underneath slide out frayed

[Genev@videotron.ca]

Hello, We are owners of a Montana 310RE High Country 2019. The underneath of slide out is fraying..... the rollers on each side had been replaced by wider ones..... but still the underneath still fraying... someone had the same issue and what can be done to fix it. Your help is appreciated. Have a nice day.

[sourdough]

Who is your dealer? Hopefully they are good and will support you. They need to start a warranty claim and submit it to the Keystone service group. Although Keystone insists on using darco for some reason (cheap), by the very nature of its construction it is not meant for a wear/friction type of service - or much anything else as I've come to believe.

I just experienced the same thing on my new MHC. Thankfully it happened on the first trip and I knew to look for it. I now have solid surface bottoms on my slides thanks to Keystone. The darco cannot be repaired, you cannot use darco/scrim tape as the rollers/wear bar will just pull it off and ball it up under the slide. In past trailers I had 12" strips of uhmw placed along the wear areas which eliminated the problem. Not cheap as I had the dealership do it but I've seen others do it themselves. I have not seen anyone put strips down the middle because you would have to remove or hyper extend the slide to attach it on the RV end.

Again, I would take it to the dealer, have them submit a warranty claim (within 12 mos. or not) and reference that the darco is not suitable for that use. I have initiated dialogue with the Keystone Montana production group trying to get the darco eliminated. I have advised the Keystone service group that there are lots of issues in the field due to the use of darco but it keeps falling just outside the 12 mo. warranty which is all they monitor. Just file it, make sure the dealer pushes it, you get involved and see what happens. The more of us that make them aware of this issue the more likely we will see positive results.

[Genev@videotron.ca]

Thank you so much for your reply. It is helpful... The warranty claim was submitted in August. Dealer is in touch with Keystone. Unfortunately Keystone doesn't seem to suggest new alternatives to get it fixed.... reason why we decided to post this issue. This issue would not be under the 3 year structural warranty as slides out are listed? You mentionned having experienced the same thing with your new MHC. You got it repared with what kind of material and who made it? Finaly your right, '' the more of us that make them aware of this issue, the more likely we will see positive results''! Thank you!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Genev@videotron.ca

Thank you so much for your reply. It is helpful... The warranty claim was submitted in August. Dealer is in touch with Keystone. Unfortunately Keystone doesn't seem to suggest new alternatives to get it fixed.... reason why we decided to post this issue. This issue would not be under the 3 year structural warranty as slides out are listed? You mentionned having experienced the same thing with your new MHC. You got it repared with what kind of material and who made it? Finaly your right, '' the more of us that make them aware of this issue, the more likely we will see positive results''! Thank you!

Keystone won't suggest a new alternative. Maybe some darco repair tape (scrim) or, heaven forbid, a strip of drilled/screwed aluminum to go along the edges....so it could chew up the wear bar.....but they have not a clue.

Your dealer needs to tell them the solution you and they (dealer) want. Don't submit the problem and let Keystone tell you the remedy in this situation. The solution they gave us was ridiculous and I told them so. I escalated within the service group and I had the dealer service manager do the same pushing OUR remedy and required hours. They relented and agreed.

The pic is what the underside of my slides look like now. The material is uhmw; very much like teflon; very tough; very slick and self lubricating. It's an ideal material for this application. My dealer got it from a local plastics distributor. To get the full sheets takes a special order. Took a lot of work and a lot of "one off" manipulation but I no longer have the darco to worry about on every trip. The sad thing is that Keystone could do this on every trailer in lieu of darco and it would cost SO much less than trying to retrofit it. Good luck. There is no way it should have been in the shop since August without it being fixed. Mine went in on Aug. 11 and came out Saturday.

Edit: Whoops! It turned sideways but you get the drift.
Edit 2: Changed date from Sep. 11 to Aug. 11 on taking in the trailer.

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Keystone won't suggest a new alternative. Maybe some darco repair tape (scrim) or, heaven forbid, a strip of drilled/screwed aluminum to go along the edges....so it could chew up the wear bar.....but they have not a clue.

Your dealer needs to tell them the solution you and they (dealer) want. Don't submit the problem and let Keystone tell you the remedy in this situation. The solution they gave us was ridiculous and I told them so. I escalated within the service group and I had the dealer service manager do the same pushing OUR remedy and required hours. They relented and agreed.

The pic is what the underside of my slides look like now. The material is uhmw; very much like teflon; very tough; very slick and self lubricating. It's an ideal material for this application. My dealer got it from a local plastics distributor. To get the full sheets takes a special order. Took a lot of work and a lot of "one off" manipulation but I no longer have the darco to worry about on every trip. The sad thing is that Keystone could do this on every trailer in lieu of darco and it would cost SO much less than trying to retrofit it. Good luck. There is no way it should have been in the shop since August without it being fixed. Mine went in on Aug. 11 and came out Saturday.

Edit: Whoops! It turned sideways but you get the drift.
Edit 2: Changed date from Sep. 11 to Aug. 11 on taking in the trailer.

Can you say where you got the UHMW material from and how thick was it?
How did they attach it to the bottom?
TIA

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Daryles

Can you say where you got the UHMW material from and how thick was it?
How did they attach it to the bottom?
TIA

They got it from a local plastic supplier in Lubbock, TX. They had to order it and I believe they get it from US Plastics....I think. The material is 1/8" thick which makes it easy to work with. The slides were jacked up and the material slid under the slide/over the wear bar and then secured on the front edge of the slide; under the carpet on the LR/dinette slide and under the bottom trim board on the kitchen slide with screws/washers. My biggest worry on any Keystone trailer has always been the darco if used. If not for my dealer I would have been in a GD to get rid of it but I like my dealer and not the GD dealer so.....I'm dealing with it.