Use and Maintaining 5r Slides

[motojavaphil]

It has been years since I had a 5r with slides having had motorhomes. My question is when is it OK to extend the slides? Routine maintenance on the slides? Do's and Dont's with the slides? Advice would be appreciated.

[Gigattime]

Treat slide out seals at minimum once per year (2 is better, once in spring and once in fall). Use the can foam made specifically for slide out seals. easy to do. Our previous trailer had a full slide and the seals were like new after 12 years of use (just sold that unit this past spring and never had any slide issues). We treated the gears according to the manufacturer's recommendations using the can of treatment designed for that purpose as well (can easily find both cans at your local dealer). It is recommended that your unit is level when extending slides, but we have never had an issue extending ours as needed at a any stop. When we are setting up camp, we always level before extending. Make sure no obstacles are in the way and extend. It is good to stand with your back against your unit and see how far you slides actually extend (most are an arm length or less) so you will know for future trips how much space you need before you even start to extend. This will allow you to do a quick check when you pull/back into a new site to see if you are going to clear any obstacles like to power pole prior to unhooking. Finally, it's a good practice to check the top of your slides for twigs, etc. before closing them up if you can.

[motojavaphil]

Thank You, that is helpful!

[Army Nurse]

Gigattime has some good stuff there. I bought a cheap electric leaf blower, and use it to clear debris from the roof and tops of the slide prior to pulling out. It's amazing how much stuff collects when your site is under a tree.