slide topper

[lovecamping63]

Has anyone ever installed slide toppers on their RV? It appears they are installed with self drilling screws. Is that correct? Is there any danger of damaging anything within the walls or slide using self drill screws? I'm looking to add toppers over 3 slides and was wanting some advise before I get in over my head. I've looked at several videos and it seems like a pretty straight forward job.

 

[Crumgater]

We installed ours - or.. Dave did..

We did need a second person to help (with more arm strength than I have for the big slide). Otherwise, it went pretty easily, if I recall correctly... Don't remember looking for things in the walls. The location for the hardware was pretty tight - not a lot of wiggle room if there was anything you needed to work around.

 

[John_Beth_Wheeler]

I would like to do the same thing to my 2017 Heartland Landmark 365, so I hope someone will answer your question....

 

[lovecamping63]

We installed ours - or.. Dave did..

We did need a second person to help (with more arm strength than I have for the big slide). Otherwise, it went pretty easily, if I recall correctly... Don't remember looking for things in the walls. The location for the hardware was pretty tight - not a lot of wiggle room if there was anything you needed to work around.

Did it use self drilling screws? What kind of topper did you go with? Have you had any problems? Thanks

 

[sengli]

I watched the guys at our dealer install ours. Yes the use self tapping screws for everything. Toughest thing to do is make sure you hit the aluminum substructure with all of the screws. Cause other wise there really isnt anything there in the walls of RV to attach other than thin fiberglass, and foam. Honestly I would skip them next time. After they have been on there a few years or so the mounting points on the slide sides, are pulling the screws out. And there isnt anyway to really fix this other than going to larger screws. Also the aluminum brackets that hold the toppers are bending inward due to the stress. There is a lot of stress on these in the wind.

 

[JohnDar]

Our slide toppers were dealer installed back in 2009 and are still in good shape. I did install a small awning over the entertainment slide window a couple of years back. The install kit came with screws, as well as several large pop rivets. When laying out your screw holes, if you can't hit substructure with a screw, use a rivet. And butyl putty tape is your friend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JohnD]

If anyone had been camping here in Colorado the last four or five days with slide toppers . . .

You'd have spent those days with all of your slides in due to the high winds along the front range and the deep snow up in the mountains.

Three days ago the high winds blew a camper on it's side with three people in it down at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs.

http://fox21news.com/2017/01/09/chi...r-blows-over-at-cheyenne-mountain-state-park/

 

[Nabo]

Sorry that I can't help you with an answer about an individual installing toppers in that we have had a dealer install them on our last 5 campers. They are a good thing in that they protect the roof of your slides from direct sun and trash, helping to keep the slide roofs cooler and keeping the small trash from coming into the coach. Yes on two times we have had to pull the slides in because of the way the camper was sitting and the direction of the winds. Once was during a tropical storm with 60-70 mph winds on the coast of SC and again on the outer banks of NC. We are currently living in our LM in AL and haven't had any problems with the toppers, even with the tornadoes coming thru earlier with again 60+ mph. The good out ways the bad.