Slide Maintenance

[Gudmund]

I had noticed that some of the wide tape material at the bottom edges of both the left and right slides on my Georgetown was considerably worn.

The one in the first photo is actually the best of the lot, but even it shows a gap between the edge of the "duct tape" and the slide. It is actually quite loose and with a bit of tugging, the bottom of the slide will look like the second photo.

I have chosen to remove as much of the adhesive residue and to replace the "duct tape" with one made of aluminum foil (mostly because I have a bunch on hand and I think it will show any wear fairly easily).

Are there actually rollers under the edges of the slides that are causing the breakdown of the tape?

Gudmund

[wvphil]

Looking at your profile indicates you have a 2011 378. I have a 2013 378 and also experienced problems with the coating on the bottom of the wafer board on the two large slides peeling at the corners. My main concern was when slides were out and it rained water ran down side of slide and wicked under the slide getting the wafer board wet which over time will cause it to swell, rot, delaminate ect. If you do some research through the archives of past posts on this forum this problem has been around for quite some time. Although sealing with duct tape will give you protection to the wafer board temporarily, the problem is as the slide moves across the rollers and plastic lip that the slide rides on under the edge of your carpet on inside of coach the tape will drag and wear / tear. There are a couple of different ways other members have dealt with this problem that Im aware of. One is using a product called “slide glides” which are basically plastic plates that are attached to the bottom of slide to keep the slide from rubbing when going in and out. I think there are a few members on this forum currently using this product with success. When I ran into this problem with my 378 a couple years ago, investigation revealed forest river was aware of this problem and had metal plates used to alleviate this problem. Although they are aware of the problem and had plates on hand a couple of years ago when I was looking for a fix, these plates were not well known and advertised being available. I guess the theory is if you dont admit there is a known problem then you dont have to offer a fix for the problem. I am not sure if your local dealer could get these plates for you or if you called forest river yourself they would be willing to sell you the plates or send them to you. I’ve heard they have installed these plates along with the plastic ones early on at the annual FROG rally to some customers free of charge. I was able to get plates sent to me but not without hassle, headache and a little arm twisting. Giving Forest River the benefit of the doubt, Perhaps Im just not lucky and contacted them on the wrong day and spoke with someone who was busy with other customers. They did eventually agree to send me the plates. I will attach a few photos of the bottom of my slides before the plates were installed along with pictures of the plates they sent me. As a side note I will add that these plates are something a good local fabrication shop should be able to make for you if you do not get assistance from forest river. Before I installed my plates I sealed the wafer board with a good quality black paint then sealed the seams on the plate to slide with a high quality black silicone. I’d suspect a good quality duct tape would work just as well under the plates. Since installing my plates around two and a half or three years ago I’ve had no more problems.

[wvphil]

Here is a picture of bottom of slide after installing plates although they are hard to see as they are painted black.

[HookupAndGo]

I have a 2013 351... I noticed on my last trip that where one of the rollers contacts the back of the main slide, the roller mount was actually cutting through the protective "shell" of the slide.

I have the RV in the shop for other issues (think the gear box is shot, slide definitely not going in or out, and stuck out now) and am going to have them address that issue. I think i may have them contact FR about the plates, so good timing on seeing what you did.

[Gudmund]

Thanks WVPhil. That is very helpful.

Do I understand correctly that the end of the slide plate with the compound bend goes on the inside of the slide, with the anchor screws being put in from the interior of the coach?

Gudmund

[wvphil]

To put the plate on I used a 12 -16” piece of 2x4 laid flat under the bottom of the slide laid flat ie horizontal nailed to another piece of 2x4 approx 3 feet long making a tee shaped extension placed on a floor jack so I could raise each side of the slide (one side at a time) approx 1-2 inches. When the slide is raised I slid the plate under the slide from the inside of the coach. The plate was pre drilled with recessed holes so if you use a flat head screw they are recessed in the plate and do not drag when the slide moves in and out. Most of the screws go in the bottom of the slide although there are two that are on the inside that you see in the picture. (Hope this is explained clear and not confusing) Additionally, I assume these plates are being used on several different coaches with different slide widths as I did have to use an angle grinder with a cut off blade to shorten the plate to fit my slide. They were not difficult to install and I was able to install the plates alone without assistance. Forest River did not include screws when they sent me the plates so I went to a local hardware store and purchased stainless screws locally. I think the plate is approx 1/16“ so you will want to get a screw long enough to bite into the wafer board deep to hold the plate securely in place but at the same time not too long to come through on inside of floor of slide. If you zoom in on my last picture of bottom of slide with plate installed you can see the screws that are holding the plates on from the bottom.

[bclinton]

We just finished about a 400 mile journey to Alabama. When I extended my slide I noticed it appeared to struggle going out initially. Like something was holding it towards the middle of it. I looked underneath after I extended it and it I think I see the source of the problem. Only one spot shows sign of wear like this. Looks like the areas under the slides could use some sort of thin metal plate to help stop wear and tear. My warranty is good through Jan. Is it reasonable to ask the dealer to do something to help the issue? My warranty is good through January. I am tempted to get a thin piece and stick it over the worn area with VHB tape to see if it gets better. In the meantime I used some dry lubricant on the rollers to help.

[wvphil]

You could need a slide alignment or could have a bad roller. It definitely is not supposed to do that so If its under warranty I’d find a competent dealer to resolve the issue while its still under warranty.

[bclinton]

Originally Posted by wvphil

You could need a slide alignment or could have a bad roller. It definitely is not supposed to do that so If its under warranty I’d find a competent dealer to resolve the issue while its still under warranty.

Thanks. I will see what it does between now and the end of the year. We are on a 2000 mile journey now. It should get it's workout. Today when extended it seemed to go out with less friction.

[Gudmund]

Originally Posted by wvphil

To put the plate on I used a 12 -16” piece of 2x4 laid flat under the bottom of the slide laid flat ie horizontal nailed to another piece of 2x4 approx 3 feet long making a tee shaped extension placed on a floor jack so I could raise each side of the slide (one side at a time) approx 1-2 inches. When the slide is raised I slid the plate under the slide from the inside of the coach. The plate was pre drilled with recessed holes so if you use a flat head screw they are recessed in the plate and do not drag when the slide moves in and out. Most of the screws go in the bottom of the slide although there are two that are on the inside that you see in the picture. (Hope this is explained clear and not confusing) Additionally, I assume these plates are being used on several different coaches with different slide widths as I did have to use an angle grinder with a cut off blade to shorten the plate to fit my slide. They were not difficult to install and I was able to install the plates alone without assistance. Forest River did not include screws when they sent me the plates so I went to a local hardware store and purchased stainless screws locally. I think the plate is approx 1/16“ so you will want to get a screw long enough to bite into the wafer board deep to hold the plate securely in place but at the same time not too long to come through on inside of floor of slide. If you zoom in on my last picture of bottom of slide with plate installed you can see the screws that are holding the plates on from the bottom.

Thanks for the great explanation.

I am definitely going to explore adding the plates to my two main slides.

Gudmund