Slide damage from being unlevel

[RV Vagabond]

If you are going to put your slides out for the night, how important is it for your coach to be perfectly level or close to it Can being unlevel cause damage to slides

[Mac99]

Some folks have different opinions on this issue. But logic
tells me that it is better to be level than not, before the
slides go out. You can re-level as needed as things settle.

[sdennislee]

My Safari requires slides out then level the coach. When I first bought it I tried it the other way, after 3 or 4 uses the slide started giving me issues where it wouldn’t move smoothly, one end would hang up. From then on I followed Safari’s instructions.

Some manufacturers say level first other manufacturers say slides first. The best advice I can give you is to follow the guidance of those who engineered and manufactured your coach, at least on this topic as they best understand the stresses, flexing, loads, etc...

[wingnut60]

I would have to say that some slide designs stand up to being out of level more than others--are you asking about deploying before leveling, or actually using them at less than level stance?

[TerdFerguson]

I’d think that the coach would be built at the factory on a somewhat level surface, with the slide mechanisms being level and square.

That being said, the mechanisms should have the least binding when the coach is level, so I’d get as level as reasonably possible before pushing the slides out.

[seanb02]

Shouldn't matter if you have a rigid enough chassis that it isn't flexing and twisting the entire trailer. But go based off of what your manufacturer recommends for the best results.

[Big Dude]

I would go with the mfg recommendations. I've had two coaches and had one go each way. My current coach says level first and the one time I didn't do it, I had issues.

[IC2]

Common sense says level the RV. There is probably a safe limit as to what you can do but I'm not about to test for that limit. I figure my limit is what the fridge can tolerate which for me is in the center ring of a 'bulls eye level in the freeze compartment.

Just a note - have you ever seen some of the way out of level RVs on a dearler's lot that have slides open?

[aether_one]

When you say "level", do you mean level? Or do you mean deploy the levelers?
If you mean level, then yeah, you should be reasonably close to level if you are deploying the slide but not the levelers; as in stopping at a rest stop and deploying the slide for full use of the kitchen/bathroom. In that case you don't need to deploy the levelers first.

[KatieVL]

Read the instructions. Mine says level first, put out small slides and then the large slide.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by RV Vagabond

If you are going to put your slides out for the night, how important is it for your coach to be perfectly level or close to it Can being unlevel cause damage to slides

During our walk through the tech advised us that WGO recommends the coach be level before moving the slides.

Our manual says the same thing.

I would confirm what is recommended by consulting your manual and if still unsure contact Customer Service at WGO.

[Gary RVRoamer]

This is probably a case where "best practice" (what the manufacturer recommends) Is probably not very critical. If the slide will move ok when the rig is not level, it's not harming anything. If the mechanism is straining and has difficulty moving the slide, then stop and get it more level.


None of the four rigs I've owned that had slides cared whether the rig was truly level or not. One was hydraulic, one had a worm gear, and two were rack & pinion geared. They all moved the slide easily in any situation where the rig was level enough to move around inside ok. I've not owned any of the cable-driven systems, though.


It stands to reason that moving a slide uphill puts additional strain to the mechanism, but I don't think any reasonable amount of tilt is going to be significant. In extreme situations, the electric motor is going to stall out or go very, very slowly. If that happens, you need to get more level before continuing.

[Bob Hyatt]

When we were looking, we were carefully going over a 32SA (not the one we bought). Sales guy extended the slides in the parking lot. When he retracted the rear slide, it made this ungodly moaning sound. I walked to the front and noticed that the HWH leveling panel was showing the rear to be low.

He ran the slide back out, and in again, and it moaned again. I told him to hit the level button first. He did, it popped up to no orange lights on, and this time the rear slide was as quiet as it could be. Makes more sense to me to level first. Not the best idea to have all sorts of side loads on things, IMHO.

[RescueRamsey]

It seems to me that it should be level first, but my owners manual says to deploy the slides before the jacks come down, seems odd to me. Either way, I would not try to slide it out if it's extremely off level, or worse, if the chassis has twist to it.