Our 2008 Mount Rushmore Suite bedroom slide issue

[G_Hage]

I'm sure this issue has been discussed here before:

Being new to these forums I would like to ask help as to what typically has been the experience of others with a similar slide issue, more particularly the bedroom slide in the Mount Rushmore Suite. Ours appears to be in alignment from front to back as compared to being parallel with the sidewall of the unit. Both fully extended and fully retracted. In the retracted position it also appears to be aligned from top to bottom. But when extended (even fully) the bottom of the slide is approximately 1-2" farther out than the top. Inside, the slide fascia or surround reflect the same misalignment as outside. A more precise measure to the eye would be that the slide end wall windows are just in contact with the outer slide wipe at the top of the vertical edge of the windows, and approximately an inch away at the bottom.

We noted this when we first looked at this unit on the sales lot in which it was parked on uneven ground and only supported on the front jacks. Then while doing our delivery walk through with it leveled up, the slide was exactly the same. The service personnel attempted to correct by running the slide in an out several times and pushing the top of the slide as it was being extended. Did not correct the issue and was advised by the service manager that it was most likely caused by the way the slide box had been built.

Note here that our unit has hydraulic slides controlled by one slide switch opening and closing all three slides in sequence. Also it, as the other two do, has a slide topper which appears to be working properly.

With all that is said, is this most likely a build issue as we were told, or something different and somewhat common with an easy (or any type of) fix available? This unit otherwise would be to nice to walk away from having been purchase for $28,000.00.

 

[jnbhobe]

I would pull the top off the bed to see if its just a slideout adjustment.

 

[danemayer]

Hi G_Hage,

It's convenient for the seller to claim it's a 5 year old build issue, since by saying that he doesn't have to do anything about it. I would be skeptical, which is probably why you've posted the question.

On our 2011 Rushmore, the rear slides have exposed, obvious adjustment mechanisms for an alignment issue like this. But our bedroom slide doesn't have an exposed mechanism, so I don't know how adjustments are made. Perhaps someone has experience with the older Rushmore hydraulic bedroom slide. But if not, I'd suggest you call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032. Have your VIN # ready. They should be able to find out for you how it's adjusted.

 

[G_Hage]

Slide adjustment issue is EXACTLY my thoughts on this issue. But I'm admittedly a rookie in this arena. My technical engineering background in observing what's going on with this slide leads me to think that the hydraulic ram under the bed is adjusted with to long of a stroke, thus pushing the slide box's bottom to far out and causing the top of the box to kick back in slightly. Once the unit is delivered to my site, I will look at the under bed slide mechanism myself to see if it's a fix I can do. I would certainly think (and definitely hope) that this is not a major repair issue as tilted slides are not an uncommon thing for us to have seen in the past around the RV parks we frequent.

 

[jnbhobe]

I would tell the dealer to fix it before he delivers it.

 

[G_Hage]

That would probably be the wise thing on my part to do, but I'm not sure of their shop's abilities and knowledge in this area and if I would want their tech doing the work or do it myself or take it to a Heartland recommended dealer/service center. Sometimes ya just get that feeling, and in this case I got it! For the price we purchased this unit at, I feel even if I have to pay another shop that's more up on this type of issue, I've got room to do so and not chance the work being done incorrectly and costing me more down the road. We are extremely particular who we let work on our business equipment and now the RV. We could be wrong in our thinking on this one, but the gut tells me to take it elsewhere!

 

[Bob&Patty]

The angle of the BR slide "could" be an issue. IMHO, if it does not leak water or let cold/hot air in. With the slide all the way out, run your fingers all away around the seals. See if you can push your fingers out at any part of the seals, if you can, then it needs to be adjusted. If not, IMHO, leave it alone. Again.....JMHO

 

[G_Hage]

Hoping that with the aid of the attached photos, someone might be able to guide me in correcting the tilt in our bedroom slide. As you can see on the interior/exterior photos the inward tilt at the top of the slide is quite noticeable and unappealing to the eye, even though the slide is not leaking. The only adjustments that I can see on this slide would be as shown under the bed.

It would appear that since the bottom of the slide is farther out than the top, by extending the two bolts on each side of the hydraulic ram outward (towards the foot of the bed) it would not allow the ram to extend the bottom of the slide out as far. Would that be correct?

But what I don't know is if it would straighten the vertical side of the slide box making it more parallel with the sidewall of the fiver, or would the tilt still be there with the slide now not fully extending or properly sealing, as it currently does at the bottom without any adjustment.

 

[danemayer]

The pictures help. I'm not an expert on slideouts, but looking at the picture, I'm wondering if the tilt just occurs as the slideout is fully extended, or if it's tilted like that most of the way as it's pulled in.

If it tilts just as it reaches full extension, perhaps something's blocking the top. Maybe the previous owner had something placed at the top that fell back behind.

If it's tilted for most of it's travel, that makes me think the surface underneath has been built up into a ramp for some reason. Or there's a vertical adjustment that has to be located.

If the bottom of the slide is extending fully against the side wall, by reducing the ram extension, you might just end up with an incomplete weather seal and water intrusion.

 

[jbeletti]

I'm no expert in this area, but to me, it sure looks like the slide topper, especially to the south (aft) is too tight, not allowing the slide to fully extend at the top. Wondering if the dealer tightened up the toppers because they were loose? Slide toppers will not likely last as long as the coach and it's very conceivable they were old and saggy/stretched.

It's a 2-man, 2-ladder, 1-hour job to adjust the tension on them. Be careful - a bit dangerous with all the wound tension and then working that from ladders.

 

[jnbhobe]

Like Dan said look for a verticle adjustment if nothing is making it tilt like that. All of the big slides have adjustments for all directions so I would think the bedroom slide does too. Mine is in storage or I could take it apart to look.

 

[jbeletti]

I reached out to someone who knows a lot about this sort of thing. Here's his response:

It could be either issue. When we install toppers, we take 1 or 2 wraps off first so its not so tight. His doesn’t appear to be too tight from the pictures.

The slide adjustment for hydraulic bed slide is a bit tricky. The bed has to be loosened from the room. There are bolts and a plate that have slotted holes so you can raise or lower the bracket that bolts through the floor onto the mechanism. The bed itself could be the culprit. If the bed is taken loose, the room pushed out on top so that it seals, then the bed re-attached it may solve the issue.

This sounds a bit confusing but once they get the bed top removed it will make more sense.

 

[G_Hage]

I reached out to someone who knows a lot about this sort of thing. Here's his response:

Hey Jim, I was finally able to get our ladder from our work trailer today and climb up and check the outside of our problematic bedroom slide. I found two issues that most likely are the cause of this slide being tilted inward at the top:

1ST: Somebody had left a pair of scissors on top of the slide near the pin side that poked a hole in the outer rubber wipe and jammed into the backside of the slide fascia.

2ND: Upon my rolling the slide topper [part material wraps around] towards the fiver by hand thus lessening the tension on the topper's cover, the slide box began to level itself on its own. I believe this is most likely my culprit. Now I just need to learn how to back off the tension a bit. It has what appears to be a short lever handle on one end of the slide assembly which I would assume has something to do with adjusting the slide, but not sure yet.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Glad to hear you may have found the cause of the slide problem. Hopefully, the adjustment procedure isn't all that difficult.

 

[jnbhobe]

The short handle is an anti-billow device. Dometic has instructions on their web site, You have to pin the roller, be very careful you can get hurt real easy.