Any Vista/Sunstar 31BE owners out there

[lawnarjax]

Looking for input/experience from anyone who owns or has owned a 31BE with the giant slide, or anyone who might happen to know about slides.

This is my first MH with a slide. I noticed that the top of the slide pulls in just slightly more than the bottom of the slide. Seals at the bottom edge are making contact, but not as compressed as the top. Been this way since I bought it in June this year, nothing has changed, but never really thought anything of it until I was washing it for a trip and I had time to post.

I have driven it this way 7k+ miles since June through all kinds of rains and have not seen any intrusion or anything, but I want to put my mind at ease or get it adjusted if needed.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[creativepart]

I can’t speak for your model specifically, but in my experience a slight difference like you mentioned is pretty normal. My full-wall slide is tighter to the sidewall at the top than it is at the bottom. But, as you describe the bottom is sealed just not flat against the sidewall.

After 6-years and 50,000 miles that slide has been in and out a lot of times and not given me any major troubles.

Mind you, if the bottom of the slide was more extended and not fully against the bulb seal I would have it looked at. A little out of alignment is par for the course in my experience but anything more than that would be different.

[BirchyBoy]

We owned a ‘17 31BE for five years and really enjoyed it. Yes, the top of the slide may be in a bit tighter to the body than the bottom of the slide. My new Forza does the same thing.

One thing I did notice was that parked on a slant, with the slide side in and a bit high, some water would come in when it rained. I always tried to park it with the passenger side high.

[creativepart]

I just remembered I have photos of my full wall slide. Here's what I see:

[BirchyBoy]

Originally Posted by creativepart

I just remembered I have photos of my full wall slide. Here's what I see:

My Forza is the same.

[ACB]

Originally Posted by lawnarjax

Looking for input/experience from anyone who owns or has owned a 31BE with the giant slide, or anyone who might happen to know about slides.

This is my first MH with a slide. I noticed that the top of the slide pulls in just slightly more than the bottom of the slide. Seals at the bottom edge are making contact, but not as compressed as the top. Been this way since I bought it in June this year, nothing has changed, but never really thought anything of it until I was washing it for a trip and I had time to post.

I have driven it this way 7k+ miles since June through all kinds of rains and have not seen any intrusion or anything, but I want to put my mind at ease or get it adjusted if needed.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

We have a Vista 29V with full wall slide, and previously owned another brand with a full slide. Both of our coaches did the same thing. The top is slightly tighter than the bottom. As long as you are getting a good seal , there is no problem. We were at the factory in September for service and had them service our slide. We discussed with our lead technician, who has worked there 28 years. He says this is normal, not to worry. I hope this helps.

[Dougsmith51]

We have a 2016 Vista 31BE. I've never looked to see whether the top and bottom are any different. However, we've never had a leak problem, so I would think the seals cover any difference. If anything, we notice occasionally that the front and the back of the slide don't close at quite the same time. We'll push the button a few additional times to make sure things are settled. An RV tech told me a while back that the alignment mechanism is self-correcting as you open and close.

[LCJ]

Lawn,


I own a 2019 31BE and my slide closes the same as your unit. I bought mine new and spent time with the service technician, when I picked it up, to ensure it closed properly.


LJ

[lawnarjax]

Thank you all, good to know and I can rest easy knowing that the difference is normal. I don't like to fix things that are not broken and it seems this is going to be one of those. We have really enjoyed the new rig, a far cry from the noise and confinement of the Trek.

[Morich]

To throw in a small point?
There is a way to sycn the front and back of slides and it sounds like a thing we might not want to do if not fully aware.
The motors are different and are prone to running at slightly different speeds, so the front or rear may tend to get slightly behind at times.

The recommended method to let the trailing one "catch up (sycn?) is to leave the switch pressed a bit after the slide seems to be fully in place, in or out.
This is where we may get too worried about doing something wrong! But this is described in the manuals, not just a "homemade" idea. The motors are designed to handle this !

[BirchyBoy]

Originally Posted by Morich

To throw in a small point?
There is a way to sycn the front and back of slides and it sounds like a thing we might not want to do if not fully aware.
The motors are different and are prone to running at slightly different speeds, so the front or rear may tend to get slightly behind at times.

The recommended method to let the trailing one "catch up (sycn?) is to leave the switch pressed a bit after the slide seems to be fully in place, in or out.
This is where we may get too worried about doing something wrong! But this is described in the manuals, not just a "homemade" idea. The motors are designed to handle this !

This is the video that shows how to do it.

[wahoonc]

I have observed a wide range of slides over the past several years. The larger the slide the less likely it is to be "tight" at the bottom. From conversations with several techs and a couple of factory reps, as long as the bottom seal is slightly compressed or the slide is touching the seal it is considered acceptable.

My 2016 Concord has a 10' long slide, the top is tight the bottom sits out 1/2"-3/4" however it does slightly compress the seal and we have never had a leak in that area and we have driven around 18,000 miles including some rough weather.

Aaron