Community Forums

TXiceman · 10-01-2011, 08:26 AM

It will be interesting to revisit this subject when the slides have 10 years of use on them and see how well they are doing.

Ken

B Bob · 10-02-2011, 02:18 PM

Txiceman - very good idea. The slides on our Country Coach Affinity are extremely well made. It is a 2002, and we just had to have a new seal put in on the front one about five months ago as the old one popped out. Thankfully mostly covered by extended warranty. If we would have had to pay the bill was around 2 grand. Ugh. I don't even want to think what a huge full wall slide seal would cost.

Bigthee · 10-04-2011, 05:43 PM

We have a 2011 42' American Coach Rev and have had no problems. I agree with the several comments posted that they have worked out the problems....

Who ever you buy from make sure they have had the bigger slides for several years.

JMonroe · 10-05-2011, 10:36 AM

Got my fingers crossed. Just shy of one year with our FWS coach. No issues to date.

ronyrhythm · 10-05-2011, 05:11 PM

This is a very sore subject with me. Last August I bought a 37' 2004 Rexhall Rexair with two full wall T-Rex slides from what I thought was very reputable dealer in my city. Absolutely fell in love with it! Loved the floorplan and all of the extra room. The day we brought it home we got it in the driveway, leveled it, and began to put out the passenger side slide. The back went out and the front did not and there was hydraulic fluid all over the driveway. The dealership came and got it. About a week later we picked it up with supposedly new hydraulic lines and ALL new fittings. Over the course of the last year it's probably broken about six times. It's been to the factory three different times and they assured us when we picked it up in July the problem was resolved. Last weekend we were at the coast with several friends for a 100 mile bike ride and it broke still again. With the help of our friend and a few strangers we were able to push it in and secure it for the three hour drive home. Good Sam ERS sent out a hydraulics person to try to fix it but he was unsuccessful. I went on the HWH website and found that they have two Master Service Centers in California. Spoke with them and they feel certain that the dealership put in inferior lines that were too small and that's the reason it keeps breaking. We have an appt next week to take it in and leave it. Hoping our extended service plan will pick up most of the cost. We love this coach but the stress of pushing the passenger side button has become tremendous! Everyone please keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for the poor guy in Bakersfield!

Tha_Rooster · 10-05-2011, 06:05 PM

[QUOTE=ronyrhythm;975942]This is a very sore subject with me. Last August I bought a 37' 2004 Rexhall Rexair with two full wall T-Rex slides.

I didn't know they made MHs with two full wall slides.

EasyDoesIt · 12-01-2011, 06:00 PM

My rig has had the full wall slide operated probably 200 times in the 2 1/2 years we have been touring with it. No problems with the electromechanical drive system. I have had the slide topper ripped off by high winds (perhaps a small tornado in Florida). The slide topper has a tendency to billow up with side winds that hit the side and then up under the roller. This causes the center roller support to squeak and that can be in the middle of the night. Some toppers have a metal shield over the roller but I do not think they make them that long. I have installed a means of sealing the gap between the outside of the slide and the roller. I bought 4 pieces of black foam insulation for 1" pipe that are 6 ft long, 12 small S hooks and 12 24" black shoelaces. I opened the S hooks so the will fit over the top flange of the slide and closed the other end to capture the shoelace tied in the middle. 3 hook/lace combinations tie each foam tube in place. Works like a charm. I'll probably do that on the other 2 slides as well. Fortunately my coach has black topper so the foam does not show much. This solution only works if we are parked for a while. I will remove them before pulling in the slides.

BudtheDiplomat · 12-01-2011, 06:29 PM

We have a Monaco 40' SFT (full wall slide) purchased new in 2008. 20,000+ miles now. I have no clue how many times our slide has been opened, but it has been used multiple multiple times every trip. The big slide is always first out, last in.

We've had no problems, no leaks, no noise from the full wall slide. I have a little squeak from our short kitchen slide when we hit rough road, but haven't tried to look for it when stopped.

The 'down side' of our design is that the hallway to the rear bedroom is closed when the slide is closed, but we just take a little jog thru the full bath to get to the bedroom when traveling. No big deal.

I see lots of posts about potential problems, but then I've seen bumblebees fly.

I would guess that problems with full wall slides occur statistically as often as partial wall slide problems.

BudtheDiplomat · 12-01-2011, 06:31 PM

I might add that almost every major manufacturer is offering full wall slides in every model. And in some, that is all you can get.

I would think if it was such a big problem, the manufacturers wouldn't risk warranty money.

EasyDoesIt · 04-03-2012, 09:03 PM

Well, Here is an update on the topper. Drove 100 miles from Palm Springs to Blythe. Perhaps up to 30 mpg side winds. Gusts?? Broke the billowing protection arm off. Drove 30 to 40 all the way with it pulling in and out as we would get side wind gusts. It finally pulled out of the center keeper roller. I pulled the fabric out and will now go with a nice shiny racing tube on the top of the slide. Will I replace the fabric and the hardware? Not until I can get some sort of shield to keep the wind from blowing up under the roller.

JohnT · 04-04-2012, 08:42 AM

We are looking at a 2012 Expedition 38S and it has a FWS. So this thread answered my research on FWS. Thank folks.

jponyboyace · 04-04-2012, 11:38 AM

Boy we just purchased a new Berkshire 36fws it appears to have hydrolics and cable??..anyway I made sure the cables were all corectly tightened...andI hope the FWS is a great wall slide.....will keep all posted......thanks...jim....full wall slide!!!

jlfbatonrg · 04-04-2012, 12:35 PM

Roy,

I am aware that the original Fleetwood full wall slide models 2006, and some 2007 had problems on several units. At one point, I was told Fleetwood recommended putting only 100 pounds in the storage compartments because of weight issues. Since that time the problems have been reduced significantly. That doesn't mean there are no problems. As with all of these RVs, whether one small slide or many, there will always be some small percentage with problems. I would recommend you consider a newer model full wall slide if you want the full wall slide, to be more comfortable you won't have problems. Otherwise many reputable manufacturers build 38-41' multiple slide units that are very good. We love our triple slide fleetwood Expedition and, for us, wouldn't want anything else.

Jim

Clayobx · 04-04-2012, 12:40 PM

Have a Fleetwood Providence 42M, with full slide. Had a small problem to start when new. Fleetwood had not adjusted the slide and aligned the bay doors adequately thus bay doors rubbed when opening. Presently all working great once dealer tweaked slide and doors. The only down to a foll slide is the slide cover must be adjusted tightly to allow water run off and leaf collection must be blown off to keep fabric clean and add to life span. But any slide of length will recguire some preventative maintance. The very positive side is the vast amount of room the slide provides!!! Like night and day compared to our Fleetwood 39 Excursion. Go with the full slide especially if you intend to spend time aboard. IMHO.