Full wall slide on the Diplomat

[The Danes Are Coming]

My new friend Ken is thinking about buying a 2008 Diplomat with a full wall slide. Ken is slightly concerned about the size of a full wall slide (which I can understand) but unfortunately I have no personal experiense on this matter.

This is where all you IRV2 Monaco Diplomat owners now come in (as usual)

Please help Ken and share your experiense with the full wall slide on this particular model. Have you had any problems? If so - what are they? My concern would be things like sagging, leaving big gabs on the top of the slide, and also the weight of the enourmous slide.

Please let Ken have your feed back on this.

[The Danes Are Coming]

[DipHop]

We have a 2007 Diplomat 40SFT that has the full-wall slide and we have not had any serious problems with the slide. A concern we have rests with the slide awning because of its length. If the spring tension is not correctly adjusted, a strong wind (while either driving or camping) will cause the fabric to billow. When we first purchased the coach in 2007 the tension was not set correctly and the fabric billowed several times while driving in moderately high winds. Our dealer attempted to adjust the tension but couldn't get it set correctly and the fabric tore enroute to the Elkhart Service Center. It was replaced under warranty and after Carefree of Colorado factory rep set the correct tension, we have not had anymore problems. However, we don't take any chances with high winds and if setup we pull the slide in during storms and we don't drive in high wind conditions.

I am concerned about the hydralic pump failing and will have it checked out next month at Elkhart Service & Collision. Too many IRV2 members have documented problems with the hydralic pumps leaking oil into the motors causing the motors to fail.

Overall we are happy with the full-wall slide as we like the "openess" of the coach when it is deployed. Hope this helps.

[brucemcdou]

We don't have a Diplomat, but have a full wall slide on a 34' Monarch. The slide itself is 25' long, from behind the driver's seat to just in front of the bedroom rear wall. As with DipHop, we love the open feeling front to back and the full wall slide was the primary reason we bought the unit.

Also as with DipHop, our only problem has been with the slide topper. Early on we made the mistake of driving in high winds (60-70 mph gusts on I-10 near Winslow Arizona) and the slide topper billowed out and ripped about six feet from the front edge before we realized what was happening. It seems the design could be changed to provide a windbreak for the front edge when the slide is retracted to prevent billowing and ripping. Since then we've been careful - no driving in high winds and we bring the slide in when camped in high winds (Mojave Desert gets windy).

We also had the amusing experience of a bird building a nest under the slide topper while camping in Las Vegas. I suppose it could happen on any slide, but with a 25' slide and a bird-nest right in the middle, it was a little challenging to get the nest and debris out to be able to retract without bringing the nest inside! A 40' slide would be even more of a challenge.

We are careful about maintenance: lubing the hydraulic pistons that move the slide and watching the tank of fluid, and lubing the slide seals.

Overall we're very happy with the full-wall slide and would recommend it

[Bobs911]

We're up here in Salem at the MI pre-rally. All week at breakfast and dinner we walk by a 2011 Dip and Camelot with the full wall slide. They're beautiful and have a nice floor plan. (wifey wants one real bad!!) Yesterday at the factory tour I saw a Dip on the line without the slide. The slide was sitting on the floor fully assembled with furniture waiting to be hoisted into place. You look at that big hole in the side of the coach and wonder what holds the roof up in the middle! I asked the question of our tour guide, and the response was all the support is in the chassis. Salesmen had little comment. I sure would like to see how it holds up after 10 years.

[MonacoMama]

Hi Henrik and Anne... Sorry about getting a late response here, but I am just not here as much now that I am not employed as a free babysitter ...
..We have never had a bird build a nest (and I lived with the slide extended out almost 24-7 for over a year)...we have never had the awning billow out while traveling (knock on wood! )....BUT I have stitched up the seam on the awning before QZ this year and we have replaced or had the seal replaced. SacsTC did it himself this last time (I did help just a teeny bit). You can see some photos here... the one thing I think I would suggest has to do with the area that acts like a trough to hold water...but I do love the openness that the slide provides.

I hope this helps.. Please feel free to email me if you need more info and I don't respond right away...