# Rear Slide Issue



## Mike brady (Jun 5, 2009)

Have read a number of posts regarding rear slide issues. How many people are having this type of problem. I have a 2008 25 rss and have had no problems but am concerned. Does anyone know what actually supports the slide when it is in and when it is out? Is it the ceiling tracks when it is in? Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give. This site has been great.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

No problems with my 2008 21RS.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Hi Mike,

I don't think you need to worry too much about the rear slide, it's actually pretty well engineered. There have been rare issues with the top tracks, but if you were going to have a problem there I'm guessing you would already know it.

As for what supports it all, when the slide is in it is mostly supported by being solidly clamped to the back wall. The tracks are mostly there to support the slide as it is being moved in and out. The tracks do support some weight while it is in, but it does not look like too much. One big note though - and we have had this discussion many times - the slide is not designed to support the weight of people when it is in. Some dealers will tell you it will, Keystone says absolutely not!

When the slide is out, it is supported by the under-slide support rails. They seem pretty skinny, but do the job quite well.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Mike brady (Jun 5, 2009)

Thanks for the infomation. That was my thought as well that if something was going to fail it would have already. Most of the problems seem to be with the o9 and 2010s.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I thought that I read somewhere that the latch pull out issue was caused by the aluminum frame in the slide out back wall being mislocated in the wall so that the latch screw missed it on installation. I am assuming that you are talking about the latch screw pull out problem.

FYI,

When we started using the outback, the screws that connect the rear slide out wall to the bottom of the slide out started popping heads. I took it back to my dealer and they fixed it and added more screws. It happened again on the next trip. I started taking measurements across the slide out and figured out that it was out of square and it appeared that most of the slide out weight was being taken by only one of the supports. I took it back to the dealer. They adjusted the supports and fixed the screws and the problem went away. It appears that when I picked up my outback the rear slide supports had never been adjusted prior to us taking delvery.


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## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

No problems with ours. I took out a level at one campsite and checked the level of the camper several times making sure level all the way around. I then checked the level of the rear slide rails and found them to be just about perfect. I made a very small adjustment to the left side rail and now they are clearly center of the bubble.

We traveled over some rough Oklahoma highways this year and had cabinet doors sprung open, but no harm to any parts of the camper including the rear slide. As a side note, someone in the Oklahoma government needs to get someone on the stick in Washington, D.C. That U.S. 75 highway will jar your teeth loose!


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

Got my 2010 230RS a few weeks ago and took in out for its first camping trip last weekend. The first night the bracket on my rear slideout bed broke off, snapping the bracket in two pieces, leaving a small piece affixed to the camper with one screw. The other screw was sheared off by the head and still in the back wall. Gotta take it back to dealer this week. Hope they have a permanent solution.....


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## Mike brady (Jun 5, 2009)

Sorry to hear that. Seems like the rear king bed is just to heavy for the supports. Now I see they are coming out with a power rear slide.


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

I am wondering if a support of some type on the outside, such as a tripod type, would help aleviate some of the stress on the wall brackets. I guess I'll get the opinion of my dealer's service people when I take it in for repairs.....


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## ftwildernessguy (Oct 12, 2009)

Harleymick said:


> I am wondering if a support of some type on the outside, such as a tripod type, would help aleviate some of the stress on the wall brackets. I guess I'll get the opinion of my dealer's service people when I take it in for repairs.....


I have just recently purchased a leftover 2009 210rs and have been reading with interest the threads re. the rear slide. Not sure I would have bought it if I had read about this before, but now I have to play the hand I am dealt. So anyway, there is a thread about an inside brace for the bed when it is closed which I plan on making. As far as the rear bracket, I noticed at the dealership the pressure put on these upper brackets on opening and thought this might be an issue. From an engineering standpoint, the upper bracket should only really carry much weight on opening or closing, with the weight being transferred to the lower bracket and lower arm when fully extended. That being said, I plan on making a simple brace which could support the horizontal arm between the arm and the trailer bumper when the slide is opening and closing. This should take the pressure off the bracket, making it's sole purpose to locate and stabilize the horizontal arm, and transferring the weight of the slide to the bumper. Since I haven't taken delivery yet, this is all theoretical and may not even work, but I figure prevention is better than treating the disease. Any thoughts?


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## marker (Aug 14, 2009)

I made the inside support stand and put it in the trailer the other day.

I just cranked it up to support, but not lift the slide.

Not sure it is actually doing anything, as either way I could not lift the slide up at all. It did not move, which indicates that the slide support (the outer levers) really do a good job of holding it in place. ON the same token, I don't think it will do any harm either and just may prevent an issue later on.

I like the idea though of adding an additional support for the extended slide, but it may be difficult to get it just right. I think it would have to be adjustable so you could 'dial it in' once the slide is extended. Am going to put some thought into that idea and see what I can come up with. Perhaps something like the little stand I made shown on a recent post.


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

This may sound simple but at the least it makes me feel better when I am transporting my 28KRS; After the rear slide is in I remove the wheel chocks take them inside, and pick up slightly on the slide from the inside and lodge the chocks between the TV table and the underneath on the slide on left side and between the couch/ with a 2'X2' peice of 3/8" plywood, and slide on the other. Some of the load is now transferred to those surfaces and taken off the rear latches especially during rough driving conditions.
Eric


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Harleymick said:


> Got my 2010 230RS a few weeks ago and took in out for its first camping trip last weekend. The first night the bracket on my rear slideout bed broke off, snapping the bracket in two pieces, leaving a small piece affixed to the camper with one screw. The other screw was sheared off by the head and still in the back wall. Gotta take it back to dealer this week. Hope they have a permanent solution.....


Can you post phots of the failure. I am not sure if you are saying the support is broken or the lock is broken.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Please give us a more detailed description or some pictures. Did this happen on the bracket on the rear of the slide out or the ceiling bracket?


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

the left upper support bracket on the outside (looks like an awning support) broke into two pieces. one piece remained attatched to camper with a screw, the other piece (larger) came off completely, leaving a sheared off screw still in the wall and the head of the screw attatched to the broken-off piece....


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## Ridgway-Rangers (Apr 18, 2008)

Here is the thread click here. look at post #3
for one of these...


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

Here are some photos of the broken bracket....still trying to figure why it broke....


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Failure of this part is due to three reasons. The screws are over tightened or the bracket was side load are the most common but a manufacture defect in the metal could also be an issue.

BTW it is just a awning foot bracket so you can get them from your local RV store for $5 or $10. I never broke one on my old 28rss but I carried 2 spares for a just in case situation.


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

thanks for the info.....I've never had a camper with pullouts and am not familiar with "side load"...is it something that can be prevented?


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## crunchman12002 (Jul 26, 2009)

Sorry to see you are having problems with your rear slide. I bought a 2005 25RSS 4 months ago and it would appear the previous owners had the same problem due to the fact the left bracket is a different type than the right side. Left has a "thinner" base. I found 2 "Dometic lower awning brackets" in the bone yard for $10.00 at a dealer and bought a new one for $18 from a different dealer. These are the old style. The new style on the shelf were lighter duty with a smaller release tab and receiver with the thin base.
Did you rear cap fiberglass crack at the edges of the hole the slide fits in? Did the slide fall or shift when the bracket broke or did the interior bracket hold the box enough to push in the slide? Just wondering what gets broke when the bracket fails. Keep us posted on the repairs and keystones response.
crunchman


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Harleymick said:


> thanks for the info.....I've never had a camper with pullouts and am not familiar with "side load"...is it something that can be prevented?


Side loading occurs when the rear slide support is installed and the end is pushed to the side as the slide is pulled out or pushed in. The brackets can not flex or move side to side and if the load is high enough when the slide is moved the bracket can break. So push or pull it as straight as you can to minimise side loading the bracket.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I think I know what the problem is. On my Outback, I noticed that the support tubes would end up off center in the I-beams. Since the holes through the support tubes for the bolts that attach them to the I-beams are pretty loose the entire I-beam would rotate causing most of the load on one side of the bracket on the back of the trailer. I'm an aerospace stress engineer and I really didn't like the look of it. I figured that there would be a good chance that with the I-beam canted like that could cause the screw holding the bracket on that side to shear off. The screws used have threads that are cut, not rolled like a high quality bolt and tend to shear off at the root of the threads. From the pictures shown it looks like the screw sheared off like I thought.

My solution was to go to my local Ace hardware and buy some nylon spacers to keep the support tube centered on the I-beam so the load would be kept even on both sides of the bracket


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

Thanks, to everyone, for the analysis and advice...I do believe the problem is a misalignment of the rollers and rails. I will look into the nylon spacers as a precaution, as soon as I get the camper back from the dealer. I have also bought an back-up replacement bracket on e-bay to keep, "just in case" it happens again while out on a trip. I don't remember seeing any damage to the rear cap, slide pushed back in without problem, so I'm hoping the only damage was to the bracket. Still considering some type of external support when the slide is in the out position, as I am getting "gun shy" about sleeping on the extended bed....hope I don't have to cancel my camping trip next week.....


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Make sure the dealer adjusts the supports to be sure they are sharing the load. My support brackets are not mounted at the same dimension from the ground. One of them is about 1/4" higher than the other. even though one of them has an "R" stamped on the end towards the trailer it is very hard to read. I have labeled my supports left and right to be sure I always get them in the correct position so they work correctly.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

In taking another look at the pictures of the broken bracket, it looks to me like the bracket was mounted with one side higher than the other. This is going to cause the screw on the high side (the one that snapped) to take more of the load. You may want to ask the dealer doing the repair about that.


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## Harleymick (Sep 17, 2009)

I'll have the service dept check out the alignment....thanks for tip...


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