Upper Slide Seal Modification

[WildWildWest]

So I had two of my upper slide seals come loose and start moving down the track in the last couple years of towing. Some pretty rough roads in 2013 and then to Alaska in 2014. Found a solution to the problem on the road and then just completed the same to the second and third slides on our trailer. The upper slide seal is only attached by one screw at each end and the slight movement of the slide in and out and back and forth while travelling can easily break free the two attachment points. When that happens, the slide seal starts to travel forwards or backwards on the track and could ultimately fall out if you don't notice it.

Pictures show the modification, I added new screws at each end and then put in additional screws about every two feet along the slide seal as shown in the pics. I didn't have any proper sized pan head screws although those would be best, I just used screws with washers to prevent the screws from pulling through the rubber.

[WildWildWest]

More pics. Will need to redo some of the silicon to make sure there are no leaks on the top since the slide seal did move and broke free from the silicone as well.

[Murphie]

Holy smokes, Wonder how other brands handle this sort of thing. There must be a reason for it to be designed this way. Hope you find a solution to this.

[harley]

I know mine will not move as Crossroads put sealant on every part of the trailer, all rubber seals,around the storage door latches that hold the doors open and even on the sides of the awning bars that are bolted to the side of the trailer.

[WildWildWest]

There was one screw at each end and siliconed all the way around the seals only. These big slides move in and out some on rough roads. Both of my big slides had this problem. Fixed one on the road tenporarily last year. Fixed it this way on the way to Alaska this year. The kitchen slide moved on our last trip and its now fixed permanently. More prevalent with original style slides Because they are no attachment points all the way up the sides (unlike Schwintek). However I wouldn't trade my traditional slide mechanisms for anything.

[WildWildWest]

Originally Posted by Murphie

Holy smokes, Wonder how other brands handle this sort of thing. There must be a reason for it to be designed this way. Hope you find a solution to this.

I'm sure they are all designed the same. With traditional slide mechanisms the only attachment point is on the bottom so there is movement in and out and a bit front and back. It's easy to slide the rubber seal onto a track and put a screw in each end and silicone all the way around. That's why it's done. I'm sure it holds up 90% of the time for people, but we put over 6,000 miles per year on towing and a lot of times, those roads are pretty rough.

What I posted above is the solution. No issues for angled slide (living room side) for the remainder of the trip to Alaska after the above modification. Just did the kitchen slide over Christmas as shown.

[WildWildWest]

Originally Posted by harley

I know mine will not move as Crossroads put sealant on every part of the trailer, all rubber seals,around the storage door latches that hold the doors open and even on the sides of the awning bars that are bolted to the side of the trailer.

Mine all had that - definitely not a guarantee! But you may have Schwintek slides with the motors mid way up the slide - less movement on top for this to happen, but also less reliable.

[socoguy]

QUOTE: Scott( Wildwest) said; However I wouldn't trade my traditional slide mechanisms for anything
Definately agree. With all the problems discussed here regarding the Schwintek system I am happy not to have it.
I had a vertical bulb seal seperating (yes 2 screws only) I removed, cleaned (Solvit and Mr Clean Eraser work very well). I did all 3 slides (vertical only) it took an afternoon.

[Murphie]

I have a large Schwintek slide on our trailer that is only 18" deep. We had a lot of trouble with it. The dealer kept it over the winter and replaced both motors three times. Than replaced the control panel and wiring because the connections had changed at the control panel. It has worked perfectly for the last two years. It was under warranty so I didn't have to pay for it. The dealer was late invoicing and ended up having to eat the 3500 dollar bill. Unfortunately you don't hear about these things the dealer has to go thru.

[johnno]

Hi from Australia.
I have a 30 foot 3 slide out cruiser.
Could you please tell me where to get the slideout seals.
Regards Johnno

[WildWildWest]

Originally Posted by johnno

Hi from Australia.
I have a 30 foot 3 slide out cruiser.
Could you please tell me where to get the slideout seals.
Regards Johnno

Are you asking about replacements? The factory itself may sell them or an online RV parts dealer would carry them. They are standard among brands of RV's. Have your seals degraded?

[johnno]

Originally Posted by WildWildWest

Are you asking about replacements? The factory itself may sell them or an online RV parts dealer would carry them. They are standard among brands of RV's. Have your seals degraded?

Hi. Yes I am asking about replacements. The ones I can get in Australia are white and do not last very long. I the ones I have seen on this forum are black. I have looked on line but I have not been able to find them. There is a major language difference between Ausie and USA so maybe I have been looking for the wrong thing. Would you be able to recommend a rv parts dealer who would have them please.
Regards Johnno

[WildWildWest]

I'm pretty sure the manufacturer is AP Products. You can buy it off of ebay as well but they are not cheap to ship to you in Australia.

http://approducts.net/~approduc/cata...cPath=47_48_49

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AP-Products-...-/261616088834

[johnno]

Thank you very much for the info, looks exactly what I want.
Regards Johnno