Another wind vs slide toppers thread

[KennyGolub]

I was just reading another thread about wind and slide toppers.


It hasn't happened often for me, but with my Tiffin, on an occasion when the wind is very high, I would bring in the slides to avoid stress on the slide toppers.


Entegra requires the coach be at ride height to extend or retract the slides.


My question for Entegra owners is: Do you bring the slides in ? If so, do you start the engine and bring it up to ride height ?





.

[MRUSA14]

Yes and yes.

[ditto]

Yes,yes x2

[BHutting]

Yes - yes x3

[Cousin Ed]

Yes!
Ditto are you on your way????

[Rollin101]

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

I was just reading another thread about wind and slide toppers.


It hasn't happened often for me, but with my Tiffin, on an occasion when the wind is very high, I would bring in the slides to avoid stress on the slide toppers.


Entegra requires the coach be at ride height to extend or retract the slides.


My question for Entegra owners is: Do you bring the slides in ? If so, do you start the engine and bring it up to ride height ?





.

Yes and No. Never have started the engine and aired up to retract slides due to weather. That’s on four previous Entegras and one future one.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by Rollin101

Yes and No. Never have started the engine and aired up to retract slides due to weather. That’s on four previous Entegras and one future one.

You can ignore the manufacturer's instructions successfully until your procedure doesn't work. It may work fine for 10 times and break things on the 11th. I like safe better than sorry.

As an aside, I had a 2003 Beaver that had the same instructions as Entegra. One time I forgot and retracted the slide while on jacks. Busted up the whole slide mechanism. Lesson learned the hard way.

[Victory Blue]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

You can ignore the manufacturer's instructions successfully until your procedure doesn't work. It may work fine for 10 times and break things on the 11th. I like safe better than sorry.

As an aside, I had a 2003 Beaver that had the same instructions as Entegra. One time I forgot and retracted the slide while on jacks. Busted up the whole slide mechanism. Lesson learned the hard way.

I had to reread JH’s post. It does appear to say he doesn’t always air up to retract the slides. When I first read it I took it to mean he airs up to retract the slides but doesn’t retract the slides due to weather.

I’m also a yes and no, but I mean I air up to retract the slides, but in 42,000 miles over 40 months I’ve never retracted because I though the wind was too strong for the slide toppers to withstand. I play the better safe than sorry game with the awnings, I don’t do that with the slide toppers.

[hdgoldie]

We have retracted the slides due to high winds. For those, we first go through the whole process to get the jacks up, pull the slides in and then lower the jacks again to just touch. Puts all the rubber and the jacks on the ground. We have lived in FL or TX for over 20 years. We’ll leave for hurricanes but have been through a few wicked thunderstorms. May be overkill but if you have the warning that high winds are coming, why take the chance?

[GeezerViz]

I've also brought the slides in due to high winds. However I haven't always aired up first, if I'm already level.

One time I didn't bring the slides in, and now my big slide topper has an 8" tear in the part that is closest to the coach. Tried to gorilla tape it together, but that has failed several times. It's on the list when I visit the mothership in a couple of weeks.

[DebbieMH]

I've had to replace all my slide toppers about 3 months ago. I keep my Anthem at Bella Terra when we are in our New Orleans home. I don't pull in the slides when we are gone ... most people do, but I really don't want to deal with having to air up, pull up our rugs, etc. all just to be gone a week or two. So, for the last 4 years the slide toppers have "been subject to the weather" for the most part. Would I not have to have replaced them if I had put in the slides for every "wind" event we have been through, or if I put in the slides when we are gone for a couple of days ....? Possibly, but 4 years out of the slide to ppers isn't bad. And it really was just the front two that were bad, but replaced them all.

[Gary.Jones]

Well, I am in the minority, but unless it was a really really really strong forecast storm (like a hurricane or sort of like sub hurricane winds), I have never brought in my slides to shield the slide toppers and that is with three coaches (Dynasty, Anthem, now Cornerstone). I also never had any rips or ruined slide toppers.

Now, I did get a couple of flabby slide toppers on my Anthem and frankly felt it was the poor cloth used in the Colorado units, but have not had problems with these Girards and this material seems much more heavily constructed.

One time we were being told that we would experience straight line winds that were supposedly a problem and we brought in the slides but that was really for winds resistence generally on the coach, not for concern of slide topper fabric. I brought in the slides and set the jacks down to stabilize the coach.

Maybe I should be more concerned..... will give it some more thought.

Gary

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Well, I am in the minority, but unless it was a really really really strong forecast storm (like a hurricane or sort of like sub hurricane winds),
Gary

If a hurricane is coming, we are outta here! That's why our house is on wheels! We actually did have some "straight line" winds that came through here last spring, topped over several trees and just generally made a mess. Our magne shade came off our front window and one side window. We were here and it was scary, however, there was really no "notice". If there had been, maybe I would have aired up and pulled in the slides, but maybe not.

[Gary.Jones]

Lynn

I meant gusts associated with a hurricane, not the eye wall. If hear the eye wall projection, I would be gone also. I meant like if I was 100-150 miles north of the coast (Hattiesburg) and andfall in Gulfport, and still decided to stay, I probably would have everything in.

Gary