Slide out toppers

[Reuscher]

I have a 2003 fleetwood pace arrow. The screws for the slide out topper brackets have come loose. Tried larger screws. Nothing will take hold. Dealer told me that wood inside is rotted. I am not sure that is correct. I want to have new slide toppers mounted. Any thoughts please?

[Oregonpharme]

If the wood frame is rotted there is nothing you can do to successfully mount new topper without disassembling the slide and replacing the rotted wood, and a new slide roof to seal it properly.

[Backcountry1]

The wood is probably rotted, which is why the screws are “stripping out” in the wood. You could add wood glue to the screws to help them hold in place but it surely wouldn’t be a permanent forever fix. I have seen fixes (and have done it when I had a pop up with rotted wood sections) that include making a larger hole and wood glueing a dowel into the hole and then screwing into the dowel.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Reuscher

I have a 2003 fleetwood pace arrow. The screws for the slide out topper brackets have come loose. Tried larger screws. Nothing will take hold. Dealer told me that wood inside is rotted. I am not sure that is correct. I want to have new slide toppers mounted. Any thoughts please?

What area are you talking about here? Are you describing the slide-out wall or the wall of the RV? If the slide-out wall, there is a chance it can be rebuilt from the inside by removing the paneling and replacing the wood with a new backer board.

[Dutch Star Don]

You can always "plate" the wall, be it either the slide wall or coach wall. Cut out a plate about 6" x 6" and drill holes in the outer corners. Use a substantial glue to attach and then use new screws in the holes in the plate. Paint to match and then reattach the slide out brackets to the plate.

[Reuscher]

Cabinets are on the inside. I can put a plate inside cabinets and screw hardware from outside with long screws and attach hardware. Hardware attaches to outside of side out. Thanks

[bentjm]

Depending on how bad the wood is rotted and whether or not the wood is still wet, you can try something like Git Rot epoxy.

[Dutch Star Don]

Originally Posted by Reuscher

Cabinets are on the inside. I can put a plate inside cabinets and screw hardware from outside with long screws and attach hardware. Hardware attaches to outside of side out. Thanks

If you can access the wall from the cabinet, you can run a bolt through from the outside and use a plate or large fender washer on the inside. The only issue could be a hollow cavity behind the cabinet wall. If that's the case, drill the holes through from the outside and then get a can of spray foam insulation from Home Depot, insert the tip into the hole in the back of the cabinet and fil the cavity with the foam. Let it dry a couple of days and then install the bolts.