Leave my tip outs open through the winter or bring them in?

[Kokaholic]

Im looking for input from all that care to share. I live in Utah and we get some snow throughout the winter. Im looking for everyone’s thoughts on leaving my three tip outs extended out during the winter or do I want to keep them all pulled in? Im not using it through the winter but looking to see what is best. Really doesn’t matter to me either way.However if i choose to go inside and work on my RV on projects through the winter, its much easier with them out. Thanks for sharing !!!

[007matman]

Lol. I had to look up what a tip-out is. I assume you mean a slide out or on a hybrid camper the pop-out.

I would leave them in for storage in the winter. Much easier to make sure it's watertight and snow load can cause damage as they typically aren't built to handle that much load.

[kenandterry]

Certainly for the winter season.....
But if I’m not using the RV for a substantial time, I pull the slide outs in. On my rig I have toppers and the additional weight from snow and ice can’t be a good thing.
Just my opinion.

[B and B]

If it its a park model with tip-outs leave them out. I had a Golden Falcon park model and our stayed out all the time.

[itat]

Your profile says you have a Sabre so when you say "tip out" you're talking about slide outs. ("Tip outs" would be appropriate for a hybrid camper with tent ends that literally tip out.)

I would put them in for winter storage to protect the seals. If you want to put them out to work inside, warm it up inside first. The seals are drawn inside when you close the slide so once the seals are warmed up they'll be more pliable. Then put the slides out.

[bikendan]

Tip outs are the old school term for slideouts, from when they first arrived into the RV market.
Personally I would NEVER leave my slideouts out, in that kind of weather unless I was using it.

[amblt]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Tip outs are the old school term for slideouts, from when they first arrived into the RV market.
Personally I would NEVER leave my slideouts out, in that kind of weather unless I was using it.

I've also recently heard some refer to "bump outs". What that is , I'm not sure, but whatever they are, bring them in. I do.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by amblt

I've also recently heard some refer to "bump outs". What that is , I'm not sure, but whatever they are, bring them in. I do.

Yep, "bump outs" is another one.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Tip outs are the old school term for slideouts, from when they first arrived into the RV market.
Personally I would NEVER leave my slideouts out, in that kind of weather unless I was using it.

While all of the terms basically refer to expandable space, I'm more used to 'tip-out' being like the tip out on my parent's park model that literally tipped out. It is hinged at the bottom, and is rotated 90 degrees into place once the unit was in place. Here's an image shamelessly grabbed from the internet as a representation:



Note the curved roofline, this is to accommodate the rotational aspect of the tip out.

Not sure how the 'bump out' or 'pop out' fits into the equation, but slide outs on the other hand, are a box that literally 'slide' out of the side of the rig, without rotating (unless your Schwintek breaks. )

Edit: Almost forgot to answer the OP.

If yours are true tip outs, as shown above, then leave them out year round. If it's a slide out, like this:



Than you probably want to bring them in. You don't want to have snow piled up on the roof if you can avoid it. And even if you have slide toppers, the slide topper won't hold up to the weight of much snow.

P.S. Here's a site that better explains tip outs, with several shots of it in different stages:

How to prepare a trailer with a “tip out“ for transport. | Titanic Trailer Services - Trailer Towing, Boat Towing, Flatbed

[derek6669]

I would definately leave slide/tip out in for winter . Snow load could damage the slide/tip out awning covers, not to mention the close position is the best weather proof position

[rockfordroo]

Last spring, someone on here had a shot of his trailer with several feet of snow on it. He had a pretty long slide out and the weight of the snow buckled the sidewall and roof above the slide. As I recall, I believe he said it was a mile or two from the main road, and he had to walk to get to it; couldn't even pull it out until the snow melted. So whether you have it in or out, if you're in a high snow area in Utah, you will want to keep the roof cleared as much as possible.

Tried some searching, but couldn't find the thread.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Last spring, someone on here had a shot of his trailer with several feet of snow on it. He had a pretty long slide out and the weight of the snow buckled the sidewall and roof above the slide. As I recall, I believe he said it was a mile or two from the main road, and he had to walk to get to it; couldn't even pull it out until the snow melted. So whether you have it in or out, if you're in a high snow area in Utah, you will want to keep the roof cleared as much as possible.

Tried some searching, but couldn't find the thread.

Yep, I remember that thread and the pics.
IMHO, it only takes seconds to put it out. Why risk damage and leaks?

[Chuck_S]

Only place I've seen a tip-out was on a mobile home and that was really there just for manufacturing convenience since mobile homes are not mobile unless you can find cement blocks with wheels. In that case just leave it open.

As far as I'm concerned anything that doesn't stick out naturally when the trailer is being towed should be closed anytime it isn't being towed. This includes drop down hybrid beds, slideouts, etc. Look at all the leaves and bird poop on top of these on just a weekend camping and imagine it multiplied by a large factor. The awning on my slide stops a lot of this off but it can still be gross when I slide it back in.

Regional differences can come into play here. Some folks, for bizarre reasons, call "pop" "soda" and in some regions everything is "coke" as in "I'll have an orange coke please." Orange pop, of course, is the correct term but we'll know what you mean.

-- Chuck

[blufrog1]

A few years ago I chose to leave my slide out i(in Washington). Unbeknown to me the rear seal leaked badly causing me a ton of floor damage. When I went to use it in the spring the floor around the rear seal was covered in a white rubber like mold about 1 inch thick, carpets, wall board and trim were ruined, the sub floor was rotten (about $5000 damage). Based upon my experience, I will never leave them out and unattended again.

[JohnD10]

Bottom line...

If you are not going to use it while parked, then why bother leaving the slides out?