# When is it too windy to keep your RV slide out?



## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

The recent windy weather has been more on than off recently and my slide has been in and out like a fiddlers elbow! :? 

So, when is it too windy to leave your slide out, how do you decide to bring your slide in and if you leave it out, can it really cause damage to the chassis?

Ta

Anita


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## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

Helloooooooooooo

Sorry to reply to my own post but I'm hoping some fellow RVers may be home from work and on the net and are willing to give me the benefit of their wisdom. :roll: 

How windy is too windy to have my slide out.


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## Superk (Aug 22, 2005)

Hi
When we had the RV it wasn't the slide itself that decision was based on and to be honest I never considered it a problem however my concern was always the slide topper that I was fearful might be torn off or, the flapping would keep us awake. (I know you can tension these or even put a beach ball underneath but there's still a lot of canvas to be torn away.)
Keith


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi its the slide topper as Keith says thats the problem, you could try putting a rope around it and tie it under the slide to stop it flapping about.

Olley


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## Duadua (Feb 16, 2006)

Can't help as we have yet to experience the problem of very high winds with the slide out out, although can well understand your concern.

The flapping slide topper does get noisy in moderate winds and I agree I would might be worried for it ripping off in very high winds.

So its a Thank You to Olley for what is now an obvious solution ... tie a rope around it. Mind you if it's that windy, the rope might or probably would rub the paint work on the sides of the slide. :roll: 

If it were very windy and raining and the slide out was facing the wind and rain, then I am sure some rain would come in at the bottom corners of the slide onto the MH floor.

So on reflection if say stormy winds of say 50 - 80 mph then I might be persuaded to bring the slide out in. I'm pretty sure the American manual suggests the same, as my wife has suggested the slide outs come in in moderate wind before now, having read the manual :roll: , and again because of the noise of the toppers, but the Americans would always ere on the side of caution.

I don't believe it is so much a structural thing, more potential damage to the topper and unwanted water ingress in the bottom corners. Apparently when speaking to an importer in the last 6 months it is only the English who want the toppers, as the Americans don't have them, relying upon the top and side rubber seals ? I don't know however if this is true.

So if in doubt bring them in.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

thewaltons said:


> my slide has been in and out like a fiddlers elbow


Lucky you. 

Dougie.


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## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

Well, I hadn't thought about the slide toppers! I haven't heard any flappiing (hubby would say I do plenty of that). The only noise I have heard is the wind blowing across the exhaust (like a milk bottle). Twice last night I asked best beloved who the hell was driving the bus before I realising it was the force of nature who was rocking us left to right, left to right, left to right................ The ickle caravan 300 yards away is still standing so I guess the wind sounds worse than it is and we'll leave the slide out tonight :lol: 

Thanks for your help


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## dangerous (May 1, 2005)

We have just returned from a very windy Salisbury site, decided to bring the slide back in as the topper was flapping a fair bit. I guess damage could be caused to the topper, as with the awning, so better safe than sorry.
Couldnt sleep though as the wind was howling and buffeting the motorhome quite badly, red wine cured the problem in the end though.......................
dangerous


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## Smilo (Nov 2, 2005)

In the current context, what's a slide and what's a flapping topper?


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## RAH (Apr 22, 2007)

Rule 1: The slides come in when the wind feels uncomfortable. It's really the slide toppers that are the real worry, although they don't really rip from the aluminium base except over time (years).

Some slide toppers (not ours) have an extra piece of material that keeps them from stretching or ripping at the base. This can be fitted custom. If yours don't, just bring in the slide instead of worrying.

Rule 2: Before buying, always get a feel for a motorhome with the slides in. Many coaches feel like the cargo area of a movers truck when pulled in.

Happy travels!


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## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies everyone. We now pull the slides in the the van is rocking!!! Better safe than sorry. 

Luckily we can still comfortably use our van with the slides in, so its not a problem at all.


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Smilo said:


> In the current context, what's a slide and what's a flapping topper?


A slide is part of the side of an RV which extends outwards increasing the inside space, you normally get a lounge and/or bedroom slide and can be matched with slides on the opposite side in more expensive models giving you 4 in total.

The latest are full wall slides, the entire side behind the drivers seat to the rear of the RV extends out, and once again you can have them on both sides. Usual distance for the extension is about 20"-24"

A topper is an awning fixed to the top of the slide and the top of the RV and keeps the worst of the weather away from the rubber seals, high winds get under the topper and make it flap about.

Olley


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## Smilo (Nov 2, 2005)

Smilo said:


> In the current context, what's a slide and what's a flapping topper?


Oh, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

when your RV falls over?? it is a very difficult question to answer....

I was out in my little m/h (autotrail cheyenne) in all those gales, and it was scarey at times...so I guess my answer would be, when you feel uneasy.....

Good luck.


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## ChristheBigfoot (Dec 11, 2006)

For the American Coaches hopefully you have your jacks down even if you are on level ground. That stops a lot of the rocking in high winds. I have never pull my slides in and have withstood 60mph winds on the Gulf Coast of Texas. What I have done and many like me that spend a lot of time here do is to get some white plastic water pipe long enough to go the length you need across the fabic. Get some in line fittings so you can cut the pipe to a length that is easy to store in the MH. You want the pipe to be a couple of inches longer than the topper. Sorry about the inches! Get two 90 fittings for the end of the pipe. Send a rope through the pipes and fittings and you should be able to lift the whole affair and get it up on the topper. Tie a loop in one end of the rope. Pull the other end under the slie through the loop and secure. 

With a helper you can easily center the piping on the topper and if you pull the rope tight enough you can get the inside turn of the 90 deg fittings against the top of the slide out and you should have no flapping of the topper


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