# Rear Slide Out Upper Rail Bracket Repair...



## ftroop (Sep 1, 2006)

Hello all,

I have not posted here in a while, as I usually only post if I have something worthwhile to say







! My family and I went to Lake Cachuma this weekend (loved it!) and when we pulled out the rear slide, my DW noticed that the upper left bracket was pulling away from the trailer side. We pushed it back in, and tried to tighten the screws, only to find that one of the holes was stripped!! First thought was to get bigger lag screws, but we thought that would be a temporay repair at best. We figured out that the hole was drilled into a tube, but only through one side. Not much gripping happening here, we figured. We then decided that drilling a hole through both sides of the tube, and through to the inside of the trailer would probably give us the support we wanted. After borrowing a drill from a neighbor (thanks Roger!) and two trips to the local Ace Hardware store, we took a leap of faith and drilled through. It worked! We put the bolt through from the inside with a large flat washer and LIGHTLY tightened the outside nut, so as not to over tighten it and collapse the tube or damage the interior. We now have two bolts showing on the inside but peace of mind far outweighs cosmetics! I know other people are having other issues with newer slides, but has anyone else had this problem?? It was scary and stressful at first, but it seems like a good repair method. I may try to post a pic or two if anyone is interested. Just sharing my two cents (or two bolts...).

Ftroop


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## Dave_CDN (Sep 13, 2007)

When we had our trailer in for repairs to the over head tracks I asked the technician what problem(s) he commonly saw with rear slides that use cantilever braces and brackets like Outback. His response was that the top brackets are designed to hold an awning not bear the heavier weight applied by the rear slide. He said that in time they would loosen and suggested I watch them closely and retighten them whenever I noticed them getting slack. He said that the only permanent repair he had any success with after the hole became too stressed was through drill and use carriage style bolts secured with a small metal plate inside. Sounds like your use of large washers inside would be about the same type of repair. I for one would be intersted in seeing pictures of your repair as I am sure in time I will be doing the same thing. Seems the 210 230 250's with the king size rear slide are more likely to experience this issue.

Happy Camping and Safe Travels


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

Yes Ftroop, PLEASE POST PICS! Sounds like a good repair job.


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## ftroop (Sep 1, 2006)

I will see what I can do with the pics. My DW may have taken some, if not I will over the next few days as we unpack!


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## OutbackNH (Aug 16, 2009)

I'm a very recent member of this site and a new RV'er (we just bought an Outback 2008 model) and there are far too many people experiencing the same problems (as I am one of them) with the slide out...someone is eventually going to get hurt due to the inadequacies of the slide out support systems.

Does anyone know if Keystone has beefier hardware on any of their other larger models?

With heavier harware and rails that can be retro-fit to the Outback?

I definitely do not feel that this system is safe...Keystone needs to address the issue.


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## 9873 (Aug 7, 2009)

We have a 2010 230RS and found the upper holding brackets for the rear slide supports to be loose. Keystone says "take it to a dealer" but that's not practical as we live a great distance from a warranty dealer. We are thinking of using the repair that Dave_CDN suggested. Anyone know if this will void our warranty on the rest of the trailer? Also, does anyone know if the lag bolts for those brackets go into the 2 x 2 that transverses the rear storage compartment? We don't want to drill until we know for sure.

Also it looks like there is a lot of pressure on the upper slides inside of the trailer when the bed is retracted. I see where some folks have fabricated ( or purchased) a support for the front of the King bed. Would this be a good preventive move?

Thanks for your input, you guys are great!

PS Perhaps we should start a survey on problems with the rear slides in the 2009 and 2010 models to see how widespread the problems are.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The ceiling mounted rails should have NO load on them when the outside locks are in the stowed position. If there is load on these rails you should have the wheels adjusted so that they are not touching. The wheels and rails are only there to provide temporary support and guidance during slide movement to and from the stowed position.

Using through bolts with a large fender washer on the inside is a very good way to add support to the hinge for the outside locks and for the outside rail support clips.


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## Dave_CDN (Sep 13, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> The ceiling mounted rails should have NO load on them when the outside locks are in the stowed position. If there is load on these rails you should have the wheels adjusted so that they are not touching. The wheels and rails are only there to provide temporary support and guidance during slide movement to and from the stowed position.
> 
> Using through bolts with a large fender washer on the inside is a very good way to add support to the hinge for the outside locks and for the outside rail support clips.


Camper Andy,

I did not think ftroop was talking about the overhead tracks that guide the rear slide, but rather the awing style bracket that is used to secure the under bed rail to the body of the trailer "upper left bracket was pulling away from the trailer side". They use lag bolts to secure the upper ones to the body and the lag bolts *will* loosen with use over time. The technician at our local dealer suggested checking them every couple of trips and keep them snugged up to avoid the bracket pulling off the body completely. If they do pull off the body the technician said he uses the trough bold method I described in an earlier post and has never had a subsequent failure.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Dave_CDN said:


> The ceiling mounted rails should have NO load on them when the outside locks are in the stowed position. If there is load on these rails you should have the wheels adjusted so that they are not touching. The wheels and rails are only there to provide temporary support and guidance during slide movement to and from the stowed position.
> 
> Using through bolts with a large fender washer on the inside is a very good way to add support to the hinge for the outside locks and for the outside rail support clips.


Camper Andy,

I did not think ftroop was talking about the overhead tracks that guide the rear slide, but rather the awing style bracket that is used to secure the under bed rail to the body of the trailer "upper left bracket was pulling away from the trailer side". They use lag bolts to secure the upper ones to the body and the lag bolts *will* loosen with use over time. The technician at our local dealer suggested checking them every couple of trips and keep them snugged up to avoid the bracket pulling off the body completely. If they do pull off the body the technician said he uses the trough bold method I described in an earlier post and has never had a subsequent failure.
[/quote]

Both issues were mentioned in this thread. I was addressing one of the concerns mentioned by "David N Karen".

I think all the hinge mounting screws and the outside upper rail support brackets should be through bolted. Lag bolts into the aluminum frame or 1" thick wood does not provide enough support for long term reliable operation.


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## brightidea (Aug 13, 2009)

CamperAndy said:


> The ceiling mounted rails should have NO load on them when the outside locks are in the stowed position. If there is load on these rails you should have the wheels adjusted so that they are not touching. The wheels and rails are only there to provide temporary support and guidance during slide movement to and from the stowed position.
> 
> Using through bolts with a large fender washer on the inside is a very good way to add support to the hinge for the outside locks and for the outside rail support clips.


Camper Andy,

I did not think ftroop was talking about the overhead tracks that guide the rear slide, but rather the awing style bracket that is used to secure the under bed rail to the body of the trailer "upper left bracket was pulling away from the trailer side". They use lag bolts to secure the upper ones to the body and the lag bolts *will* loosen with use over time. The technician at our local dealer suggested checking them every couple of trips and keep them snugged up to avoid the bracket pulling off the body completely. If they do pull off the body the technician said he uses the trough bold method I described in an earlier post and has never had a subsequent failure.
[/quote]

Both issues were mentioned in this thread. I was addressing one of the concerns mentioned by "David N Karen".

I think all the hinge mounting screws and the outside upper rail support brackets should be through bolted. Lag bolts into the aluminum frame or 1" thick wood does not provide enough support for long term reliable operation.
[/quote]

The lag screws on mine are still tight but I had one bracket latch bend due to the force on the bracket being held by the latch. Seems a new bracket design is in order.

If you go the through bolt mod, how do you access the inside rear of the trailer? Do you remove the slideout or pull up the plywood on the bottom of the bed?

Bob


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