swintek, slide out wedge for traveling (Imagine 22mle, 2021).

[gujuryu]

Wondering if this can cause any problem on the floor structure. Planning on using some wedges to stabilize the slide out while traveling. Sometimes when traveling and pausing at a rest stop, we do sit on the sofa (and noticed it yields a bit).

[Country Campers]

This is the first that I have seen something like this done. I can not imagine there being any issues with this but I am not sure.

Brian

[StephenO]

Wondering if this can cause any problem on the floor structure. Planning on using some wedges to stabilize the slide out while traveling. Sometimes when traveling and pausing at a rest stop, we do sit on the sofa (and noticed it yields a bit).

Is that something you made yourself? Much like Brian, never seen something like that before, and in your picture they look pretty custom made.

[gujuryu]

Is that something you made yourself? Much like Brian, never seen something like that before, and in your picture they look pretty custom made.

Yes, made it so it's just snuggly fits. The one on the photo (2 of them), are just under the sofa , and made a longer one that i put closer to the fridge. I thaugth of this just because i dont see anything that caries the weight else then the motors-rack assembly. There must be tremendous forces on them will traveling on bumpy roads.

[Yoda]

Wondering if this can cause any problem on the floor structure. Planning on using some wedges to stabilize the slide out while traveling. Sometimes when traveling and pausing at a rest stop, we do sit on the sofa (and noticed it yields a bit).

The engineer in me think this is a great idea and should not cause issues unless you forget to remove them before opening. If I may suggest add a thin cork layer to the bottom to protect the floor. Rubber drawer liner would also work. I like the bright color too so you can see them.

Great idea
Keith

[StephenO]

Yes, made it so it's just snuggly fits. The one on the photo (2 of them), are just under the sofa , and made a longer one that i put closer to the fridge. I thaugth of this just because i dont see anything that caries the weight else then the motors-rack assembly. There must be tremendous forces on them will traveling on bumpy roads.

That's really cool, nicely done. I wonder on my trailer how that would work, since it has the carpet edge for the transition. IE to see the slide floor, I have to lift the carpet. I would hate to deform the carpet such that it doesn't sit nicely on the floor. Wife would not be happy about that, same with the OCD in me

One side thought/heads up, my slide floor has an insulation or foil cover attached to the OSB. Maybe just double check that your blocks are only contacting the OSB?

[Jlawles2]

I'd go for carpet on the bottom.

As for deforming the carpet, just make them longer with a much top smaller step, or shorter with a smaller top step and remove before flight flags, or thin plastic that sticks out on the floor (painted a nice bright color).

[BillM321]

WOW !! We have the same 22MLE trailer and I really like this idea !! Now why didn't I think of this ??

I hope even more of the experienced folks will chime in and give this a yea or nay. I would love for this to turn out to be a good idea, but I don't know enough about slides to know if this could cause problems down the road.

None of our previous trailers had a slide because I was afraid of them and didn't want the extra worry of them leaking or the motor not working while in the middle of nowhere. But it seems finding a trailer without a slide is all but impossible these days. So I convinced myself that "they have all the bugs worked out and slides these days don't leak and the motors never fail" and got the 22MLE with its long (but not deep) slide.

While researching slides before buying the 22MLE, I searched all over the internet to find out if using a slide while retracted would cause damage. I found just an equal number of posts that said "don't even so much as look at the slide while it is retracted...let alone sit in it" as posts that said "we use ours while retracted all the time and have never had an issue".

When we were looking at the 22MLE, I specifically asked the dealer if we could sit in the recliners while the slide was retracted, and he told me it would not be a problem. But now that I have the trailer, I think the dealer may have just been telling me what I wanted to hear, because there is way too much play in the plywood floor of the slide while retracted. With 1 finger I can push down on the recliners and watch the whole front edge of the slide move up and down. It looks to me like the slide floor just floats along its front edge when it is retracted and the floor is only supported by being connected to the 3 side walls. Where once the slide is extended, then the floor is supported on all 4 edges. I thought there were rollers between the floor of the slide-out and the floor of the trailer, but if there are they do not stop the plywood floor of the slide-out from flexing too much for my liking when retracted.

So I said all that to say this......I really like idea of these home-made shims/wedges that gujuryu is proposing for use on his 22MLE. I will certainly do something similar unless somebody here tells us it can cause long term problems down the road.

[Country Campers]

BillM321

Bill

I can not imagine a reason that these "shims" will damage the slide in any fashion. All the "shims" are doing is supporting the slide floor while retracted to allow you to sit in the chairs or at the dinette while the slide is in. When a slide is extended the interior trim around the slide opening and the floor on the inside of the RV supports the slide floor. When the slide is retracted there is nothing to support the floor except the slide walls. Adding these shims will help support the floor. I would suggest though that they be removed while traveling as they may rub on the floor material causing damage. I may make a set for our RV so we can sit at the table for stops.

Brian

[BillM321]

BillM321

I would suggest though that they be removed while traveling as they may rub on the floor material causing damage.
Brian

Are you talking about the floor of the travel trailer or the underside of the slide-out floor?

[Country Campers]

I would think it may damage the congoleum floor material inside, the bottom of the slide will be a coated plywood type material and the blocking should not damage that.

Brian

[Riley8141]

I like. When stepping on slide while retracted there is a lot of give. Always worried I might break the edge. Thank you for a great idea.

[Capt Bob]

Since we have a 22MLE, I've followed this thread. I got out to the trailer yesterday (slide is retracted) and I have little, if any play between floors.
Space, some but not much. Play? No.

Strange????

[NCW_Wander]

I pull on some pretty bumpy roads from time to time. This seems like just good CYA. I'd parrot the flooring concern. Thin cork or rubber sound like good ideas. Felt might work well too, and make sliding them into place easier, especially if you're wedging them in. Maybe a latch of some sort, like a strap with a snap on either end to keep it from wriggling out? Or, inset a strong magnet to avoid damage to the light strip? Great thinking IMO!

edit: magnet was an after thought