Community Forums

apr67 · 08-19-2021, 05:34 PM

I am contemplating a repair on my Thor Windsport 34J that is going to require removal of the 27' long slide.

As I contemplate this, I am wondering what the slide weights. For example if I used two portable scaffolds with steel tube between them to hold the slide, will that hold it? Is it less that 2000lbs or more?

As for why I am contemplating this, I have about $8000 reasons why.

wildtoad · 08-19-2021, 05:44 PM

I’d call Thor for two reasons. One they may be able to tell the weight as built. Two they may be able to provide in-site in to what you are attempting to do.

TXiceman · 08-19-2021, 06:05 PM

A slide can easily top 1000# and up from there. I doubt if Thor can offer any advice. You might call a RV repair center than can do this type work. I have seen them take slides out of 5ers at Kansas RV and it is a multi-person job and seems easy enough if you have the right equipment and and enough people.

Ken

153stars · 08-19-2021, 06:58 PM

27 foot I would say 2000 is a good estimate.. Any support, gear rigging I would want 2-4 times as strong as my guess . As well as bracing/cross bracing between support based to prevent side shifting. Objects that large and heavy can be unpredictable . Will repairs be indoors? If not you have to take account for winds in both directions .
Members have done extensive repairs without removing slides.

weighit · 08-19-2021, 07:14 PM

What is the reason for the removal? If the floor is rotten that can be replaced without removing the entire slide. If I was going to have to pull a slide like that, it would have to be where I could get a fork lift centered and plenty of support boards to glide it out as straight as possible.

apr67 · 08-20-2021, 04:07 AM

Its a floor issue but not rot, but I can not find any way to fix it without pulling the slide.

Sweetbriar · 08-20-2021, 04:58 AM

Considering you're dealing with a full length slide with bunks, half your kitchen and the dinette it's going to be heavy. Planning, planning and more planning will help to achieve the desired outcome.

Remove as much of the interior fixtures as you can to reduce the total weight and support the full length of the slide once removed. And consider some type of framing to support the coach wall and maybe something to keep the slide square. The two work together supporting each other.

If the slide hardware is a Schwintek system do some research regarding how to break the system down and then reconnect successfully.

MikenDebbie · 08-20-2021, 05:22 AM

These are not your unit - but the screen shots below are from Keystone Montana factory tours. They use a fork lift to lift the big slides into place, then 3 or 4 guys wrestle them into the opening. For the smaller slides 3 guys lift them into the opening and attach in place.

carybosse · 08-20-2021, 06:47 AM

I would think you would need a forklift of some sort to remove and reinstall. The ability to hold it in place while you check alignment before you re-install would be important. A forklift that had side-shift capabilities with the forks would be great.

If you are talking something that crosses over 1K pounds, then you probably would need a minimum of 8-10 pretty strong people to handle, and I am not sure how you arrange 10 people around the slide to accomplish. Personally, I don't know 9 other people who are crazy enough to help me in a project like this. Too many of my old drinking buddies are either gone from this earth or, well, I did say OLD drinking buddies.

apr67 · 08-20-2021, 07:17 AM

I'm not planning on trying to pick the slide up by hand.

Two portable 1000lbs scaffolds (on wheels) on either end of the slide.

2x6's running across the 32' span(27 foot slide, plus 2.5 feet for each scaffold). It will be two beams made of 2x6's, and each beam will be made of 2 2x8's.

I will use trailer leveling jacks in-between the 2x8's to be able to lift/lower and tilt or adjust the slide.

The goal is to just roll the slide back enough to clear the the floor that I have to work on.

I have a drawing of what I am thinking about for the scaffolding and beams to hold the slide, I'll post them.

Here is the general type of scaffolding:

twojayhawks · 08-20-2021, 08:13 AM

You might have the weight covered ok with the two scaffolds but I would worry about the stability. The slide will likely have a very squirrely load center and it may or may not rest comfortably on the scaffolds. Even if you crib the load on the scaffolds the load center may want to tip over. I have seen slide work done and I have always seen a piece of material handling equipment used. Just a FYI the "stacker" in the photo above can be rented very economically by your local forklift dealership and they'll ship/pick up to you as well. The lift AND the scaffolds would be what I would do.

carybosse · 08-20-2021, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twojayhawks

You might have the weight covered ok with the two scaffolds but I would worry about the stability. The slide will likely have a very squirrely load center and it may or may not rest comfortably on the scaffolds. Even if you crib the load on the scaffolds the load center may want to tip over. I have seen slide work done and I have always seen a piece of material handling equipment used. Just a FYI the "stacker" in the photo above can be rented very economically by your local forklift dealership and they'll ship/pick up to you as well. The lift AND the scaffolds would be what I would do.

I am with you on this. The last thing I would want to happen is to get halfway into this project and determine I have underestimated my needs, or worse, have a teetering Jenga slide ready to come crashing down. A proper forklift, even the stacker in the pictures, would offer so much more stability.

apr67 · 08-20-2021, 08:52 AM

I hear you guys, but I don't think a single forklift of any kind is going to handle a 28' wide slide. What is the widest the forks spread, 4 feet? That seems scary.

I think supporting it from both ends would be far more secure. Once rolled back I can add a center to ground support.

The slide only needs to be lifted slightly, less than 1/2 an inch, to be removed.

apr67 · 08-20-2021, 09:27 AM

A 5 ton forklift is not too expensive to rent for a week, $700 or so.

However I would guess I would have to make something that attached to the forks and was at least 20' wide to handle the slide. And then pull it out, down and place it on 5 chunks of 6x6 to spread the load.