Dinette and Sofa Slide-Out Question

[FLynes]

Are the dinette and sofa supposed to pull away from the wall, when the slide-out is completely retracted? Ours are, and I found two screws in the dinette trying to anchor them to the walls. It doesn't look like the screws are supposed to be there, but I have no idea.

[Martinvz]

I would say that it is not correct. The challenge is to find the real cause and then fix it. It may be that the screws holding it to the floor are missing. If you do screw it down, then make sure the screws are no longer than any existing screws.

On our coach everything stays in place on the slide.

[FLynes]

2 minutes ago, Martinvz said:

I would say that it is not correct. The challenge is to find the real cause and then fix it. It may be that the screws holding it to the floor are missing. If you do screw it down, then make sure the screws are no longer than any existing screws.

On our coach everything stays in place on the slide.

I didn't remember it being like that when we bought it. I noticed it, after we had the floor replaced. It's currently at the interior shop, so they can figure it out. I know there are no screws missing from the floor, but did it have screws holding the back to the wall?

[Martinvz]

I had to go out to the coach to look 😎

The couch (and seat belts) are bolted to the floor. The wall has no fasteners that I could see for the couch. The dinette is screwed to the floor closest to the center of the coach (furthest from the wall). It is screwed to the wall at the wall. This is the panel between the 2 benches. I did not check the backrest and assume that it is screwed or bolted to the floor.

[FLynes]

1 hour ago, Martinvz said:

I had to go out to the coach to look 😎

The couch (and seat belts) are bolted to the floor. The wall has no fasteners that I could see for the couch. The dinette is screwed to the floor closest to the center of the coach (furthest from the wall). It is screwed to the wall at the wall. This is the panel between the 2 benches. I did not check the backrest and assume that it is screwed or bolted to the floor.

I wonder what’s causing it to move away from the wall 3”?

[redstickbill]

Frederic,

If when the slide is all the way retracted (in) and there is a gap between the wall and sofa, I think I would be looking at the condition of the slide floor with the slide extended, check for any damage on the underside of the floor.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

[Tom Cherry]

Since day 1, there has been a “gap” between the sleeper “J” sofa, not a high volume item….Monaco was using up what they had…and the sidewall of the long, wide slide.  That slide has the sleeper, then a leather dinette and the Dometic (now Samsung) refrigerator.  The gap, when extended, is about the width of an “ear Bud” on a pair of headphones.  When you retract the side, the gap closes.  There is a “shelf” or a filler plate on the top or area behind the cushions.  I know the distance as it crushed or almost crushed my GS’s favorite earphones and I had to salvage them and amaze him that I could do it and resolder the connections.

dinette stays tight.  The slide actually “warps” or flexes as the 350 pound refrigerator pulls one corner down.  This is a “drop dow” slide.  When Chis Throgmartin made a new topper, it had a sag on the sofa end.  He made another one with painstaking accuracy.  Same deal.  The slide’s top pulls away about half an inch further at the top on the refrigerator corner vs sofa.

My comment.  Extend and retract the slide.  Put some painters tape on the flange at the top and bottom of each corner.  Measure the top on each side versus the bottom.  There will be some minor differences.  Now how much might depend on whether it is a flush or IN/OUT versus my drop down slide.  The bottom extension on each end should be almost, to say, an 1/8”, the same.  The top should probably be a bit further out, but still parallel.  Mine isn’t due to the weigh of the refrigerator..

We engineers do thing differently.  Measure how high the back of the sofa is off floor.  Measure how high the “ceiling” is in the slide.  Let’s use 30” & 90”.

Assume you have a 1/4” gap when extended.  Divide 90 by 30.  The result is 3.00.  Multiply 3.00 time 1/4” or 3/4”.  Then if you measure the top extended versus bottom extended, you could have 3/4” difference.  Yes, my top leans out a smidge.  That is normal

[FLynes]

1 hour ago, Tom Cherry said:

Since day 1, there has been a “gap” between the sleeper “J” sofa, not a high volume item….Monaco was using up what they had…and the sidewall of the long, wide slide.  That slide has the sleeper, then a leather dinette and the Dometic (now Samsung) refrigerator.  The gap, when extended, is about the width of an “ear Bud” on a pair of headphones.  When you retract the side, the gap closes.  There is a “shelf” or a filler plate on the top or area behind the cushions.  I know the distance as it crushed or almost crushed my GS’s favorite earphones and I had to salvage them and amaze him that I could do it and resolder the connections.

dinette stays tight.  The slide actually “warps” or flexes as the 350 pound refrigerator pulls one corner down.  This is a “drop dow” slide.  When Chis Throgmartin made a new topper, it had a sag on the sofa end.  He made another one with painstaking accuracy.  Same deal.  The slide’s top pulls away about half an inch further at the top on the refrigerator corner vs sofa.

My comment.  Extend and retract the slide.  Put some painters tape on the flange at the top and bottom of each corner.  Measure the top on each side versus the bottom.  There will be some minor differences.  Now how much might depend on whether it is a flush or IN/OUT versus my drop down slide.  The bottom extension on each end should be almost, to say, an 1/8”, the same.  The top should probably be a bit further out, but still parallel.  Mine isn’t due to the weigh of the refrigerator..

We engineers do thing differently.  Measure how high the back of the sofa is off floor.  Measure how high the “ceiling” is in the slide.  Let’s use 30” & 90”.

Assume you have a 1/4” gap when extended.  Divide 90 by 30.  The result is 3.00.  Multiply 3.00 time 1/4” or 3/4”.  Then if you measure the top extended versus bottom extended, you could have 3/4” difference.  Yes, my top leans out a smidge.  That is normal

Dad? Just kidding, he was an engineer too (Westinghouse), and it gave me flashbacks, LOL.

Our slide doesn’t include the fridge, just sofa and dinette. I can’t imagine the force being exerted on the slide with yours, let alone ours.

I’m a linguist (polyglot, actually), not a mathematician, but after reading your post a couple of times, it makes sense.

I’ll take a trip over to the interior shop today with my tape measure.

Thank you.

4 hours ago, redstickbill said:

Frederic,

If when the slide is all the way retracted (in) and there is a gap between the wall and sofa, I think I would be looking at the condition of the slide floor with the slide extended, check for any damage on the underside of the floor.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

First thing I checked, and I didn’t see anything that jumped out at me, but I’ll go to the interior shop and look again. I wish I had taken pictures.

[Martinvz]

Frederic,

On my LaPalma, like yours, I only have the dinette and couch (flip out queen size with air mattress topper).

There is a small apace behind the couch and side wall of about 0.5 inch when slide is extended. I have not measured this spacing when retracted but it remains the same, as I recall. We will be moving tomorrow and I will check and let you know.

[FLynes]

4 hours ago, Martinvz said:

Frederic,

On my LaPalma, like yours, I only have the dinette and couch (flip out queen size with air mattress topper).

There is a small apace behind the couch and side wall of about 0.5 inch when slide is extended. I have not measured this spacing when retracted but it remains the same, as I recall. We will be moving tomorrow and I will check and let you know.

Thank you, Martin, I greatly appreciate it.

[Martinvz]

I just checked and find that the couch back is about 1 inch away from the wall. This is with the slide retracted and after a 250 mile drive.

Martin

[FLynes]

38 minutes ago, Martinvz said:

I just checked and find that the couch back is about 1 inch away from the wall. This is with the slide retracted and after a 250 mile drive.

Martin

Thanks, Martin. I’m going to the interior shop on Monday, to see what progress they’ve made and what they’ve discovered.