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Old 09-01-2008, 10:00 AM   #1
5WRon
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Possible Damage to Slide-Out awnings

I posted this on another site and was advised to post it here also.

We have a brand new 09 BigSky 5th wheel which has installed the optional “Slide-Out awnings” (A&E Slidetopper).

We are currently staying in the windiest city in the USA (Casper, Wyoming) which has sustained winds of up to 30/40mph at times with guests up to 60+mph. I’ve been putting the slides in and back out on a regular basis. This is becoming a pain in the behind (especially at 4am in the morn), but I think necessary to save tearing the awnings or damaging the mechanisms (which is not covered in the Warranty or Insurance).

The directions in the owner’s manual state to do this whenever “If…high wind is predicted”. I called the dealer and Keystone and the info was vague as to what high winds are and what damage they could cause.

I would like some input on how durable these awnings are to wind damage, and what mph would be a good indicator. I know this probably is a personal call on the owners but would like to hear how others have faired or not.

A big pre-thanks to all. We are 17 days from being actual full timers (WOW).

Ron and Linda
 
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Old 09-01-2008, 10:32 AM   #2
HamRad
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5WRon,

Glad you made it over here. I saw your post on Escapees and didn't know if you were aware of the MOC. Welcome.

I'm sure someone will come by soon and answer your question.

Have fun and enjoy the journey.

HamRad
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Old 09-01-2008, 10:36 AM   #3
richfaa
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We have them on our 06 3400 and have spent time in Lake Havasu, az..a very windy place ..and Apache Junction, Az, also prone to high winds during the winter months. In Lake Havasu we saw winds of 40 50 mph with no damage. Noise yes..sounded very bad, but stayed on the camper. I still think it is a good idea to pull the slides in for very high winds..50MPH is a very high wind.
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Old 09-01-2008, 11:03 AM   #4
Waynem
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Stayed in Corpus Christie last December with gust to 45 mph. Sure make a terrible racket, but did not tear.

Some will put a 2 inch or wider strap across, add a rope on each side and a bungee hooked underneath to minimize the flapping.

DO NOT use anthing smaller than 2 inch width or you risk cutting through the fabric on the end. Might even use a de-flapper, or two on each side, hooked to a spring tension system. (Bungee) You only want enough to minimize the flapping, not to hold it down real tight.

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Old 09-01-2008, 11:05 AM   #5
Delaine and Lindy
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We had slide toppers on other 5ers we have owned, but due to the noise factor and they fill with water we decided to not get the Slide toppers on our (SOB). They are very easy to install later if we decide we need them. Back to the topic, we use to winter in the RGV and the wind does blow there. We never closed the slides however they make a lot of noise and you probably would need to close them if you get constant 50 mph winds. GBY...
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Old 09-01-2008, 11:08 AM   #6
exav8tr
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I have the same toppers on our 3400 and agree with Rich, that 40-50 mph would be my limit. However, I recently bought some 3 inch wide strapping material and throw it over the large slide and use two bungee cords and strap it to the bottom of the slide. Works fine, just don't make it so tight that it damages ths actual toppers on the edge of the slide. You could do this to the others also.
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Old 09-01-2008, 11:23 AM   #7
pandew
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Our 4 slides with awnings have never been taken in for wind during a winter in Apache Junction, Az, a summer in windy Jackson Hole, Wy or for two days of riding out Hurricane Katrina in Pensacola, Fl. The awnings did get beat up pretty good (some shredding and little holes) from hail in Jackson Hole but still haven't had them replaced as they are just to keep leaves and large stuff from getting on top of the slides (and they still do that).
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Old 09-01-2008, 03:27 PM   #8
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Our 1-year-old 2007 3585SA also has the awning toppers, and 2 out of 3 sustained some damage from the constant winds where we lived in our unit for a year (back side of Clark Canyon Reservoir in Montana). I had my computer set up, my teaching stuff all over the place, and lots of other "full time" necessities that made it impractical, if not impossible, to pull in the slides every time the wind blew. The toppers were frayed on the edges, and even without any hail, they had developed pin-point holes scattered randomly throughout the surface. The dealership looked at the damage and concluded that the awnings should have held up better than they did, so the damaged ones are being replaced under warranty. One topper was just fine--no holes, tears, or frays. It was on the same side of the RV as another topper that did have damage.

I've read the pros and cons of strapping the toppers down to prevent wind damage and never could make up my mind about doing that. Now that the house is finished, we won't have the slides out all the time, and that should help.
Carolyn
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Old 09-01-2008, 05:38 PM   #9
Exnavydiver
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We have four slides with toppers, the only one that flaps is the large one, I tossed a 2" nylon web strap over the length of it and bungeed a 2 liter bottle on each end about half full of water. Stopped the flap dead, not enough weight to tear or wear the edges and also acts as a wick that draws all the water off the topper. After surviving having tornadoes pass within 2 miles of us and 2 weeks at Mayport and a winter in Statesboro with constant wind they all look like they are still new... Dave
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Old 09-02-2008, 05:34 AM   #10
bsmeaton
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The awning fabric degrades with age. You may have survived this one without damage, but once the fabric ages it may not survive as well.

There are always pros and cons, but after seeing those things get shredded in the wind, or even damage to the slides because the billowing toppers are pushing in on the top of the slides allowing water to enter through th epen seal during a wind storm combined with rain, we elected not to install them. We've seen folks scramble and just barely get the regular awning in before the windstorm hits! Those with the awning toppers are typically just out of luck and have to hope for the best until the storm is finished. Usually those folks have to bring in the slides and shelter in the bathrooms/showers with the tenters and tent trailer folks.
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Old 09-06-2008, 09:52 AM   #11
Dave Anderson
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5wron; I've done just like the 2"ex's have . 3 inch nylon strap over the long slide. Like navy divers water bottle Idea, been useing bungee's Our last montana got it's topper ripped in a 45mph wind just befor trade-in time , but I was able to "repair" it prior to trade time. Yes they will tear. .................Dave
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Old 09-06-2008, 11:37 AM   #12
Exnavydiver
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I originally tried bungees but they pulled too hard and started to stretch the material so I went with the bottles and so far they have worked fine. I have only needed them and the strap a few times but every time I did use them all the water wicked off down the strap... Dave
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Old 09-07-2008, 04:00 AM   #13
ken
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We never had any problems with the slide toppers on our two Montanas we owned. And yes, on a windyday they can be noisy. We did have a problem on our SOB motorhome last year in Florida. Traveling down the road, our main slide topper unravelled in 60 mph 90 degree wind going down the road. It continued to flap on the roof until I lowered the speed down to 40 mph. What a noise that makes. When we got to Orlando, I checked it and found out one of the topper stoppers had broken off and allowed the topper to unravel. This little devise is on one end of your toppers and has a arm sticking up. It is pot metal and attached with two screws. Ours only had one screw and it broke in half. We straighten out the topper (wasn't torn) and replaced the stopper and everything was good again. The repairman said that with only one screw holding it, it was too much pressure. We had to add screws to the other three slide topper stops as the factory only put in one screw in each topper. You might want to check yours to see if there attached with two screws.
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Old 09-23-2008, 08:28 AM   #14
sreigle
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Ron and Linda, we had them on our 2001 Montana, our 2003 Montana, and this 2007 Montana. We've been in very high winds and they've held up well to the wind. They seem to last maybe four years and then tend to deterioriate from weather. Probably UV damage. That deterioration is more of a problem than the wind, for us.

The only times we've retracted slides is in storms with winds so bad we could see the slides being lifted. We could actually see the top of the slide moving from inside the rig. The toppers survived with no problem other than normal deterioration.
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Old 09-23-2008, 12:40 PM   #15
sunshineduo
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On a bit of a side note, has anyone tried something like a spray-on UV protectant for the awnings? We are looking at this stuff http://www.303products.com/ with an eye toward long term use.
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:07 AM   #16
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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I had an earlier post in this thread regarding the same concerns. We are now dealing with the damage and what has and hasn't happened to fix it. To avoid repeating myself, you can read the follow-up post under this thread: MOC on M.A.R.S. / Montana Technical Help, Problems & Problem Solving

Carolyn
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