Billowing Slide Topper..Update

fun time · 02-28-2007, 02:27 PM

I found two prior topics on this but no direct answer for my question so can someone help please. While returning last Thursday from Fl. the wind was gusting to 50mph. On several occasions my living room slide topper billowed and banged. My question: should I have used my awning rod and reached up and lock the the paw to keep this from happening? I thought if I did this that might have prevented the topper from moving. The problem with this is, I might forget to unlock it while putting the slide out on the next trip. What do you do in this situation.

Update: As suggested by several members who responded I climbed up and looked at the slide topper mechanism. This particular model has the "paw" that automatically locks when the slide retracts. It is in the locked position. I talked with Winny and my dealer both today and here are there exact words "With the slide retracted and the paw in the locked position, it is possible in certain wind conditions for the topper to billow out about a 1/4 of a turn but cannot go any further because of the design. The banging that I heard has been reported before to Winny and dealers from other owners". Quote "There is no fix and nothing to worry about. This only occurs in strong side winds and does not cause any problems". There you have it friends. I guess we live with the banging noise.

fun time · 02-28-2007, 02:27 PM

I found two prior topics on this but no direct answer for my question so can someone help please. While returning last Thursday from Fl. the wind was gusting to 50mph. On several occasions my living room slide topper billowed and banged. My question: should I have used my awning rod and reached up and lock the the paw to keep this from happening? I thought if I did this that might have prevented the topper from moving. The problem with this is, I might forget to unlock it while putting the slide out on the next trip. What do you do in this situation.

Update: As suggested by several members who responded I climbed up and looked at the slide topper mechanism. This particular model has the "paw" that automatically locks when the slide retracts. It is in the locked position. I talked with Winny and my dealer both today and here are there exact words "With the slide retracted and the paw in the locked position, it is possible in certain wind conditions for the topper to billow out about a 1/4 of a turn but cannot go any further because of the design. The banging that I heard has been reported before to Winny and dealers from other owners". Quote "There is no fix and nothing to worry about. This only occurs in strong side winds and does not cause any problems". There you have it friends. I guess we live with the banging noise.

SargeW · 02-28-2007, 02:34 PM

I need some clarification, do you mean that the slide fabric is still unraveling and flapping the wind while the slide is retracted? Or is the slide roller banging around as you drive down the road?

fun time · 02-28-2007, 02:42 PM

SargeW- That's what I like about you...you ask the right questions. I am not sure which one it was but after reading your question I now suspect it was the roller banging around as we were going down the road. It sure makes one heck of noise.

Paul T · 02-28-2007, 03:28 PM

fun time, - what brand name is your slide topper? I had a very simular experience on I-5 in CA two months ago, however I believe it was due to a broken "anti billow tab" or, the wind force on the tab was so strong that it broke the tab off. My experiance was so un-nerving we pulled off under an underpass for a few hours. I could see the topper billow in my rear view mirror and then it would slam back making me think we were going to loose more than the topper.

fun time · 02-28-2007, 03:37 PM

Paul,
Honestly I do not know the brand but I will look tomorrow. The main awning is a
"manual" two-step but no idea about the toppers. The sound was really loud and as you stated very un-nerving. I was so focused on keeping the coach on the road that I can't say for sure if the awning was actually coming out. I did not have time to look in the mirror to see. Thanks for your imput.

skigramp · 02-28-2007, 04:05 PM

fun time ...

I do not quite understand what happened to you ... on both of my motorhomes the slide toppers (on the street side) were/are "self-locking" with a permanently attached "arm" that is about 3 inches long ... and there was nothing to lock with the awning rod ...

Only the main awning (on the curb side) can be "locked" on my motorhomes ...

So I am trying to learn about how to "lock" a slide topper ... please fill me in ...

fun time · 02-28-2007, 04:19 PM

skigramp- As you said I thought the slide toppers on both this and my previous MH were self-locking however something allowed either the roller, the awning or both to bang loudly against the side. If yours is like mine, if you look up you will see a locking paw just like the large awning on the entrance side that should automatically lock when rolled in. As near as I can figure, perhaps the lock did not engage or the wind caught it in such a way that it let loose for a moment. As for locking the slide topper, I am wondering if I used my awning pole to push the "locking paw" securely in place would that had made a difference? Hope this helps clear it up. Sorry for any confusion.

tomsm · 02-28-2007, 04:49 PM

fun time - Unless they changed slide toppers, what you are referring to as a locking paw is just a fixed arm. It's about 3 inches long and rigidly mounted to the end of the roller. If the roller tries to unroll while slide is retracted, that arm is "supposed" to contact a bumper mounted to the side of the MH. When the slide starts going out, then there is room for the arm to miss the bumper. If all is properly mounted and adjusted, there's nothing that you need to do.

When the slide is retracted, the arm should be pointed straight up. If you go up a ladder and try to unroll the topper while the slide is retracted, you shouldn't be able to turn it past where the arm makes contact with the bumper. If you move the slide out an inch or so, then you should be able to unroll the topper.

At least that's the way it's supposed to work. Maybe your arm is loose and missing the bumper. The arm is just part of a collar that goes around the end of the roller and is supposed to be secured by 2 screws - mine only had one in it.

Hope I didn't confuse the situation even more...

SargeW · 02-28-2007, 06:14 PM

Tom just described what I was getting to. Usually if the slide topper is flapping, it is because the spring in the roller assembley is weak. It may be able to be tightened, or if that doesn't fix it, it may be time to replace the spring rollers. Usually there is no locking tab on slide outs. They just slide in and out with the room, no levers needed. It could be that the banging was the rollers flopping around if the spring tension was not tight enough to hold them snug. Have em checked out....

Sarge

skigramp · 02-28-2007, 08:00 PM

Thanks ...

Now I understand ...

I have devised a gizmo to hold down the curb side awning when travelling in high winds ...

but the street side slide toppers do bang a when I am driving and there is a strong wind coming from the street side ... has anybody devised a gizmo to keep them from banging???

Izzyblueye · 03-01-2007, 01:10 AM

Fun Time: Hi Denny, I have had this problem when the coach was new. Had to take it back to dealer, they wound the retract spring tighter on the topper. Never had the problem again. An added plus to all this, it also stopped rain from dropping my topper fabric down onto the slide roof. 88 degrees here yesterday.

fun time · 03-01-2007, 10:47 AM

Homer: Thanks for the input. The spring might be the culprit but I am more inclined to believe it is the roller. I did not have a chance to climb up on a ladder to investigate the paw movement as Sarge mentioned in his reply but plan to do so. 45 here and lousy...you just had to rub it in.
Skigramp-I too am curious about a gizmo from keeping this from happening. Let's see if someone has a idea. Thanks

Paul T · 03-02-2007, 02:23 PM

I believe there are at least two different brands and manufactures of slide toppers which may be why this discussion seems a bit dis-jointed at times.
TOMSM's discription of the action of the "anti billow tab" is correct for the "A%E" toppers like the ones on my Itasca. The DPs may use a brand manufactured in CO. I have not seen "atnti billow tabs" on those units and they appear to be constructed so as the wind can not get under the topper as easily as on the A&E.
We should all pre-flight the anti billow tabs if installed because,they can sure prevent the type of panic attack I experienced when the topper started blowing out and slapping back against the coach in a strong gusting cross wind. My dealer is adding additional rear tabs to my unit to provide me the future piece of mind an old man needs. I like backups.

fun time · 03-07-2007, 10:55 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Update: As suggested by several members who responded I climbed up and looked at the slide topper mechanism. This particular model has the "paw" that automatically locks when the slide retracts. It is in the locked position. I talked with Winny and my dealer both today and here are there exact words "With the slide retracted and the paw in the locked position, it is possible in certain wind conditions for the topper to billow out about a 1/4 of a turn but cannot go any further because of the design. The banging that I heard has been reported before to Winny and dealers from other owners". Quote "There is no fix and nothing to worry about. This only occurs in strong side winds and does not cause any problems". There you have it friends. I guess we live with the banging noise. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

DonavonP · 03-07-2007, 12:15 PM

Fun Time - thanks for posting the answer. I wondered about that banging last summer driving from Casper Wy to Buffalo Wy. I slowed down and the banging stopped. It's nice to know it wasn't about to unfurl.