slide toppers

[beakyfudd]

I've been reading some of the older posts on the pros and cons of slide toppers as far as snow, twigs, and debris getting on the slides without the toppers, and cleaning the slides of these things. But one thing that was not really stressed is the pain of getting water off the slides on the day your packing up and moving. I only had to do this once and it got me thinking of installing toppers. And it wasn't raining that much, so I was able to dry them off enough so the interior didn't get soaked. I also wanted to ask if anyone has installed the toppers themselves. Jim

[dsprik]

Lots of opinions both ways for many valid reasons. Most like them. We are in that crowd. We would never order/buy another 5ver w/o them.

[tim43]

I had them installed on my two previous 5ers and they came with the new Montana. My thoughts on self installment, I wouldn't because I would rather have the professionals mess something up and have them replace it at no cost rather than me do it and have to foot the extra costs of ignorance on my part.

[Art-n-Marge]

With all the past topics of slide topper owners I don't recall any of them that have done it themselves. I am aware there are enough "gotchas" when installing them that are not mentioned in the install guides. The experienced dudes I casually spoke to when I had some put on a prior rig will mention there are some concerns but wouldn't elaborate (since they are PAID and would prefer you had them do it).

Personally, I would not tackle that by myself unless I had helped someone else a couple of times. When I saw it done, there were two installers and a scaffolding to raise my eyebrows that it might be worth it. It is highly recommended for two because balancing the slide and holding the tools and handling the fasteners that high up were worth it for me to have it done.

That being said you might be a skyscraper builder that has a scaffolding factory so good luck to you. For me I agree with tim43 regarding self-install - that's not something you want to screw up since it includes drilling into your structure.

And "dsprik" agrees with having them, but I have a feeling he did not install them. Am I right? If not, I definitely want to hear how he did (enjoyed) it.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Granted, this is just a FABRIC replacement, but, it will give you a bit of an idea.

http://geocities.com/genieyorks/improvements2007prt2

and here, Al was helping HemlockUSA replace the fabric on the big awning,

http://picasaweb.google.com/lashbroo...ohnWithAwning#

for what it is worth

[SlickWillie]

We like 'em, and we hate 'em. We've had a lot of wind this spring (gusts in the 20's today)and they shake the whole RV. They give an extra sense of security against leakage in a rain storm though. If and when we take the RV back up to the stick house, I may well remove them. Seems I posted a link to a short YouTube video on installing toppers sometime back. Might want to search there too.

[dsprik]

Art, you are correct. I ordered them from the factory with my unit. If I ever bought a used 5ver, I would never attempt to install myself. That is strictly a dealership install aftermarket. It would be worth it to me in my experiences.

[boylanag]

This is our second Montana and we had the slide toppers on the first one and ordered them to come with the second. As has been said, there are pros and cons but, for us, the pros far outweigh the cons. Would not even attempt to install them myself. We saw how difficult it could be at a Branson Rally when some great MOCers replaced our topper that had been destroyed by a side-swiping semi. Just the tension in the springs would be enough to keep me away from trying this.

[Emmel]

We have the toppers and have had them on all three Montanas, won't be without them.
Also, we was there, er, were there when the topper was replaced on Jims slide. Besides the three people doing the work, there was at least eight to ten more people giving advice. Yep, I was one of them, giving advice!

[KTManiac]

I just use a ladder and a long handled squeegie to wipe off the tops of the slides before I bring them in.

Of course, in a driving rain, it doesn't work out very well. Then I just bring the slides in one at a time and go inside and dry the tops and sides with a towel.

[bigmurf]

I only have one slide topper. I installed it myself (wife held one end). Of course I replaced my main awning too. Installed new water pump today.

[dsprik]

Another plus for having a topper is that it keeps the top of your slide cooler. Keeps the direct sunlight off and allows air to circulate under the topper.

[noneck]

I did my install for both, Main slide and the Bedroom slide...not hard at all.

[beakyfudd]

noneck, did you buy the toppers on line or from a local dealer? jim