Major screw up on my slide out, please help!

[John C]

I can't believe I did this!!!! Guess I am entitled to have a senior moment as I just turned 55!

Anyway, I finished replacing carpet with vinyl plank floor and need to add more seat belt to the passenger side sofa, while wait for the seat belt, I forgot to tighten one bolt (from slide bottom to the floor to secure the sofa)  , when I finally ready to do the seat belt, I extended the slide, but that bolt dropped half way and broke and twisted a piece a aluminum and seal, it also pulled a piece of plywood out (please see attached)

I guess the first thing I have to do is jack up the slide(no sure how much to jack it up) and take the aluminum piece out and put the plywood back. that carpet is the area I can't reach, I will just yank it out.

I will probably remove the floor in order to put the plywood back.

No sure if aluminum piece is salvageable ,as it broke on the right side I will have to replace that aluminum, it will probably has to be custom made??

 

Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

    

[timaz996]

Man o man that sucks.

[klcdenver]

It looks as if you have rot on the edges from the pics. You may need to add guardian plates to fix that problem. You should be able to get that piece of aluminum from a rv salvage yard if it is not a stock extrusion/shape. Talin RV in Florida may be a good source/help for you also.

[jacwjames]

Yikes

Are you a good DYIER

IMHO, I think to fix it right the slide will have to come out.  The damage to the floor on the inside has to be fixed right besides being able to get to the opening where the slide goes.  Also have to check to make sure the bolt did not deform the slide opening, possibly pulling it out so it's not curved, if not fixed the slide may not seal. 

[Tom Cherry]

OK…real world here….done 3 slides and put in Guardian plates.

Jacking the slide. You need a 24” or so 2 x 4.  This will be the “T” or top portion of the Jack.  Next….you gotta measure.  You CAN use a floor hydraulic jack or an automobile screw jack.  This ain’t like lifting the Washington Monument.

I used TWO 2 x 4….laminated (deck screws) for the Jack LEG.  You measure like this…

Bottom or undrside of the slide to a LEVEL surface.   The MH needs to be LEVEL….very important.  BUT…my sloped driveway wasn’t.  I picked two points on the outer edge (the underside….not the flange.  I was installing Guardian plates and knew how wide they were.  I gave myself 2” clearance….so…that point was the edge of the 24” TEE or TOP.  Now…in theory….the lack leg will be 12” further in.  Mark that….on each side.  Now measure down to the driveway or whatever.

Say 36”…..now the math.

Subtract 1 3/4” for the TEE….use 2”….

Next….when the jack is totally down….how high is the pad.  BTW…Bottle Jacks are my choice….then an Auto screw.  Trying to control a floor is NOT what I would use.

SAY the Jack is 12” from bottom of base to top of pad, when fully down…

Subtract 12”.

NOW, you gotta put it in and get it in position….maybe 1 - 2” “working or clearance”….but the longer then the higher the jack….so use 1”.

Subtract 1”.

That is a total of 15”…..you measured 36”…..your Jack Leg, after you screw it onto the 2 x 4 will be 36 - 15 or 21”.

if the surface is not level….do the other end.

next is simple….position each jack and raise the jack until the T Jack (post) contacts the slide….then raise each side about 1/8th inch.  You need a “measuring” or reference point on the slide so you know “how much” the slide….at the side wall is raised.  

BTW….The point, as to how far from the MH the T post is….varies.  If you decide to run the T post perpendicular to the side wall….then the points will be different.

Memory says I centered the distance from the outer edge of the slide to the side wall….then ran the TEE perpendicular….  Some do it, I think, the other way.

THE MAIN THING….only use one jack to move 1/8” or so on that side…..then do the other end.  I only raised mine to get the underside of the slide up enough to slide in the Guardian plate….with maybe 1/16” or so clearance.

The rest is pure common sense and “how do I fix what I broke”.

I KNOW for a fact….than on a living room slide with a refrigerator, it typically takes 4 guys to lift and remove it.  Obviously all connections to mechanism and umbilical have to be removed.  They put it on a cart positioned right behind it.  Bedroom slides are 2 -3…a fullwall slide….GOD only knows….and a dealer will probably not removed tell you to go to a Monaco repair center where they have the cart and such.

BUT simply raising and working under it and replacing or putting in a Guardian plate….piece of cake.

The “wear” hopefully, is just external…..and NOT from a leak.  You do a small hole saw core….maybe 3/4” and examine the core and the sides for “ROT” or mosture My three were all superficial issues….nary a drop of water.  Don’t make false conclusions without facts and coring.  When you grind or cut off the lower side frsme for the Guardian Plates…..you’ll know….in an instant…water or rot….damage or NONE…. 

[John C]

Thank you all for the quick responses, I almost had a heart attack when I saw I had to take the whole slide out!!!

This morning I looked at it carefully , it is actually not as bad as I thought, the function of that piece of aluminum it just to hold the seal, it is not structure.The weight of the slide out is on the roller.

Because it is aluminum it is kind of soft which means I can bend it back to what it was use to be, there are about 5 feet was taken out by the bolt, only 2 feet was really bad.

I Jacked up about 3"-4"  with 6x6 on the end of the slide out, 5 feet away from that, I use another 6x6, I believe I probably jacked up about 2"-3", then I could move the plywood a little but still couldn't  take it out,I was afraid jack up too much (It may damage the slide out), so instead of taking the plywood out, I just pushed the plywood inside. That plywood is not structure either.

After that cut some triangles with wood and put those those under the slide out bottom, then use a hammer inch by inch , I corrected the aluminum , so I pretty much straightened out the aluminum , of course not 100%, there are about 10"-12" area is about 1/2" from the slide wall, because the aluminum was bent in the middle there and when I straightened up, the two broken end won't come together straight as the both side is screwed in to the wall and can not move

Now I can move the slide in & out without any issue.

When I closed the slide out, the 1/2" open gap between the 10-12" aluminum and the wall is not a issue because the slide out is hold it. when I extend the slide out, nothing is touching or move the aluminum , so I believe I will be fine, the worse case if the aluminum  move out a little bit when I extended, i can always able to correct it.

Note: when I say "I" , I mean I and my employee who is handier than me.

It took us less than 2 hours to fix this.

Now the new seat belt is in and the vinyl plank project is finished and I am happy!