Transit Bars

[markcee]

Just brought home a 'new' 2022 Rockwood Sig 8324SB. Moving to this unit from a TT with cable slides. This unit has rack & pinion, through wall slides.

During my 8324 walk-thru, I saw a couple of (what I now know are) 'transit bars' sitting on the table. Not having had these on my previous cable slides, I was unfamiliar with them. When I asked the tech what they were, he stated that they were used by transport drivers during transit, but that I wouldn't need them. Needless to say, I left them at the dealer.

So.....today I'm reading through the Lippert in-wall slideout manual and I see mention of traveling with the transit bars in place.

So, was I misinformed? Do I need to contact the dealer to retrieve and use them?

Thanks!

[PopFla]

I think you were misinformed. The only rig I've owned that had cable slide mechanisms came with "transit bars" (not sure that's the correct name) that went on top of the slides when they were retracted. They fit between the frame of the slide and the wall then snugged tight. Mine had two such bars for the super slide and one for the bed slide. And there was a reminder sticker above the slide switches reminding me to install and remove them.

[Bob K4TAX]

I chopped a 2 x 4 into the correct lengths to span between the inside wall and the top of the slideout. Needed two pieces. THEN I stapled a couple of bright orange tapes to the 2 x 4 pieces to alert me that the stops were in place.

Never had a problem and don't expect to. The system on our TT requires removing the drive motors in the event the slide won't extend or retract. That leaves the slide floating and thus the need to secure it once retracted.

Bob

[NMWildcat]

Ah, transit bars, another highly debated topic.
Of all the towables with slides that I have owned, only one came with transit bars for the slides. But most every owners manual mentions transit bars, but wiih the caveat, 'if so equipped'. I view that as another manufacturer CYA.
In the one RV that came with transit bars, as will happen, I forgot to take them out once while deploying. Thank goodness they were hollow aluminum, so they just crushed and did no damage to the slide. I was near a large dealer and talked to the head tech and he advised me to just throw them away and not worry about it. He said they usually throw them away before the customer ever sees them. So I never replaced them and never looked back.
No other RV slides I have owned came with them (that I saw), and I have had just about every slide type there is. Never had any creep out or shift over thousands of miles and many decades. That is my experience and thoughts on the subject.
As always, if usiing transit bars makes you feel better, you should do it. Just make sure you have a system to always remind you to take them out

[5er_tom]

Slide locks by any other name.
My first fiver was a Rockwood Ultralite. On the way home from the dealer after getting some work done, I came off the interstate on a slow right hand, left leaning corner at about 25mph. I looked in the mirror and the left slide was tilted out at the top about 4”. I immediately went back to the dealer and was told I needed slide locks, which they provided. I used them full time thereafter.

While at the dealer the service guy and I went into the fiver with the slide pulled in and you could push the top of the slide out rather easily with you hands.

[latner]

My last camper came with them, so I used them. It's one of those "you don't need them till you need them" type of things.

[markcee]

Thanks for the responses, all. I called the dealership and they were able to locate the transit bars. I think I'll make the trek back there and pick them up. In looking around here and other sites, seems to be enough evidence to make using them worth the peace of mind.

[Bob K4TAX]

The manual for our slide system suggests using some form of means to secure the slide out in the event it is necessary to remove the motors and manually retract the slide out. Otherwise, they are not needed.

Bob

[itat]

I’ve had a couple of Rockwood TTs that had this sticker above the slide out. In both cases I used them every time I moved the trailer.

[markcee]

Originally Posted by itat

I’ve had a couple of Rockwood TTs that had this sticker above the slide out. In both cases I used them every time I moved the trailer.

Thanks for the sticker reminder.....neither the wife or I recall seeing them during our walk-thru. I'm headed to the storage lot today to do some tinkering and will see if they're posted on my unit.

[markcee]

One final

Went to look in the trailer yesterday. I have 3 slides - two opposing and 1 bed. Only one of the opposing slides has a 'place lock here' sticker. Nothing on the other two. No 'warning' sticker on the control panel.

Both opposing slides are the same size/type, so why no sticker on #2?

My theory is in order to get to the slide with the sticker, the other slide would need to remain open, once both are closed you would need to climb over a kitchen counter and a recliner to get back there....even then, it looks doubtful you'd have enough room to work. Also, on the stickered slide, the lock is supposed to go in the middle, which is going to be no easy feat.
No idea, why the bed slide has no sticker.

Will experiment when I pick up the locks from the dealer, but as mentioned, this is definitely starting to look like a manufacturer CYA thing. If they were a necessity, why not develop a more practical system? I'm in reasonably good condition for a 60 yr. old, but you can expect people to be climbing over furniture etc. to install these things.