Dinette slide out usage while retracted/closed

[SickPup404]

I saw a question on another forum about using the dinette when it's not extended. Lots of conflicting opinions and experiences.

It got me thinking about our Apex Nano 193BHS and I have sat there while doing projects and whatnot while it's closed. So I contacted FR support and here's the answer they gave:

Thanks for reaching out on this excellent question.

The answer is no, please do not occupy the Schwintek dinette or any other slide room system unless it is extended at least half way as there is an extreme weight bias when the slide room is and with regards to the Schwintek the lower wall fasteners can snap off their screw heads near the bottom of the box. It is also advised to not carry more than about 150 lbs. weight in the dinette seat boxes when traveling as it can have the same affect. The room with regards to occupancy is strongest when the room is fully extended.

Just thought I would share a definitive answer from the source.

Best,
Steve

[SeaDog]

Thanks for sharing that is some good info

[BehindBars]

“. . . the lower wall fasteners can snap off their screw heads near the bottom of the box.”

Wouldn’t it be neat if Forest River simply installed better hardware, so the screw heads would not snap off?

[1000 sportsman]

Hmm, That is an interesting answer. Hopefully the FR Rep that frequents here can reply as to why the dinette slide room is equipped with seat belts for occupants while traveling if no one should sit there?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by SickPup404

I saw a question on another forum about using the dinette when it's not extended. Lots of conflicting opinions and experiences.

It got me thinking about our Apex Nano 193BHS and I have sat there while doing projects and whatnot while it's closed. So I contacted FR support and here's the answer they gave:



Just thought I would share a definitive answer from the source.

Best,
Steve

I don't know of any RV manufacturer that would be ok with using any retracted slideout, no matter which slideout system it is.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by 1000 sportsman

Hmm, That is an interesting answer. Hopefully the FR Rep that frequents here can reply as to why the dinette slide room is equipped with seat belts for occupants while traveling if no one should sit there?

That is an extremely good question. Don’t hold your breath waiting for an answer from FR.

Our motorhome’s Schwintek slide room dinette does have seat belts to accommodate 4 people.

[D W]

I would imagine that FR's response to the OP concerned towables and not MH's.

[SickPup404]

Yes, ours is a TT, not MH.

Sorry for any confusion.

[Jim34RL]

I have always been advised on the three 5th wheels that I have owned was never to walk or sit on any slide when it was in. The reason given to me was that you could damage the slide mechanism since it is not fully supported when the slide is in.
Since the posters unit is a travel trailer, I would think they would have the same issues as a 5th wheel with the slide in!

Now for a motorhome with a slide that maybe different. You would need to contact your builder of the motorhome, to get the correct information. This also could be covered in the user manual if there is one for the motorhome!

[johnshoe]

I agree with 100 sportsmen... why would they put seatbelts in a unit with sleeping for 8 and have no place for them to sit while moving. I would really like to hear a logical reason for that

[jimmoore13]

I wonder if this applies to Rack & Pinion slides. I doubt it applies to ANY slides....here's why.

Fundamentally, the main wall in which the slide is mounted supports the slide once fully extended or fully retracted. The slide's frame/flange presses against the RV's outer wall - from the inside when extended and from the outside when retracted.

The job of the slide mechanism, whether rack & pinon, Schwintek or other, is to both:
~ Move the slide structure in and out;
~ Hold the slide firmly and securely up against the wall while fully extended or retracted;
and it must also carry the weight of the slide during transit.

So FR's response leaves me scratching my head.
If one sits in the dinette while only partially (halfway) extended, it's true that your body weight will exert less leverage on the slide body than when fully retracted or fully extended. It's also true that the slide mechanism must also support ALL the weight without the benefit of the "flange" being pressed hard against the RV's main wall. And that last point, extended, is where I scratch my head.

If a person sits in the dinette, as close as possible to the outside wall, while it's extended, doesn't that exert the same kind of leverage on the bottom mounts (but in reverse) as would happen if sitting in the innermost spot on the seat while fully retracted?

Consider a meal with 4 adults. The first two in slide up against the outer wall of the dinette, and for at least a few moments, there may be as much as 500 pounds exerting max downward leverage on the slide. Add two more occupants...perhaps another 400 to 500 pounds...and that weight will also pushing down on the slide, but with a bit less leverage. (I'm 6'6" and 250#; my son is 6'4" and 300#. Add in my wife [no disclosures here] and my other son at 5'9" and about 180#. You get the point that these are real-world numbers.)

When extended, ALL that holds the slide from collapsing downward is the LOWER Schwintek slide mechanism and it's mounts. Furthermore, those mounts are at a disadvantage, because the force is "inward"...away from the supporting side wall. If the slide is retracted, and then someone sits on the booth seat, the lower Schwintek slide mechanism/motor/etc. is actually (potentially) braced against the RV's main outer sidewall and slide-support frame. The concern seems bass ackwards.

Had they said that the slide's outer support frame/flange is not as strong as the inner one used to support the slide while extended, that MIGHT have some merit...but not much. REMEMBER: the Schwintek mechanism, sidewall framing, and slide frame/flange must be capable of supporting the retracted slide while bounding down the road. And with that, you can be sure it takes a beating. Certainly, many expansion joints, whoops, potholes and so on must cause the bouncing slide to exert FAR more transient vertical force on the slide than a measly 250 pounds or so.

So, my point is, none of this makes any sense at all...at least not without considerably more explanation...and, frankly, some significant justification for allowing this weakness to go unaddressed.

With all of that said, are there warning stickers/labels anywhere to alert you to the dangers of this...to advise you to NOT travel with the dinette collapsed into a bed and loaded up with dry goods? I thought not. Look in the manual for this counsel. Is it there?

My slide is in the rear...for a king bed. It's damned near as long as the bed...about 60" or more in "depth." Now imagine a couple of adults in that bed engaging in recreational activity. Now consider that thing cantilevered INSIDE the camper when retracted...and you're prepping for a trip...making the bed, filling the cabinets, and so on. While slides do break, there is no point at which I'd be willing to accept that I can't get on that bed to prep the camper for a trip without extending the slide. It seems like nonsense.

I truly appreciate you sharing this counsel, and if I owned a Schwintek-equipped RV, based on this advice, I'd be hesitant to sit in the dinette while it's retracted, but this sounds like just so much nonsense geared at keeping warranty claims for the Schwintek at bay. I'd invest a dime in calling them back and calling Schwintek, too. It sounds as if you talked to Nervous-Nelly on a bad day.


Doubtful in Colorado.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by 1000 sportsman

Hmm, That is an interesting answer. Hopefully the FR Rep that frequents here can reply as to why the dinette slide room is equipped with seat belts for occupants while traveling if no one should sit there?

Since the OP stated that they have a TT, in the opening post, the FR response was pertaining to trailers, not motorhomes. Towables don't have seatbelts.
And, if you're referring to Brian Clemens as the FR rep, he is not a rep but the GM of all the FR Motorhome brands. So I doubt he would comment on a TT-specific statement.

[Mrpsyko]

I was told by my RV tech during my PDI to never step on slide floor, sit on couch, or dinette chairs on slide while it is in because floor is raised and supported by rollers when it is retracted and it could would pull the screws holding floors to wall of the slide. He said it happens often.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by D W

I would imagine that FR's response to the OP concerned towables and not MH's.

I realize that mine is a motorhome, and the OP likely was writing about a travel trailer, but is a Schwintek in-wall slide not a Schwintek in-wall slide? Does FR put heavy duty Schwintek slides in motorhomes and cheaper Schwintek slides in travel trailers? I thought they were all the same, but maybe not.

[D W]

I imagine MH slides are configured differently than towable slides as MH's sit on a truck chassis/frame as opposed to I-beam frames.

[JohnandSandiOnTheRoad]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I don't know of any RV manufacturer that would be ok with using any retracted slideout, no matter which slideout system it is.

What are the factory installed seatbelts in the dinette slide for? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, lol!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by JohnandSandiOnTheRoad

What are the factory installed seatbelts in the dinette slide for? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, lol!

We're talking about trailers here, not Motorhomes. There aren't any seatbelts in towables.
Did you not read post #5?

[1000 sportsman]

I was referring to Karlykatz but any rep. From FR would be good to hear from. Having owned both FR travel trailers and now a FR MH both with slide outs I can see no difference in the slide units and mechanisms. But I am certainly not and expert. Also cannot find anything in the owners manual about this. So it would be great if FR could clear this up. If MH homes slides are truly built differently it would be good to know instead of just assuming that is the case!

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by 1000 sportsman

I was referring to Karlykatz but any rep. From FR would be good to hear from. Having owned both FR travel trailers and now a FR MH both with slide outs I can see no difference in the slide units and mechanisms. But I am certainly not and expert. Also cannot find anything in the owners manual about this. So it would be great if FR could clear this up. If MH homes slides are truly built differently it would be good to know instead of just assuming that is the case!

Why don't you contact your MH division and ask them if the slides can be used in the retracted position, since seat belts are provided? Also what is the difference between the slides on the MH and towable unit! Instead of asking here on a forum with opinions from towable units that are responding to the poster of a towable unit!

[PenJoe]

Interesting reply from FR. Our Sunseeker has a U shape dinette, and as the OP's unit can be accessed with the slide closed. The Sunseeker is a Class C advertised to sleep 6. The cab has 2 seats. The dinette slide has 4 seat belts. Yet, only a 150 lbs is recommended with the slide retracted? Is there something wrong with this picture?