Slide Out Awning Topper Adjustment?

[RKC02]

Hello All. I am so grateful to have this resource to find answers to questions on nearly any subject regarding the Berkshire. Many thanks to everyone!

The slide topper for the dinette is pooling a lot of water and I was considering a tension adjustment. The manufacturers manual (Carefree of Colorado) does not mention or cover adjustment - only replacement. Searching the internet brought conflicting actions from placing a support (beach balls, PVC frames, etc.) under the topper, to tightening the torsion bar. Tightening the torsion comes with many warnings of the force involved and potential for injury along with the possibility that further tightening can negatively affect the slide out operation by preventing the slide from fully deploying.

So the question is what actions have been taken to resolve the water pooling issue? My toppers do not seem to flap excessively and I don't want to hurt the slide mechanism, so I am leaning towards a support of some kind.
Please let me know what other solutions have been used or if adding torsion to the spring is the answer. Thanks again!

[Mdaniels4]

I used a pvc frame for a couple of years on ours. But they eventually kept getting more and more worn. I was going to replace them but traded the trailer before I did. On the cottage I'm going to build lightweight triangular frames covered in a good pvc tarp material and bungee that to the trailer. This will keep the junk off the slide roofs. We have so much tree dump they get really bad.

[Oscarvan]

Two out of my three toppers are fine, one pools. (The kitchen). I don't think it's a tension issue, it's a sagging issue, as in shape deformation. The edges are tensioned just fine, but there are low spots in the middle. As the water pools they get worse. The edges are multiple layers of fabric with stitching and stretch a lot less than the single layer of fabric in the middle.

All it took was one snow load on mine to get the sagging started.

So I see two options. Beach balls or anything else to bring the low spots up, or replacing it. and start fresh.

I use the beach balls when I'm parked for a while, for one or two nights I just run it in and out to get the puddle off and let it dry after a rain.

It would be interesting to experiment with some webbing sewn onto the fabric to maintain shape in certain directions.

[Igave]

The issue for us is going down the road. They pull out, billow a couple feet or so, and flap/beat the heck out of the coach. Once in awhile they'll billow out far enough to ratchet back-then starts all over again. The tension spring (there is only one side on this model) can't hold it rolled up. It happened to us today all day with strong crosswinds. I'm either going to have to replace them or take them off. We can live with some flapping while set up, but not the going down the road issue.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by Igave

The issue for us is going down the road. They pull out, billow a couple feet or so, and flap/beat the heck out of the coach. Once in awhile they'll billow out far enough to ratchet back-then starts all over again. The tension spring (there is only one side on this model) can't hold it rolled up. It happened to us today all day with strong crosswinds. I'm either going to have to replace them or take them off. We can live with some flapping while set up, but not the going down the road issue.

That should not be happening! Since you have a 2016, are you still in warranty? If so, take it in to get fixed ASAP. FR has a new warranty policy now that allows local dealers to order replacement parts direct without having to go through the old FR policy of "return defective part before you can order a new one" procedure.

Even if you are not within your 1 year "total" warranty, take a look at your carefree brochure - a lot of the components on a Berkshire have a longer warranty than the 1 year provided by FR.

Worst case, I would call Randy and explain your situation and see what he is willing to do.

[Oscarvan]

If no one is willing to do anything you will have to fabricate a locking mechanism of some sort.

[Igave]

Well, if nothing else I should keep in shape crawling up and down all the time🤣

[gordonsick]

On our 2015 34QS, the wind-side slide toppers billow out badly if the crosswind is 30 mph or more. Happens on front, rear, left and right slides, not just the long kitchen slide.

I had some 50-60 mph cross winds while travelling south through Wyoming and Colorado (where winds like this are fairly common) and the kitchen slide topper blew out so badly that it pulled the front end of the roll-up rod out of its socket. That prevented the topper from retracting. Serious and continuous billowing that threatened to dislodge the whole roller. So, I climbed up on top and cut the topper off with a pair of scissors. (Secured it with some cable ties.) This slide is very long and has no centre support, so if the rod comes out, it will be a dangerous flapping object on my roof. I can imagine damage to the air conditioners, roof and perhaps some broken windows if that happened.

I contacted Mike Bukowski at Forest River (Diesel Division) and explained that the installation must be faulty if the slides billow that badly. He said he would contact Carefree, but he never got back to me, even though I asked again.

Looks like I'm on the hook to pay for a repair and upgrade, and I must say that this is certainly the most disappointment I've had with FR on their product support.

I notice that the 2017 34QS has a vertical panel outside the roller (I'm not sure of the name) installed to prevent a side wind from coming in and billowing. I think I'll have to install one of these plus one new slide topper. These parts have to be ordered to a precise length, so I haven't gotten up to do the measurements yet. Way too cold here.

How hard is it to install the new slide topper? I've seen videos on how to replace a slide topper, but that has you extend the slide and put a pin in to hold the spring from retracting while you slide in the toppers. In my case, I guess I have to install the topper on the roller and then pull that assembly into the outside wall. Then, I assume that I must retract the slide, put a modest amount of roll-up tension on the roller, remove the front roller end cap, put it in place and replace the cap.

Has anybody done this and are there better instructions? Is it hard to arrange shipping of such a long item (especially to Canada)?

–Gordon

[gordonsick]

I think that the item I want is the Carefree Slide-Out Cover SOKIII.
http://www.e-carefree.com/docs/pc201...heetSOKIII.pdf
Has anybody installed one of these?
–cheers, Gordon

[billmacl]

Originally Posted by RKC02

Hello All. I am so grateful to have this resource to find answers to questions on nearly any subject regarding the Berkshire. Many thanks to everyone!

The slide topper for the dinette is pooling a lot of water and I was considering a tension adjustment. The manufacturers manual (Carefree of Colorado) does not mention or cover adjustment - only replacement. Searching the internet brought conflicting actions from placing a support (beach balls, PVC frames, etc.) under the topper, to tightening the torsion bar. Tightening the torsion comes with many warnings of the force involved and potential for injury along with the possibility that further tightening can negatively affect the slide out operation by preventing the slide from fully deploying.

So the question is what actions have been taken to resolve the water pooling issue? My toppers do not seem to flap excessively and I don't want to hurt the slide mechanism, so I am leaning towards a support of some kind.
Please let me know what other solutions have been used or if adding torsion to the spring is the answer. Thanks again!

Slide Topper Support System | Ross RV Innovations this is what I use..

[billmacl]

Slide Topper Support System | Ross RV Innovations
This is what I use.. Not cheap but really works great, adjustable & takes very little room when deflated.. Vey strong material

[teamromano]

I've got the same issue with my 2015 Berk 40bh, it's happened a couple time. I had 2 replaced but the other side is now doing it... Like you said it's only in bad cross winds and once it comes out it's a real issue to deal with it on the side of the road in the wind.

Originally Posted by Igave

The issue for us is going down the road. They pull out, billow a couple feet or so, and flap/beat the heck out of the coach. Once in awhile they'll billow out far enough to ratchet back-then starts all over again. The tension spring (there is only one side on this model) can't hold it rolled up. It happened to us today all day with strong crosswinds. I'm either going to have to replace them or take them off. We can live with some flapping while set up, but not the going down the road issue.

[18CrewDually]

Originally Posted by Igave

The issue for us is going down the road. They pull out, billow a couple feet or so, and flap/beat the heck out of the coach. Once in awhile they'll billow out far enough to ratchet back-then starts all over again. The tension spring (there is only one side on this model) can't hold it rolled up. It happened to us today all day with strong crosswinds. I'm either going to have to replace them or take them off. We can live with some flapping while set up, but not the going down the road issue.

Originally Posted by teamromano

I've got the same issue with my 2015 Berk 40bh, it's happened a couple time. I had 2 replaced but the other side is now doing it... Like you said it's only in bad cross winds and once it comes out it's a real issue to deal with it on the side of the road in the wind.

I installed my toppers. Both came with a lever that mounted to the tube. It has a rubberized foot that when the slides are in it bumps the side so that the topper tube can not spin, eliminating any chance of the topper coming out.
The add-on lever is called an anti-billowing device. I bet you'd of never guessed.[emoji6]

[Igave]

It seems that the model of Carefree covers we have do not have those and doesn't sound as though they can be added. We talked at length with Carefree and have it going to an rv technician who's an authorized Carefree dealer/warranty shop. They're going to try to invent something that can be added before thinking about replacing them.

[dave-g]

The previous owner of my 390bh had a similar issue. He add aluminum covers to all the toppers- solved the problem (lucky for me). Also protects them from weather when closed up.

[jmgllt]

Originally Posted by dave-g

The previous owner of my 390bh had a similar issue. He add aluminum covers to all the toppers- solved the problem (lucky for me). Also protects them from weather when closed up.

What kind of aluminum covers?

[tmmar]

I purchased aluminum covers from a company named ShadePro in California and the covers that were delivered came from Carefree of Colorado. They are located in California and I dealt with a person named Justin, who was very helpful. Their number is (619)328-1620. It took my wife and I about 45 minutes to install the 4 covers. The only reason I needed help is due to the length of the covers. They are not very heavy and each cover needs 2 screws on each end, which are supplied with the covers.

The numbers of the covers I ordered for my 2014 Berkshire 390BH are:
BLK UP CASE FOR ZL134
BLK UP CASE FOR ZL144
BLK UP CASE FOR ZL156
BLK UP CASE FOR ZL068
http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/do...SOKIII-IPL.pdf
The cover is labeled part no 12 on the above document.

[dan-nickie]

Tom do the covers attract and hold leaves.

If I recall, it was about a thousand bucks for the whole set?

[tmmar]

Yes- somewhat and the set was less than $1000 (3 years ago). But, you have to weigh the cost of the covers to cost of a new slide topper plus installation..

[Oscarvan]

My 2017 came with covers. There is a gap between the canvas roll and the cover where upon retraction MOST crap that's sitting on top of the topper passes through and then falls down. If it's really bad when we've been under a tree for a week, or if there's large pieces I go up there with a leaf blower before retracting. (I always do a roof inspection before departure if we've been somewhere for more than a few hours.)

The covers DO keep the thing from unfurling.

After reading all of the above I would encourage OP to either install the covers, or get up there and see if there is a "brake" he can fabricate out of a dense foam or rubber.

The only other thing I can think of is to see if there is a way, and I bet there is, to disassemble the torque end of the topper and see if it can be re-assembled with more pre-tension.

Something along the lines of what's happening here: http://www.adventure.1tree.net/index...awning-tension

WATCH YOUR FINGERS!