Community Forums

dvkiel · 11-25-2014, 06:48 AM

I am a newbie to the 5th wheel and slide outs. Having just purchased a very clean good used 23' Kit Road Ranger, I noticed that all the dealers had the slides out on their trailers, while I understand that is so they can be displayed for the customer, my question is this.

Should the slides be left extended out during the winter months in the weather during non use.

I'm sure that I'm going to have a variety of questions as we get into the 5th wheel adventure.

Thank you in advance to all the experienced rv'ers out there for your input and assistance.

mo5er · 11-25-2014, 07:15 AM

I have always put my slides IN over the winter non-use months.

450Donn · 11-25-2014, 07:28 AM

When not in use close it up. Helps keep unwanted guests out, helps keep the interior dry, reduces surface area in stormy conditions.

ralphie · 11-25-2014, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

When not in use close it up. Helps keep unwanted guests out, helps keep the interior dry, reduces surface area in stormy conditions.

x22

mhs4771 · 11-25-2014, 09:36 AM

Yep, if not in use for a few days, all slides in.

camato5 · 11-25-2014, 10:00 AM

Had a 37' 5er for almost 10 years. When not in use I always pulled in the slides, keeps water, leaves snow etc off top of the slide. When I went from a 5er to a motorhome, I got excellent comments from the dealer as to how good my slide out awnings and slide outs looked after all those years.
Good luck with your new toy

road dogs · 11-25-2014, 01:07 PM

A well designed slide should never have any issues when left out for extended periods, otherwise full time RVers would have problems if that were the case. However, if there's no need for slides to be out, they should be rolled in for several reasons, like there's no need to expose seals and covers to weather elements if you don't need to, or if you don't have access to power you don't want the slide to be out with no power to close it again. If you are inspecting a potential RV purchase, the slide having been out while it's raining could be a good thing if you're looking for leaks. I imagine the dealers leave them out for several reasons, mainly to keep them open for potential buyers to view. Also, to keep untrained looky-loos from deploying them without looking for obstructions or causing undue wear and tear on the mechanisms, the last thing a dealer wants to do is have to fix a broken slide, especially before a sale......

dvkiel · 11-26-2014, 03:40 AM

Thank you to all who replied to my post. I will make sure to keep the slide in during periods of non use.

Rolfsted · 11-26-2014, 05:54 AM

I keep my 5th wheel in my machine shed always. So weather is a non issue. I keep the slide out all the time just for ease of getting around inside if we need to get at anything.