Wall Slide

37

377pete

Advanced Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
49
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I'm exploring the idea of installing a wall slide into my projct, I found Liftco, they manufacture a prefab slide out that seems to be the same one I see in photos of other project R.V.'s anyone have any expierence with this task/product or could provide some information on the slide mechanism and installation, thanks
 
I have a Liftco slide on my coach. It's worked fine all last summer. I sent them an e-mail asking about any maintenance I should do to it and they sent me a long document about it. I wouldn't hesitate to use them for one.
 
The top panel on mine is very flat. One time we were camping and the rig was level without my jacks down. It rained very hard all night. The slide has a auto canopy that rolls out over the top when you slide it out. I ran the slide in and then pulled out. Woooooshhhhh. A ton of water came flying off the top of the slide onto the kitchen. I guess that top might be a bit concave? I would have thought the canopy would have kept it dry. I guess it was blowing too much? I learned my lesson. If it's rained since putting the slide out I extend the jacks on the right side (the slide is on the left) so that any water that may be sitting up there will run off before the slide is brought in.
 
Thanks for the input Bob, I have not found anyone else on the web that manufactures a slide mechanism, I stopped in yesterday at the only salvage RV yard in town, they wanted $1000.00 for a used mechanism that would require tons of fabrication, think I'll be going with the Liftco product...
 
...I've repaired maybe 35 in the last 6 years...I hate them worse than a bad case of VD!.....they are lite weight and about as strong as a tinker toy.....engineered to last -at the most -about a year- if you don't use it........anyway...BAL makes one that is very adjustable and can be adjusted from time to time with out too much effort.....BAL is a manufacture/supplier for Elkhart companies....if you can get one-buy it! the rest are a nightmare. I had a guy in Lawarnceburg Ind that made a hydraulic one but it was a one off and I think he is gone out of business... W&M Manufacturing/Motorsports IIRC...He had a good idea and the design was overbuilt but there was no way of any problems hampering the mechanism. It was hydraulic off the PTO on the truck transmissions.....of all the ideas that have come out of the RV industry the slide was the worst...."it is a leaker/windy/rocker/binds up going in and out/smells musty when open/get it open and can't get it closed at all or only partiality/uses too much current/motor binds up/needs lube almost every time it is used/rain water comes in/wind blows all the heat/AC out of the unite/can't get the switch to operate at all/bad electric connections/no power/too little power/burning smell when closed up/moves out on left hand turns/windows fall out if it gets in a bind"....and the best..."I opened it all the way and the trailer slid off the leveling blocks and I had to call a wrecker to get us back up the muddy hill....do you think it might be too heavy with the band stuff in the slide?"....geofkaye and the Rivercity Group
 
Geof, what do you think about putting a slide in? Hahahahahaah. I was not keen on buying a coach with a slide. I prefer simple things that don't break down or add weight. I bought my rig used and everything else about it was perfect so I had to buy it even tho it has a slide. My slide is a small one, just the sofa goes out. We put 8k miles on last summer. Ran the slide out tons of times. I lubed the screws once with JB80 (maybe I should have done that a couple more times?). It's never failed. Doesn't mean it won't, it likely will fail at some point. It has a manual crank just in case. I always travel with a very good set of tools, the best way to ward off mechanical issues on the road. Just like taking an umbrella so it won't rain. My 32' Allegro gas class A that I had for 5 years before my t/c had no slides. I'm glad I've now got a slide, it makes the living room roomier. I'd sure not be too interested in one of those super long slides tho. I'm guessing twice as long would be like 8 times more likely to act up.
 
377pete, I am building a toterhome on a KW W900B. I have built the hitch assy,bed (6ft)and framework for the box (12ft).After looking at numerous motorhomes both with and without slides,I decided on two opposing slides,both 72". One will be for a sleeper sofa,the other for a table and two captains chairs.I looked at several used slideout assy's at RV salvage that met my requirements.They all would require extensive rework and were priced in the $800-$1000 range.
In my research,I could only find two companies that manufacter these units.One company (I won't mention their name)would not even talk to me.Told me to have my Engineering dept contact them with my design drawings.I then contacted Liftco. They were extremely helpful.Sent me all of their literature on their products and answered all of my dumb questions.They make several types of slides,below the floor,in the floor and above the floor depending on your needs.I have deceided above the floor is what I will go with given the space requirments for the below the floor unit (will not clear the fuel tanks)and complexity of the in floor unit. Since I have just deceided on what I want, I have not obtained a price on these units.If the price doesn't fit the budget I will resort to building them myself. I just hate to reinvent the wheel. I will post some pictures of current build status as soon as my son shows me how!
Maybe someone that has been there done that will give us some advice/insight. All opinions/ideas are welcome.
MMM
 
Hay Pete, do you have a facebook account? That's what I use to host my pictures. It's very easy. If you don't have facebook that's real easy to set up too. And you'll find all sorts of friends and relatives on it. I got signed up on it since my kids are always on it and I've gotten in touch with a bunch of old friends from high school that I had lost touch with.

Anyhow, if you get a facebook acct. set up then you can creat photo albums. It's very easy to add pictures into your albums and keep them organized there. Then it's very easy to link a picture from there to here and post it in a reply here. Some people use other picture host sites like photobucket and other sites like that. I just like to use facebook since it's useful as a social networking site too.

Do you already have your pictures hosted somewhere? That's the first step to getting them here.
 
Hi Bob, I Have pics in my puter un documents,I'll be dammed if i can figure out how to get them on here..... got my forth window installed today, still debating on slide/no slide, Geo has a pretty strong opinion on the Liftco, I went out under my H/R 5th wheel with double slide, can't see nothing without taking down the exterior floor panels...the bedroom slide looks real simple on a single screw jack, but of course thats only 5 ft or so, if I install one it will be 12 ft. dinette/couch set up, i'm sure I'll need at least three or four support brackets and a hydraulic ram, although I was thinking air might work..... if my nutty brother stops by I'll gets pic on here
 
I don't think I'd do hydrualic or air for the movement. I'd worry about leaks. Do any of the majors use that to run their slides? Or are the all electric screw type?
 
The only way to get the pics up is to host them on line. They won't work from your computer. Take a look at www.facebook.com and see what you think. You can store millions of your pictures there and share them with people. And don't worry, nobody can find out anything about you that you don't want them to.
 
...IF the biggies use anything it will be mechanical....anything else is more expensive.......and works a lot better/longer. they just want to get it off the floor plan asap....anything else is optional. a slide that is about 6' costs about 60$ to make....then add profit and other considreations and you are up to 1200$....for what?...if they can cheap it, they will do it, that way and roll it out of the barn on to the lot asap. A slide is an option that may work and then again it might not work.....throw the dice and see what happens.....As all can tell I am NOT a fan of them unless they are made well and are easy to repair on site.....BOB86ZZ4's problem with water and or snow is not unusual at all....I here it all the time and have to chuckle at the ideas expressed on how to make it better....till customers hear the price of custom made slides.....then it is back to cheap!....geofkaye and the Rivercity Grilz
 
Hay Pete, after you've got a picture hosted somewhere on line you can move your cursor onto the picture and right click. A box then opens up and you can select "properties" and it will show you a the url of that particular picture. You move your cursor to the front of that url, hold down the left mouse button and slide it to the end of the url (it will be a long string of letters and numbers). Then let go of the cursor and hold down the "ctrl" button (lower left on my keyboard) and type the letter "c". That will copy that url for you. Then come here and type a reply to a topic. When you want the picture to show up you type this
at the end of that last url character. The brackets are on the keys to the right of the letter "p" not the parenthesis up top.
 
my wife tells me she can post pics into facebook, I'll get that done tommorow and add recent pics, got my sixth window installed today, somebody mentioned a quality window sealer the other day ,I can't find that thread if one of you guys could send that link again I'd apreciate it. Geo I hear you on the keep it simple ... but after 11 years in a 37ft toyhauler with no slide, and now we have a family 5er with sides wow big difference!! I'm pretty handy and can fab just about anything, I talked with liftco and I agree, 14ga steel, about 50-100 bucks in material and a 1300 price tag,seriously..... if you have any type of plans or sketches to help out my imagination send them my way, thanks my regular email is pallas1102@msn.com
 
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