Dining slideout slanted

[gramela]

Hi- we have a 2010 palomino elite with three slideouts. Just got it this spring. The bunks slide out no problem and are in the proper position. However- when we pull-out the dining slide-out the end of the table that's further to the outside slants down....any ideas?? We r pulling all the way out but know that something is off. Trailer is in exceptional condition and we know the previous owners took great care of it. Not sure if we are missing something or have to take it in to get looked at? Thanks in advance for reading and maybe answering

[SeaDog]

I believe on that unit you have supporting brackets on both sides of the slide when it is extended check those brackets to ensure they are supporting the way they should and adjust if not. Let the forum know what you find and how you correct it.

[gramela]

Will do- thanks for the advice. Will let you know when we open it up again this week.

[kinma13]

My dinner slide does slant too and the dealer said it was suppose to. Not to use any supports. But mines a pop up tents.

[gramela]

Originally Posted by kinma13

My dinner slide does slant too and the dealer said it was suppose to. Not to use any supports. But mines a pop up tents.

Oh that's good to know- thanks! Will look into that further....ours is a pop-up as well.

[jimmoore13]

Something to look for.
If the camper saw a lot of service on gravel roads and off-road, there's always a chance that some bolts loosened and the tilt is due to that. I do a lot of boondocking 15 to 20 miles into washboard gravel roads, and I'm always tightening and replacing fasteners that vibrate out.

But, my dinette slide is level and sturdy despite my 250+ pounds.

It would be a good idea to pull out the slide, have a partner to assist, grab a flashlight and take a close look. I also recommend having some jack stands or other safety support like blocking in place just in case. No need to get crushed.

Keep an open mind as to what you're looking for, and have your partner move the slide in and out a bit--and watch what happens as it "sags". Then have your partner(s) lift the slide (don't use the handle to lift) when it's fully extended and see what happens. Work slowly and look for "slop" in the mechanism. Look for loose bolts on the slide frame, a loose roller mount between the fixed frame and the movable frame (or however the slide operates) and so on.

If there's nothing wrong, great. But if there is, the whole slide could fail and collapse with people in the dinette area, and that could hurt someone and/or damage the RV.

One of the most notorious practices of any vehicle repair shop is to claim that "they all do that." The fact is, they don't. Engineers and manufacturers don't make things that sag right out of the box. The slide should come straight out and be almost as solid as the main tub of the trailer. A "U"-shaped dinette is designed to hold as many as 6 adults, so it certainly should not sag under its own weight. And let's face it. Your dining table NEEDS to be level if you want to keep the coffee in your cup.

[CharliePl]

If the camper saw a lot of service on gravel roads and off-road, there's always a chance that some bolts loosened and the tilt is due to that. I do a lot of boondocking 15 to 20 miles into washboard gravel roads, and I'm always tightening and replacing fasteners that vibrate out.

I just bought a Flagstaff HW27SC and am intending to tow down many a gravel road to boondock. Any particular tips you might have would be very much appreciated. You cannot possibly be too detailed for me. Thanks!

[Jeff_and_Abby]

For what it's worth, check whether or not the slide is square and level itself, relative to the main body. No point chasing a big issue if it's just the table that is a bit off.

[SeaDog]

Originally Posted by CharliePl

I just bought a Flagstaff HW27SC and am intending to tow down many a gravel road to boondock. Any particular tips you might have would be very much appreciated. You cannot possibly be too detailed for me. Thanks!

Hey CharliePI you may get a much better response to your question if you start your own thread. It is called hijacking a thread when you ask an off thread question in the middle of a discussion not a big deal all of us have done it. I'll look for the thread and give you my thoughts.

[CharliePl]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Hey CharliePI you may get a much better response to your question if you start your own thread. It is called hijacking a thread when you ask an off thread question in the middle of a discussion not a big deal all of us have done it. I'll look for the thread and give you my thoughts.

Sorry, certainly didn't mean to be rude. He mentioned boondocking so I thought I'd ask. In any case, I started a thread and will be grateful for any input. Again, my apologies.

Tent Campers and Pop Ups - Forest River Forums

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by CharliePl

I just bought a Flagstaff HW27SC and am intending to tow down many a gravel road to boondock. Any particular tips you might have would be very much appreciated. You cannot possibly be too detailed for me. Thanks!

This does deserve its own thread, but I have some suggestions.

1. Get a good Viar or similar tire pump.
2. When you hit the gravel roads, let some air out of the tires. If the correct air pressure is 50 pounds, try 35 pounds. This is a "4-wheeler" trick. The soft tires cushion the ride and conform to small rocks, washboard, and so on.
3. Inflate the tires to the proper pressure when you return to pavement.
4. Keep your speed down. If washboard is rattling your teeth in your truck, it's shaking the camper apart. If you tow with a pickup that has a live rear axle, the truck will keep you informed about the washboard. But if you tow with a "crossover" SUV or a "car," the car-like suspension will not tell you how bad things are in the camper. Your camper is stiffly sprung, and it does not have shock absorbers. That's a recipe for a really rough ride. On the road to our favorite sites (15 to 20 miles into the woods), I was going between 10 and 20 MPH most of the time and occasionally hit 25 MPH...and I had to replace 2 fillings when I got home.
5. When possible...and with great caution, drive on the left side of the road going uphill. The washboard will be less on what is the downhill side. Just be prepared to move over for oncoming traffic.
6. Get a plastic, divided storage container, and lay in a supply of nuts, bolts and screws of all types. You'll need the spares. Estimate sizes and get oversized replacements. Also put a set of drill bits in the camper or your truck tool box. You'll have a drill...see that later.
7. Bring a well equipped tool box. Nothing fancy, but a little of everything from a 4-way screw driver, to mini screw drivers, to pliers, adjustable wrench, vice grips, wire ties, wire cutters, a crimp connector set with some connectors, a socket set (both SAE and Metric), at least a small set of SAE combination wrenches, "water pump" pliers, a multi-tip screw driver that includes torx bits, square bits, an so on, Gorilla glue and Gorilla (best duct) tape ...and whatever else your toolbox will fit. THEN ALSO put a 4 way screwdriver and a set of pliers in the silverware drawer in the camper. When you spot a screw or nut on the floor, you want to be able to take care of it immediately.
8. If you have hardware that routinely comes apart. gets loose, falls out, do one of two things: 1) with screws, get Gorilla glue and put glue in the screw hole and on the threads...follow directions to use water; 2) Get red LocTite for the bolts. These keep things from falling apart.
9. Check all your nuts/bolts and screws on arrival and upon returning home if you open the camper. Things DO come apart, and the best thing you can do is check and fix immediately.
10. Patrol the floor for screws, nuts, and so on. Don't expect to find everything. Some of it will be under the slide, caught in corners, and so on. Look for hardware every trip. If you don't know where it goes now, you'll find out soon enough.
11. Check the screws on your furnace. The interior grill appears to "bolt" thru to the body of the furnace. If you hear odd rumbling from the furnace, tighten the two screws on the front panel. More than likely that will fix it.
12. Get knee pads...you'll spend a lot of time on your knees setting stabilizer jacks, draining gray water and dumping black, and so on....forever. Knee pads. :-)
13. Get a good cordless drill and adapter for the jacks. Guess what? If your lift motor fails, your drill will raise and lower the camper roof. Been there, done that.
14. Watch your stairs. I've bent mine on rocks and so on several times. You can straighten them. A big rock, used as a hammer, will get you through the camping trip. A home, a 6 to 8 pound sledge does a good job of getting them back in shape. FYI, there are times you need two big hammers and a person to hold one against the steel you want to straighten while you hit with the other. This is a process called "backing up", and it's commonly used by body mechanics to straighten dents. The "backup hammer" is placed where you DON'T want movement, and the striking hammer is able to bend steel elsewhere. Whether you need this depends on how much you bent the steps frame. Mine's as good as new, but it's been through the war a few times.
15. If you're going to do a LOT of boondocking, and especially if you're going to go "overland" rather than just on gravel roads, be prepared to clean some important stuff off the bottom of your camper. Best prevention? Raise the the body of the camper by "flipping" the axle. If you have a "torque" axle, ask the dealer. Add larger wheels and tires -but be careful to ensure that the clearance is adequate. You see "offroad" versions of most small campers, and you can emulate that effect by what is commonly referred to as flipping the axle. Again, ask the dealer.
16. Check ALL your gray drain plumbing. If you have a HW, you'll have a sink with conventional J traps. This stuff rattles apart. Tighten it and then duct tape the joints to keep things together. LOOK UNDER THE CAMPER. I had a "Y" connector crack and leak. I replaced it with what's called a "Fernco" adapter. These are rubber and take the shock. It actually took several Ferncos and some spare pipe to do the repair. but the rubber absorbs shock and won't break.
17. Grease your ball and coupler, then clean them if they accumulate dust. Get a rubber ball cover for the hitch ball when it's not in use.
18. Go solar. I repeat...GO SOLAR. It's awesome, and you'll never run out of 12-volt power.
19. Learn all you can about batteries and chargers. MANY people ruin perfectly wonderful batteries by overcharging and/or failing to maintain them.
20. Be frugal with 12-volt power. Even with solar, I use a mantle lantern and battery powered LED lanterns for light. I dedicate my 12 volt power to: a 400 watt inverter to power my electric blankets to warm the bed...I run it for 20 minutes then turn it off. Also to: pump, water heater, fridge, furnace, OCCASIONAL use of lights. If I listen to the radio, I stop early enough to allow the solar to recharge, because the radio is a power hog.
21. Get bear spray and a serious knife for defense. Almost everywhere is bear country.
22. Put your food, coolers, trash and anything else in the truck overnight. Bears can smell food from VERY far away. You don't need visitors.
23. If you have a gas grill or a charcoal grill, MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE CAMPER overnight. Also, unlatch all lids, covers and so on. If a bear wants to get it, it should be easy so that the bear doesn't need to ruin the grill simply to lick the cooking surface. Plus, as the bear takes the obvious route through your site, it will make enough noise to wake you, and it will still be far enough from the camper to give you time to get ready to defend the door if it comes to that.
24. DON'T EVER TAKE A PUP INTO GRIZZLY COUNTRY. To them, you're in nothing more than a tent, and they like the taste of humans.
25. Have AWESOME LED flashlights. About 300 lumens or better, and with zoom if you can get it. These will shine hundreds of yards into the woods and pick out ANY eyes out there no matter how far away...within reason.
26. That's enough for now.

That's just a small fraction of what I can share. I'll look for your new thread, and I'll dump a small book on you.

[CharliePl]

Thanks. Great ideas. I'd comment on some of it, but I've been scolded for hijacking this thread, so I'll confine myself to giving you sincere thanks and saying that if you want to post that "book" in my other thread, I'll be very grateful.

[Milk_Man]

Originally Posted by kinma13

My dinner slide does slant too and the dealer said it was suppose to. Not to use any supports. But mines a pop up tents.

it's just what RV dealers (and car dealers) say when they're trying to get rid of you.
My pop up dinette slide does not slant