keep my slide closed if I am not living in the trailer (camping).

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by MtnGoat

I try to tarp our rig during the unused months. For the sake of roof longevity. Likewise the slide tops. I normally leave the slides in. But this new to us Eagle is too comfortable to just let it sit closed up for the winter.

Tarps are generally not recommended for an RV roof. The wind starts flapping and it can wear through the roof. It also traps moisture under the tarp and can cause damage to the roof membrane. A breathable cover would be a better option, but I don't think it will actually do anything for longevity. Routine maintenance and caulking at the walls is the most important.

[Bayoutalker]

We have lived in ours full time for 5 years now with the slides out except the odd times we had to move it. No problems so far.

[CBCOCRBO]

Our rig is permanently parked at a seasonal RV park and stays there year round. I use adjustable slide jacks on my super slide but I also use them along the main frame on both sides. I have four of them along each side equally spaced as well as the unit stabilizers and two on the slide. Amazing !!!! no movement at all. When we first got the unit with the bigger slide out I could feel the trailer moving when we moved around. I routinely check all of the jacks for tightness and adjust if necessary. Plus having the jacks on the frame takes the weight off the tires. If I didn't use jacks on the main frame I would install pressure treated timber cribbing instead. Cheers, Rick

[Kim Gass]

We don't have slides so hypothetical question.

Do they ever freeze open.. It snows here a lot and often snowstorms finish with freezing rain then the temp plummets below zero F.

We sometimes have to bang on the rig to deice it before heading south as slabs of ice coming off it are potentially lethal.

I don't see any slides open in the RV lots around here ( dealers) most everyone stores their owned RV at home. Would love to hear from folks who still get 100-150 inches of snow a year but with warming, more frequent freezing rain.

[CBCOCRBO]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

We don't have slides so hypothetical question.

Do they ever freeze open.. It snows here a lot and often snowstorms finish with freezing rain then the temp plummets below zero F.

We sometimes have to bang on the rig to deice it before heading south as slabs of ice coming off it are potentially lethal.

I don't see any slides open in the RV lots around here ( dealers) most everyone stores their owned RV at home. Would love to hear from folks who still get 100-150 inches of snow a year but with warming, more frequent freezing rain.

We close up our unit at the end of September and the slide is also closed so have never had to worry about the mechanism freezing. I would be less concerned with the closing mechanism as it is protected and more concerned about ice build up on the slide roof, roof seals, and side seals. If your camping in winter weather and running a lot of heat there will be thermal bridging which will melt snow and freeze. A common example of this is older homes with poor insulation in the attic which end up with huge ice dams at the eave edge. Also banging on the ice to release it may work but you could inadvertently damage your rig. Cheers from Rick.

[Kim Gass]

True banging on the rig to get ice off may damage it but we are pretty good at it.. It is less destructive than losing ice off the roof on the Turnpike and causing injury to others ( and it is a felony too) We leave for Florida in January and return in mid March.

[poohbear]

Other than when traveling, our slides have been out for 6+ years. However it's under a roof & has slide toppers.
We have kept it under a roof since new except for about 2years when we retired and rented a lot at Lake Fork then built a rv pad & roof at our farm & we have been living in the rv since early June while we are building our new home