Front slide plastic trim

[Klbrown53]

Hey folks,

I am finally getting to the little things that I have noticed that annoy me.

The video is today on the way home taken of my left mirror looking at the drivers side of the RV and can be seen in the you tube video below. That is the bottom of the front slide trim flapping. It has been doing this since new and I have been thinking of how I might support it better since the factory did not do anything to support it.

But, upon closer examination I found that there are already two cracks that have formed in the plastic. Poor design in my opinion or maybe just poor execution on whoever installed the lower plastic trim.

Is anyone else having this issue?

I really, really don't want to take it to a dealer and have them hold it for any amount of time. We have places to go and things to do.......

http://youtu.be/834iOfOGkf4



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[Klbrown53]

Going to try to bump this back up to the top to see if anyone else is having this problem.

I heard from one other 8314bss owner and they have noticed it in their rear view mirror also but have not seen any cracks in the plastic yet. I just figured there were other models that we're having it also. It looks like they just did not support the plastic trim sufficiently on the front slide.

Anyone?


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[rooti]

Those are some pretty nasty cracks. You will eventually have to take it to the dealer to have it fixed so you may as well make them install a support. I'm going to eventually fab a mount, looks pretty easy to do. But if it cracks before I get around to it then I will bring it in. If that's the worst thing that happens, I'll be happy. So far this has been the best new trailer I've owned for quality control.

It's funny that I was just watching the same thing in my mirrors a few weeks ago before I found out about yours.

On another note, How do you inflate the air bed on the sofa? Do I need to bring an electric pump or is there on built in. I've never even made it into a bed yet...

[Klbrown53]

Rooti,

I have been thinking about a fix for it. I found some aluminum bars about 1/8 inch thick and I have already bent one to fit on that front panel. But, I will have to drill a couple of holes to mount it. Still thinking about it at this point. I was just hoping that someone else has been through it before. Since mine is already cracked I may hold off and see if they will replace the panel and if they do not reinforce it then I may do it.

We have used our air mattress a couple of times and there was a built in storage opening with a plastic lid on the end of the mattress that stored the 110volt electric cord and the knob to inflate and deflate was clearly visible right beside it.

First time we used ours for the grand kids it leaked by the next night enough that I had to air it again. The last time we used it though it held air for the two nights that we had the kids. I think it is fairly typical for an air mattress to leak the first few times it is used. I bought a twin size Intek air mattress for around the house and the instructions came right out and said that it would leak the first few times you used it.


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[donanddona]

Had some trouble the second year we owned ours. It was the first winterizing. We stayed with our son and the ice forming from water dripping off the RV roof formed big ice chunks. Don't know for sure if this caused it but it hasn't reoccurred since winter snow birding.

[OldCoot]

Did this to our 08Flagstaff831RLSS and took them off and installed on 12Flagstaff 8528RKWS when it was new. I laid cut them out and oldest son welded them.

[rooti]

Old coot that is a clean job. Any chance of you making a few of those and selling them to some of us that do not weld. That looks much cleaner then a bracket.

If you can't make anymore, how about about a more detailed build

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by rooti

Old coot that is a clean job. Any chance of you making a few of those and selling them to some of us that do not weld. That looks much cleaner then a bracket.

If you can't make anymore, how about about a more detailed build

They have to be custom fit to the contour. If you cut a cardboard pattern and send it to me, I will see what can be done.

[Klbrown53]

Really nice OldCoot.

What about the curb side? Assume you attached with screws. If so, how many? How visible are the screws from the outside?


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[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Klbrown53

Really nice OldCoot.

What about the curb side? Assume you attached with screws. If so, how many? How visible are the screws from the outside?

No slides on curb side except wardrobe slide in bedroom. Attached them with 4 or 5 big head 3/16" white pop rivets to match the trim.

[Klbrown53]

Sorry, I didn't mean curbside.

Let's try it this way. Both of my slides are on the drivers side.

Pop rivets sounds like a good idea except that I wouldn't know how to put them on.

Is there someplace you can get a kit for putting pop rivets on?

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Klbrown53

Sorry, I didn't mean curbside.

Let's try it this way. Both of my slides are on the drivers side.

Pop rivets sounds like a good idea except that I wouldn't know how to put them on.

Is there someplace you can get a kit for putting pop rivets on?

Lowes/HD or just about any hardware store, ebay, Amazon.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Lowes/HD or just about any hardware store, ebay, Amazon.

You know that as much I have been around your unit, I never noticed that at all. I'm telling you it's better then the factory would do. And here I thought I seen all your mods. Looks great and nice welding job as always....

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

You know that as much I have been around your unit, I never noticed that at all. I'm telling you it's better then the factory would do. And here I thought I seen all your mods. Looks great and nice welding job as always....

Thanks Glenn and Mardy does do good welding.

[donanddona]

Looks professionally done for sure....

[Makoto]

I am curious to know if anyone has had to replace the plastic trim on the end of the slides. If so, where did you order the trim from. I have a 2011 8314BSS Signature Ultralite.

A couple years back , while leaving my mother's house in Ohio, I had a sharp turn on the narrow drive way behind her house. I had navigated the turn without incident several times before, but on this occasion the corner of a fence jumped out and caught the edge of the living room slide. It broke and bent the support and aluminum skirt and cracked the the corner/edge trim piece pretty good. But thankfully no damage to the slide itself. I took it off so it would not flap around. Straightened the skirt, and made a new support from some scrap aluminum my brother had. Been towing for 3 years like that, but wince when I walk around and see that trim piece missing. Be meaning to visit body shop to see if they could fabricate one based on the broken one. But finding the piece already made (and hopefully at a reasonable cost) would most likely be easier.

Anyone have any ideas on where I should look?

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Makoto

I am curious to know if anyone has had to replace the plastic trim on the end of the slides. If so, where did you order the trim from. I have a 2011 8314BSS Signature Ultralite.

A couple years back , while leaving my mother's house in Ohio, I had a sharp turn on the narrow drive way behind her house. I had navigated the turn without incident several times before, but on this occasion the corner of a fence jumped out and caught the edge of the living room slide. It broke and bent the support and aluminum skirt and cracked the the corner/edge trim piece pretty good. But thankfully no damage to the slide itself. I took it off so it would not flap around. Straightened the skirt, and made a new support from some scrap aluminum my brother had. Been towing for 3 years like that, but wince when I walk around and see that trim piece missing. Be meaning to visit body shop to see if they could fabricate one based on the broken one. But finding the piece already made (and hopefully at a reasonable cost) would most likely be easier.

Anyone have any ideas on where I should look?

You have 3 places I think or would try. 1) RV salvage yard, I know they have one in Goshen, you might check the phone book. 2) I would call the warranty Service Manager for Rockwood at the factory. Even through they say you can't order parts I have twice, Tell them the jam your in. 3) as last resort call a dealer or a private RV repair shop. I have one here in Virginia, and they order parts all the time and do not have such a mark up like them FR dealers.

[rooti]

Well I finally had tp take make Rockwood in for warranty work because the rear stab jack wasn't working. It was always made way more noise then the front one. They had to replace it with a brand new one.

I mentioned the plastic piece of the slide that was always flapping back and forth on the freeway and told them it should be braced. Forest river approved to pay to have it done. So I took the lazy way out before it cracked.

Ken, we'll be at Mckinney falls in June if you want to meet up.

[Klbrown53]

I took ours in to the dealer a couple of months ago and as usual they did pretty much nothing. So, I contacted Forest River about it and sent them the video and pictures. They sent me a new trim panel along with another item the dealer could not seem to fix. I finally got around to installing my version of the brace but I installed it behind the old trim piece to verify that it was going to work and more importantly in case I screwed it up. It isn't as nice looking as Oldcoot's but hey, it is really effective. On the way home today it barely moved. Seems it removes about 90% of the flapping. And, the strap and screws I used are available at Home Depot. I was going to pop rivit it but used screws, lock washers and a nut instead. You cannot see the loop but in the pictures I looped the bar over and stuck it up into the lower opening of the aluminum frame of the slide and then drilled a hole through it for screw. And of course at the bottom I used another screw. I think that it might be even more effective had I shaped the bar for a tighter fit but I bent it by hand with a pair of pliers and vice grips so I was limited on how perfect I could make the curve. I am going to run it this way for awhile and at some point install the new panel they sent me and maybe clean it up a bit.

P.S. Forest River extended warranty is up in December and it is my intention to never take our trailer back to the selling dealer.


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[2sparkys]

I have the same problem on our 3065W. The screws that support the trim piece on the drivers side (bedroom slide) are cracking through the trim piece due to excessive flapping while in motion. Maybe my dealer can help. I need to probably take it in anyway as the IRV 66 entertainment system has multiple issues..... Glad to hear that the dealer could help. It's a 2 hour drive for us