Bedroom Slide Ate A Suitcase!

[M&M]

On my last trip, after arriving at our campsite with the grandkids, I couldn't find my grandsons suitcase. I knew I had loaded it, but it was nowhere to be found. After searching the RV over, I remember when I put the bedroom slide out, I heard an unusual sound. Looked under the bed and sure enough the suitcase had found its way behind the under the bed storage and RV wall. The unusual sound was the bed frame screws coming out of the slide wall as it was trying to eat the suitcase. We consider ourselves a newbie since our 1 year RV anniversary is this month. This is a lesson learned and a new step in our checklist to check that space BEFORE opening the slide.

I'm a regular MOC reader and hadn't seen a discussion on this "opportunity" for a repair, so I share mine. The last post (link below) I could find was 2019 and that gave me guidance for the repair solution I made. The factory method to hold the bed to the slide looks like an opportunity to fail even without operator error.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=78766

I fully agree with the last comment in the thread about materials used.

Replaced the 1x2 with a 2x4. Added a 1x4 to the wall to give it something for the screws to hold. Screws used to replace the bent factory staples.

As always thanks for the education you receive from the forum.

[mlh]

This is always a problem. I’ve did the same thing. You learn to check behind those slides. I was lucky and only pulled a couple screws out that were easy to replace.
Lynwood

[Raven17]

On one of our first trips we got a lantern behind one of the front slides. Tore the frame around the couch off. A couple of hours to clean and reattach. Learned to look before opening or closing

[team bradfield]

our first slide "crush" was a paper towel roll, lucky, no damage, DW now opens them a little and checks everything

[gontoden]

Ours failed on the first trip without involving suitcase. Just came loose from the wall. Damaged linoleum floor. 2020 3120RL.

[laverdur]

After a slideout turned a 5 piece cabinet door into splinters on SOB bumper pull years ago we started doing a careful visual inspection before opening slides. For us, this includes getting a flashlight and making sure kitchen cabinet doors have not opened in transit.

[Greyfox 68]

Is there a repair video on u tube for this?

[richeyb]

I too was a cabinet drawer door destroyer. Didn’t take long to find out one of the living room drawers had come open during travel. As pointed out by other all door and drawer need to be securely closed and checked before moving the slideouts.

[twindman]

I was lucky on our kitchen cabinet drawers. One had come open and caught on the slide when extending. This is very near the slide button and wife noticed (heard?) it and stopped. The screws pulled partially out but no other damage. No she checks each slide area to make sure everything is A-ok.

[DutchmenSport]

We took delivery of our spankin' brand new Montana and brought it home. I unhitched, leveled and then proceeded to open the slides. (rear bedroom) slide made a horrible "crunch" sound. I had no clue what was going on. Finally got into the bedroom and found out a cabinet door popped open and got caught in the slide out when extracting. Bent the hinges all up. Scared the doors all up. Scared the slide trim all up. The cabinet door would not shut any more either.

I immediately called my dealer back and told them the doors were shoddy, the catches failed, and it was not my fault the slide damaged the door. They fired back at me and said it was my responsibility, I should have checked the slides and the clearance first. ..... Who would have thought? A completely empty trailer that was JUST pulled off the dealer lot?

They would not even give me the hinges to fix it myself. The doors were not broken. Some Old English removed the scaring. And I found hinges at a Lowe's Home Improvement store.

So yea. I installed baby catches and hooks on every cabinet door in the camper after that.

[Mark7]

Our kitchen slides will both hook drawers if they slide open. We need to do a belly slide across the island to check them before opening. We nearly tore one apart once but the slide "glazed" it and then went by with no harm to anything. That is how we learned.

On one side the DW inserts a plastic long handled shoe horn down the center of the 3 drawer pulls. All 3 would need to open or none will as they are all pinned together. This has solved the issue on that side.

Still always check!

[dfb]

Our 3611 big slide caught a kitchen cabinet about 4 times.. It destroyed the cabinet and the slide broke. We have had the big slide fixed 3 times.. On our SOB the Little buddy heater was eaten by the bedroom slide and crushed the steel heater.. NO SLIDE damage.. This slide was not the shwinntek or the cable but a motor driven slide.. Wish all were still made this way...

[Robokatz]

Hello, somewhat on topic….I am about to take delivery of a 2022 3231CK. Quick question: on a newer model, how far out do the slides extend from the body? Mine will have to main slides and a bedroom slide. I read somewhere 2-3 feet maximum…is that correct? Thanks

[twindman]

I have a mountaineer not a real monty. I have one slide that goes out 42 inches or so and the other on that side goes out 36 inches. Just FYI

[Arkware]

Slides on the 3230CK are
Door side: 37.25"
Off Door side: 23.75
Bedroom: 29.5

[Daryles]

I installed extra rollers and reinforced the bed frame.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2740...5364039853999/

[Robokatz]

Thanks so much for the information!