Slide Problems

[bsummit]

How many people have had problems with the under side of the living room slide being scraped off and some of the wood torn loose. Dealer said it is probably one of the rollers broke. All I know is, it's got to be fixed, due to the wood getting wet. Good Sam extended or my vehicle insurance.
My unit is an 08 3670. Another problem I've noticed is the slides not lineing up with the hole in the wall when opening or closing. They will be closer on one side than the other and the seal flap won't come out. Have had several other problems, too numerous to mention at this time. Right now I'm not a happy camper with my big horn.

 

[JohnDar]

If the damage on the underside of the slide is along the edge, it's due to water damage. Earlier models did not have a protective cap on the edge of the plywood and it was exposed to water dripping down the slide wall. Many of us have added aluminum trim pieces, or ordered the caps from Heartland, to cover those edges. You can get an epoxy like material from Parkland Plastics (maker of the floor boards) to fill in large gouges before covering them. Contact HL Customer Service with your VIN and HOC member number to get a discount.

In regards to the slide alignment within the opening, that can usually be adjusted if you know how, or take it to your dealer.

 

[bsummit]

Thanks John, I'll contact customer service tomorrow.

 

[traveler44]

Just wonder if they have started adding some trim on the newer models to take care of this problem. I know it was a problem on the 09 3370s and it seems like a defect in building not to have a piece that wraps the bottom edge and goes up under the side trim where it can be made water tight. We were in Fl. at the time I was trying to get this problem fixed so we compared how other brands were built. Some were wrapped all the way across the bottom with metal or thick plastic. Tom

 

[JohnDar]

I recall seeing rigs at the Detroit 2010 RV show with a cap on the bottom edges of the slides. Even have a photo.

 

[bsummit]

I recall seeing rigs at the Detroit 2010 RV show with a cap on the bottom edges of the slides. Even have a photo.

After checking on this problem, I'm going to get some aluminum angle and epoxy wood filler and fix the problem my self. Will paint the aluminum before I install it. I will post pic's when I finish. Before and after pic's.

 

[JohnDar]

Thick aluminum angle (like sold at Home Depot, et.al.) might be a little too thick. I had some white aluminum coil stock bent up and cut to 36" lengths by a siding distributor, which I cut to length for the slide. Cost me $12.00 to do the three slides (bedroom came with caps on it). Removed the existing trim piece, put a bead of caulk on both inner surfaces of the new trim, and trapped it under the original trim piece. Then I ran a new bead of caulk along the top edge of the trim. Fortunately, I had read about the problems and got to mine before any damage had occurred.

 

[traveler44]

Mine was replaced up at Gillette in Michigan where we took it for the one year warranty work. They took the side trim loose by running the slide in and out to get at the screws and then tucked the corner edging up under it. Then they screwed the side trim back on and caulked the top of it to make a waterproof seal. My dinette slide was the only one I had trouble with. Tom M.

 

[JohnDar]

Mine was replaced up at Gillette in Michigan where we took it for the one year warranty work. They took the side trim loose by running the slide in and out to get at the screws and then tucked the corner edging up under it. Then they screwed the side trim back on and caulked the top of it to make a waterproof seal. My dinette slide was the only one I had trouble with. Tom M.

Putting the caps on all of the slides with exposed plywood edges is preventative maintenance. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before the plies start sucking water and delamination begins. On mine, the degree of exposure varied from slide to slide and side to side. between 1/8" to a tad over 3/8". If you wait until you start to see flaking, you're behind the 8-ball.

 

[HappyKayakers]

This has been a problem with HL for years. I have water damage to all slide edges on my'06 BH and am making repairs as time permits. Currently working on back edge of super slide. I used aluminum drip guard on the bedroom slide but I'm going to try leak repair tape (similiar to Eternabond) on this one.

 

[stevebotts]

We have the same problem with our 3370. Unfortunately did not catch until some wood rot. Will be removing the rot, using a filler, and put on the angle piece to keep the water from wicking up. This is a terrible flaw with the Big Horn. I have looked at many other brands and most of the undersides are either wrapped or have the metal piece. Every Heartland owner needs to check the underside of their slides and hopefully stop the damage sooner than we have.

 

[traveler44]

Thanks John! I'll keep an eye on the others. I'm thinking the bedroom slide is already sealed. Seems like all of the 33370s had the same problem with that and all the guys with 09s had to fix the dinette slide for sure. Tom M.

 

[bigbird272]

I have the same problem with my slide on the living room side. I got a Parkland repair kit delivered today as well as the plastic trim pieces for the slide. The new trim pieces are black in color now and and are marked right and left. Looking at the bottom of the slide I have no idea how the angled ends can fit on the end of the slide. As far as I am concerned Heartland should do a recall on these units and get them fixed for nothing at a dealer. This is an obvious flaw. The 2010 and up come from the factory with the trim pieces already installed on the bottom of the slide. People with trailers of 2009 and older are stuck, some with major repairs. I would have a real hard time deciding on whether to go Heartland again.

Rick