OUCH- I need help

[big jimbo]

Yesterday, while getting an item out of my Smart Bed, I ran into the corner of one of my slide outs and wound up getting eight stitches in my head.

On two previous occasions, I have drawn a fair amount of blood from the corner of the galley slide, which is right over the center of the plumbing bay, but yesterday was the first time I needed a doctor.

These corners are too sharp, the doctor said it looked like somebody opened me up with a scalpel.

Have any of you had similar experiences and have you found a solution? Can these corners be ground off?

I don't like the idea of tennis balls or any such thing that has to be taken off and on every day you are moving.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[big jimbo]

Yesterday, while getting an item out of my Smart Bed, I ran into the corner of one of my slide outs and wound up getting eight stitches in my head.

On two previous occasions, I have drawn a fair amount of blood from the corner of the galley slide, which is right over the center of the plumbing bay, but yesterday was the first time I needed a doctor.

These corners are too sharp, the doctor said it looked like somebody opened me up with a scalpel.

Have any of you had similar experiences and have you found a solution? Can these corners be ground off?

I don't like the idea of tennis balls or any such thing that has to be taken off and on every day you are moving.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[dgerstel]

Jim,

Sorry to hear of your mishap, I know just how you feel, I had done the same on our 2002. I rounded the corners, so that they would only knock me out, but not require stitches. On our new coach I found the corners to be slightly rounded and while banging my self up 3 times in the first week, luckily missed the corners. Dixie was getting afraid to let me out around the coach. I have since tried to remember to always back away from the coach before I stand up. I still have to remember the passenger side bedroom slide when rushing around the coach from the rear on that side. After reading your encounter I think I will round the corners a bit more on the new coach.

Dale

[EngineerMike]

Home Depot and other suppliers sell clear 1/2" o.d. PEX tubing. Buy a coupla feet. Cut it in 3" pieces. Slit the piece open lengthwise with a straight cut, making the O into a very closed C. Using the slit, slip the tubing over the sharp edge of the slide trim. This won't stop a bruise, but will stop the cuts. Slide will close as usual, and they stay while traveling. I did this on the 06. It didn't save my life, but it did preserve a modicum of innocence for those w/in earshot

For those w/out SmartBeds but w/a PS living room slide, you can put a couple of these bumper strips where needed to allow you to open your storage bins another 8 degrees or so. Set the bottom end storage door strut bracket in its "up" position all the time. When slide is out & you open the bin, the bin door will rest against the bumpers instead of knocking against the sharp edge. You can even run the slide in/out w/the bin door in its full up position (tho I don't recommend it) without disastrous consequences to the paint. This gains about 5 or 6" of headroom getting into these patio side bins. Now you bang & cut your head on the bin doors instead of the slide trim.

[midflajim]

Yep same problem ,no stitches. I now carry a "stupid jar" which requires me to put money in it when I do stupid things. My wife is planning on buying something expensive for herself shortly. After a couple of times you will begin to fear those slide and watch for them like a rabie ridden dog coming out from under the coach to attach you!

[OldForester]

I feel like I need to weigh in on this as well.

One month after picking up our coach in Yakima in
August 2006 I raised my head up too quickly on the corner of the rear slide of our 36 MDDS in Longview, Texas, and had 3 big clamps put in my forehead at the local hospital to stop the bleeding. I lost almost enough blood to need additional blood, according to the doctor.

The corners of these slides are a hazard. They don't have to be that way. I've since done several things -- tried the stick on foam pipe wrap in the corners, taped the corners, and used my hard hat from where I used to work to protect my head when I'm working around the slides.

I've found the only thing that works reliably is to wear the hard hat when I'm working around the coach slides. I still bump it a lot, even though I work hard to tell myself not to bump the slides while I'm working near them.

I have been looking at slides on a lot of competitive coaches and I see that a number of them have rounded the corners of the slides, and covered them with different forms of protective material to at least prevent the cuts.

WRV, you should seriously look at the corners of these slides. At least if you rounded them and the bottom edges, and protected them with a little larger covering, you would prevent the serious cuts, stitches, bleeding, and loss of another fun day in the Alpine. I don't mind banging my head but a trip to the hospital and $1000 to $2000 to have the head sewn up is not a pleasant experience and could be a big liability for you some day.

[big jimbo]

Thank you guys for the responses so far.

Old Forester, I think we are on to something. I know WRV monitors this forum and I would really like to see them come up with something that will solve this problem and send it out to us so we can protect ourselves from these sharp corners.

As I said, the doctor said it looked like it was done with a scalpel. Very straight and a very clean cut. That did not do a lot for my disposition, but WRV did succeed in making a very sharp corner.

I think Camping World sells some sort of stick on corners and I will be at a Camping World store next week to take a look at them.

We will be at the rally in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks and I think there will be people there from WRV and I don't think my head will be completely healed yet so I can show it to somebody.

[Nick Escamilla]

Camping World does sell a rubber pad to stick on the corners of the slide out. On my old coach my wife came up and cracked her skull on a slide out corner. It took several months for her to recover from that episode. I installed these soft corner when we got the Alpine and can say that they work as intended, I hit my head, no blood, glad they were on. They are black in color and don't look bad in my opinion.

[Ted III]

There is absolutely no protection from head injuries in RV's or boats. I tried to get protection insurance on my head when I had boats and everyone turned me down. Point is if you do not have these injuries and scabs on your head and some on your back you are not a true RV'er. If you are totally bald then you are really a true RV'er.

[Toby]

Jim

Go to Walmart and get a couple of swim doodles in orange and purple. For corners cut a piece about a foot long and slit it on one side. It stickes to the slid outs real well and if you shoud not see it, it is thick enough to blunt the head hit. Use a whole one on the bottom of the slide. Same way, cut a slit and just stik it on. You do have to remember remove when you take in the slides. s/Toby

[george henry]

Big Jimbo , you are not alone . Been there done that a few times also.
. No blood , yet.

[Dave Fernandez]

Well I do not have that problem because I have a 2001 and when I open the bay doors they keep me from hitting the edge of the slide out. But I due have scares from the latches on my back and head that I keep getting when I forget they are their. Since I am on my hands & knees to get something out or putting it away.

[bigfish]

I suppose rounded corners and recessed slide outs are out of the question (like Foretravel and some other MH's) for future Alpine models. I bought some off the shelf foam corners and they seem to hold up o.k. Tried the Wally World noodles and they just blow off in any significant breeze.
BTF

[Blaster]

Swim noodles for me, don't like leaving my DNA on them sharp corner's!!!