Anyone use travel bars in their slides???

8261ss · 05-17-2010, 01:57 AM

My Rockwood came with two travel bars to support the slide while moving. They are a pain to put in and a couple of time my young lads have hit the slide button with them in place! After hitting the RV show this spring I noticed that very few manufacturers use them. Anyone have an opinion on them?

rockwood06 · 05-17-2010, 03:33 AM

It's my opinion that they are a wast of time for what they are intended for, but they are good for other things around the house.

cardinal4fun · 05-17-2010, 03:51 AM

My first 5th wheel had them (bars) I had a MH with straps. Both of those units were older models, pre 2000. Yes they were a pain to use, however I felt that I mfg felt they were needed I would use them. Its better than looking out rear view mirror seeing your slide creeping out.

milzat · 05-17-2010, 06:38 AM

Nope, never have.......

3 Happy Campers · 05-17-2010, 06:58 AM

A couple years ago we bought a used class A & it had two of those bars in a closet but no instructions.
I/we thought they were extra cloths storage bars & that’s what we were using them for. We’d set them up in the shower stall & hang extra cloths while driving.

Only found out a couple months ago on a different forum what they were really for. Embarrassing…

After talking with my local RV dealer they said the problem with using them for your slide is the mechanism for the slide is so powerful that if you forget to remove them you could wind up blowing the side wall of your RV. In our new 5er I now use them to secure stuff from shifting in the pass through storage.

08flagvlite · 05-17-2010, 07:26 AM

They don't fit on my slides. The angle of the seal renders them useless for their purpose, and if you put them on the trim pieces, the nails holding the trim on easily comes off!
Waste of time, in my opinion. Randy

EdJunior · 05-17-2010, 07:45 AM

I had them in my old Skamper TT. I used them in there. Not that difficult to pop in place. I figured if they provide them, they had a reason. They may not have been necessary, but why take the chance. My new 5th wheel does not have them, so no worries.

VTX Al · 05-17-2010, 10:10 AM

I will reiterate what I said the last time this subject came up. IMHO , slide locks are nothing more than a "cover my ass" item that are provided for insurance purposes only! In our previously owned '07 Rockwood 2601 the slide seal angle made the locks useless, and in our new 2010 8315BSS, the bedroom slide is so close to the ceiling that it is virtually impossible to install the lock, and again, with the super slide, the seal angle is such that the locks would simply "ride up" the seal in the unlikely event of the slide extending. However, having said all this, for peace of mind and to keep the boss happy, I use them on the super slide anyway !!

...VTX-AL

Hokiehall · 05-17-2010, 10:17 AM

I have never used mine for its intended purpose. We store stuff under the table while traveling and I use it to keep it under there.

**bikendan** · 05-17-2010, 10:28 AM

at first, i always used them. but now i only put them in for long trips, especially for mountain driving.
i don't bother for short trips.

08flagvlite · 05-17-2010, 12:23 PM

The units with electric motor slides instead of hydraulic ones would have to either strip the gears to open, or somehow have accidental power applied to the motors for them to open, anyway. Mine have never budged in over 2 years, and I have a bedroom slide, and a living room superslide.

tomjsas · 05-17-2010, 12:52 PM

Don't use them anymore...used them a couple times and most times they would be somewhat loose when I got to the site anyway...so have never put them back in and don't have any problems.

tmmar · 05-17-2010, 02:55 PM

Didn't use them at first but while on a trip, my son and his family were sitting at the dinette and he said that the kitchen slide was swaying in and out. Now I use them everytime I travel to keep the slides from moving. I felt that it would not be good for the slide mechanism to have that swaying motion of the slide all the time.

fivecodys · 05-18-2010, 10:44 AM

Mine are stored under the bed.
I would need to use a ladder inside the trailer to place them where FR wants them.
I tried one time to use them and they came lose and turned sideways.
It was very hard to reach them.
That's when I decided that they were useless.

Bill

Hipshot · 05-18-2010, 11:18 AM

I used them a few times. They allways came loose. I have towed 3000 miles without them and the slide has not creeped any. I can see the leading edge of the slide in the outside mirror and cannot detect any movement.

Mikesr · 05-18-2010, 02:57 PM

Never used them in 2 years of owning our TT. The other day I took of the stickers that suggested where they are to be placed. Looks much better. I think that somewhere along the line somebody got sued and the answer to any future liability was providing these bars and the stickers. I agree that they really do not fit well and it seems like more harm then good if they come loose. JMHO

**Herk7769** · 05-19-2010, 07:30 AM

What did you use to remove the stickers without damaging the walls?

I always use them as this is our first camper. The TT we rented before we bought did not have one. We have 2 opposing slides and figured "Better safe than sorry".

The Rockwood, Flagstaff, Surveyor RV Owners Forums - Powered by ForumCo.com - The Forum Company forum has a similar thread and the results there were more mixed. About half use them routinely, the others not at all. The logic used on both sides is compelling.

Jury still out for us.

http://rocky06fs.forumco.com/topic~TOPIC_ID~77.asp

has the thread. I am listed as "lamadio" on that forum.

Hokiehall · 05-19-2010, 07:40 AM

Another thing to think about with these things is that if you fail to remove it before opening the slide, you will push the cabinet facing off of the slide, damaging it. My dealer warned me about this when we bought ours. He said they had a number of repairs to cabinet facings that had been pushed off by the slide lock because the owner forgot to remove it.

8261ss · 05-20-2010, 03:39 AM

Thanks for the opinions, I really find them a pain but didn't want to stop using them without consulting those with more experience.

backin15 · 06-02-2010, 08:44 PM

I have found when the lock is just snug it will fall out of position and if it is tight enough to stay put the cabinet facing will bow out and has started to pull away. If I grab the top of the slide and rock it there is some movement. I'm thinking in my case maybe I sould buy another and use one at each corner where there is some strength.

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