Slide supports - Should they be used?

[monytaker]

Hello all.
Anyone out there had any experience using slide supports. I don't believe that I have seen any discussions about this. Are these supports something one should use if the slide is out for an extended period of time? Should they be used at all? Would welcome any comments. Thank you.

[Scubadude62]

IMO, should not be used at all. All it takes is for one leveler to come down a little and you're going to cause distortion in your slide and may not come back in.


Look around your local campground and count how many rigs are using slide supports. I suspect the number will be very close to zero.



Your slide is designed to be used for long periods without any support.

[creativepart]

I’ve seen plenty of warnings to not use slide supports for all kinds of slide systems. You may see some folks using them but they are not good for your slides.

[be happy]

Why back when, I thought I needed them to support the large slide on a 5th wheel. They are now in my shed helping hold up a work table.

Using them was a challenge that after the second try I gave up and glad I did.
Adjusting the tension was very hard, to little they would fall down to much they would raise the slide out up. So after playing that game went inside camper doing the normal stuff. No sooner did I sit down and one of the jacks fell down as the camper moved.

After thinking the issue it just made no sense to use due to the bind I was putting on the slide. The jacks would have to be so tight any movement be it the camper or the slide would put way to much presser on the slide.

They are not needed spend money on adult beverage fancy out door lighting.

Good Luck

[Ray,IN]

No sense repeating everything already said. I agree. I've has some people ask why they are even sold if they might cause damage. My reply, the mfgr. is counting on buyer ignorance.

[monytaker]

I kinda of thought I might get the overwhelming responses to this question. A big thumbs down. Friends of mine spoke about using them. I had never heard about them or seen them. Thought I would put this out to the group. Appreciate all your honest and common sense responses.

[Morich]

There is another currrent posting about support for slides and part of that is involing the structure of them and how they get support. I find there are what I am calling flaps which when we do the extend as instructions show, we press the switch for a bit longer than just getting the slide out. We wait for a few seconds longer and I find there is a "flap" all the way around the box we are extending and we want that flap with the seal to get fully pressed against the RV outside.
That flap seal and support to keep the slide from going further out or tipping.
Held out by the mechanics, but stopped from going further by the flap all around the slide, if we then put a prop underneath which does not move or adjust as we might make the chassis shift on the springs, I feel a prop is either a total waste as it is too loos or if it is tight enought to actully support any weight, it then is pressing up on the bottom of the slide while fighting all the other points that are designed to do the job.

In the past, I have bought and rebuilt a number of RV and part of that has been to remove the mods that have been added.
Sometimes the novice owner is not nearly as smart as they thought!! Winnebago has quite a lot more experience than any of us, even if we have been doing it for decades and owned twenty RV.
Compared to the folks who study this and have built thousands/millions of RV, we are still the dummies of the group! But then there are folks who will declare themselves to be the best ever and you can't stop their saying silly stuff!
Part of their personally is feeling so bad about themself that they declare they are great!

[peggwn]

Agree with Scubadude62. Any unexpected shift or sag could cause some untimely and expensive damage.