Why you MUST use slide out locks - Video from what happened to me

johndjmix · 08-01-2020, 12:09 PM

This happened on the way back from when i was picking up my DX3. There was a lot of wind, but in the DX3 of course i barely noticed it.

The wind was coming across the road from drivers side to pass side. When i opened the drivers window it created high pressure in the coach and low pressure on the pass outside of the coach causing this. It was scary!

https://youtu.be/25KxOQbR0gA

Needless to say, I kept the window closed and as soon as i got home i ordered some slide out locks!

I should add this is no fault of Dynamax, as just about any coach would do this...the slides are not secured at the top. Throw in a few slide out locks or even chunks of wood and you will never have this issue.

Csbadvisor · 08-01-2020, 12:50 PM

Wow that’s nuts what pressure change can create. When you have the slide in at home can you easily push top out or is it pretty solid. I have a TT I need to use slide locks on and the front top off slide pushes out pretty easily.
Enjoy your new rig.

phipps33 · 08-01-2020, 01:02 PM

Think I’d be contacting the manufacturer and see if it should be doing that. Seems to me something is awry.

mjbenedict · 08-01-2020, 01:06 PM

Does yours just have the motor at the bottom?

johndjmix · 08-01-2020, 01:43 PM

Guys, its not the MFG's fault at all! This is how just about all slides are made...they slide at the bottom, the top is not secured.

This is why they make slide locks! Use them!

FYI, when this did happen, it caused no damage...thanks to the well built strength in the slides. So if anything I need to thank Dynamax for the strength!

--John

NearDenver · 08-01-2020, 01:51 PM

This doesn't sound normal to me. I never use slide locks and the slide doesn't move at all. I normally worry the slide moter will fail and then no easy way to move the slide.

BehindBars · 08-01-2020, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

Guys, its not the MFG's fault at all! This is how just about all slides are made...they slide at the bottom, the top is not secured.

This is why they make slide locks! Use them!

FYI, when this did happen, it caused no damage...thanks to the well built strength in the slides. So if anything I need to thank Dynamax for the strength!

--John

I disagree. This IS the manufacturer’s fault. If this slide tipping happen with RV use on the highway, and slide out locks are the solution to this problem, then the manufacturer should have provided the slide out locks with the motorhome and instructed the customer on their use.

All slides are not made this way. Our motorhome is not a Dynamax, but the slides are secured at both the top and the bottom.

johndjmix · 08-01-2020, 01:56 PM

8 years with my Fleetwood pusher it never happened....then it happened on the fleetwood. Once in 8 years. Just happened to be the first trip in the DX3 that this happened.

It only happens on VERY specific conditions. I agree MFG should include slide locks, but keep in mind EVERY SINGLE slideout made can do this...its just a matter of "the perfect storm" happening. If you go and stand in the coach and try to push the slideout by hand you cant. The power of air pressure is what you are seeing.

Im not aware of any slideout that has a top mechnism that stops this from happening so pretty much every MFG should include slide locks.

But, as said....this is a VERY rare situation. Google it and you will see it happens across all brands in that specific situation.

--John

johndjmix · 08-01-2020, 01:57 PM

Can you show me a picture of how the slides secure at the top? I have never seen such a system and would be curious how this is done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BehindBars

I disagree. This IS the manufacturer’s fault. If this slide tipping happen with RV use on the highway, and slide out locks are the solution to this problem, then the manufacturer should have provided the slide out locks with the motorhome and instructed the customer on their use.

All slides are not made this way. Our motorhome is not a Dynamax, but the slides are secured at both the top and the bottom.

BehindBars · 08-01-2020, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

Can you show me a picture of how the slides secure at the top? I have never seen such a system and would be curious how this is done.

Below is at least one system used that holds both the top and bottom of the slide. It is not a photo of my camper, but it shows a Schwintek in-wall slide system. There is a motorized shaft that runs vertically inside the wall, on each side of the slide, with a gear at top and bottom, meshed with the respective gear racks. The slide top always moves in sync with the slide bottom. Sometimes on heavy slides there are two upper racks and one lower rack on each end of the slide. The only way the slide could tip out is if the system was broken, and the gear possibly spun on the shaft or disengaged from the rack.

johndjmix · 08-01-2020, 02:24 PM

Very Cool! I havent seen a system like that, seems like every slide should have it! Thanks for enlightening me on this!

If you dont have that kind of a system, use the slide out locks!

--John

BehindBars · 08-01-2020, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

Very Cool! I havent seen a system like that, seems like every slide should have it! Thanks for enlightening me on this!

If you dont have that kind of a system, use the slide out locks!

--John

Well, not everyone loves the LCI Schwintek system. The concept is great, although I hear it can have it’s problems, but the slide tipping out on the highway is not really one of them.

emm-dee · 08-01-2020, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

Very Cool! I havent seen a system like that, seems like every slide should have it! Thanks for enlightening me on this!

If you dont have that kind of a system, use the slide out locks!

--John

If all manufacturers put slide locks in place I guarantee you with. A week there would be 50 warranty claims from folks who opened the slide with the locks in place.

OTOH...won’t happen on a Forester.

BehindBars · 08-01-2020, 03:30 PM

Looking at the video again, I am in awe that an RV design allows a slide out to tip out to that extreme while going down the road. Is this slide design used by all Dynamax motorhomes, and would some or all potentially tip out like this under the right conditions?

This looks potentially like an NHTSA reportable issue. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

TrailWayz · 08-01-2020, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

This happened on the way back from when i was picking up my DX3. There was a lot of wind, but in the DX3 of course i barely noticed it.

The wind was coming across the road from drivers side to pass side. When i opened the drivers window it created high pressure in the coach and low pressure on the pass outside of the coach causing this. It was scary!

https://youtu.be/25KxOQbR0gA

Needless to say, I kept the window closed and as soon as i got home i ordered some slide out locks!

I should add this is no fault of Dynamax, as just about any coach would do this...the slides are not secured at the top. Throw in a few slide out locks or even chunks of wood and you will never have this issue.

Wow! What a champ the way you are handling this. That looks extremely scary to me - and very problematic. Glad you posted this. What an experience.

jneum525 · 08-01-2020, 06:58 PM

Does anyone have a picture of a slideout lock? I've never heard of such a thing. How do they attach? Are they needed on the Isata 3?

Had my old motorhome for 20 years and drove it in very heavy winds at times and never experienced anything like what I saw in the video in the initial post.
Thanks

milkman55 · 08-01-2020, 07:37 PM

The slides with the hydraulic mechanism underneath the slide would be susceptible to what we saw in the video. The Isata 3 and Isata 5 have the gears at top and bottom.

Here is a slide lock. It is not needed in every circumstance, but certainly doesn’t hurt anything unless you forget to remove it before you operate the slide. In this picture, I don’t think it was a coincidence that the slide lock was installed at the top of the slide.

jneum525 · 08-01-2020, 07:40 PM

Thanks Milkman. Much appreciate the education...as always!!!

**Herk7769** · 08-01-2020, 08:03 PM

Slide locks in my previous camper.

The gearbox has a slip-clutch to prevent binding up the gears. When you run the slide all the way in or out, you can hear it slipping.

A sharp sideways lurch (like a hard curb strike) can also let that clutch release and once that slide starts moving it can run all the way out due to inertia.

Magnatudes · 08-01-2020, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndjmix

This happened on the way back from when i was picking up my DX3. There was a lot of wind, but in the DX3 of course i barely noticed it.

The wind was coming across the road from drivers side to pass side. When i opened the drivers window it created high pressure in the coach and low pressure on the pass outside of the coach causing this. It was scary!

https://youtu.be/25KxOQbR0gA

Needless to say, I kept the window closed and as soon as i got home i ordered some slide out locks!

I should add this is no fault of Dynamax, as just about any coach would do this...the slides are not secured at the top. Throw in a few slide out locks or even chunks of wood and you will never have this issue.

WHOA! Uh, really! I hope for all you Dynamax owners that this is not something that can happen to you.

A while ago a watched a dealer video of I think what was a Newmar or Tiffin that had electric locks on their slides.

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