Are slide toppers a good thing on a motorhome?

[Neal]

Slide toppers, I have them, they are annoying! The make a lot of noise in the wind, they are unnerving. They are a problem with snow. They can tear easily. They collect stuff from trees, well, maybe they're supposed to. But is there a better way? Is this something that needs to be reinvented?

Can a slide topper not have a slope and just be a layer above the top of the slide? Maybe when the slide retracts the coach side elevates and then folds down into the top outer part of the slide?

What if a rotating something or the other kicked all the stuff out as the slide was retracted? Like a car wash roller brush?

What if the top of the slide popped up at the inner side to form a ramp?

Seriously, is the best way to do this? My only experience is my Newmar and I know some of the newer and/or highline actually reverse from where the topper unrolls from which is probably an improvement but you still have all of the same problems with wind, snow, etc.

 

[MapNerd]

Why not just a brushless blower at the top that shoots air across the top of the slide to clear leaves and such off as it is retracting. They can curve the inner portion of the slide lip out and maybe even give the slide tops a bit of a cathedral roof to encourage foliage down and away.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

IMO, slide toppers are a bit of a pain...but, not as much as not having them! We had a Class C without them, and our Ventana LE did not have them on the passenger side. The top of the slides gathered water, snow, leaves, evergreen needles, bugs, bird droppings, etc. And, all that stuff came inside the coach when the slide was retracted. Not good as far as we were concerned.

With the slide toppers, the top of the slide stays clean, though much of the aforementioned "stuff" gets rolled up inside the topper. An improvement of sorts, I suppose, but still not great.

Given the chassis and structural limitations of the coaches, it will have to be a pretty ingenious solution to solve this problem.

TJ

 

[FL-JOE]

I guess I fall in there with TJ. We had a couple fivers and a gas coach without them. A couple of times I had to drag the ladder out and use my leaf blower to clean the slide tops prior to retracting them.

On the other hand, I have climbed on the roof of my Newmar and used a long handle brush to knock acorns and leaves off the slide toppers also.

I'm saying all-in-all having them is better than not having them. But yes, there are probably better ones out there than what is on my coach.

 

[J&JD]

How about this idea:

https://www.hwhcorp.com/ml36951.pdf

 

[Neal]

Nice. HWH is always innovating!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Have you ever looked closely at the top of the slides? At least ours are not perfectly flat; they have some high/low (or crowned) spots. I think that would make the HWH unit less than effective.

TJ

 

[J&JD]

Have you ever looked closely at the top of the slides? At least ours are not perfectly flat; they have some high/low (or crowned) spots. I think that would make the HWH unit less than effective.

TJ

But then again rain and leaves sometimes blow in beneath the topper. How do coaches like Newells that have no toppers solve the problems?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

How do coaches like Newells that have no toppers solve the problems?

With money?

TJ

 

[Buly]

My long slide topper (2015 DS 4369)collects ton of water when it rains. Now I lower the front of the coach to dump water of the toppers before retracting. Whoever designed them, made them horizontal, without any slope to shed water?

 

[Chuggs]

We have also had it both ways...

Without toppers... advantage, not having to bring slide in as storms pass, for fear of damaging them.

disadvantage, have to get up high enough to lead blow debris before retracting slide. Slide is in direct sunlight...and transfers more summer heat to the inside of the coach.

With toppers...advantage, debris stays outside...nice air pocket between topper and slideout roof, so slideout stays cooler in hot sunshine.

Disasvantage... debris accumulates in the housing, if equipped... sometimes pool water... seams unravel in moderate to strong winds. Difficult to maintain seals on slide because they are obscured by topper.

 

[Dutch Star Don]

I've had an idea for a slide topper wind protector. It would be an oblong bladder made out of something like a truck innertube material. It would come in 2', 3' and 4' lengths. It would have a built-in pvc pipe that would hang down the end (side) of the slide with an inflator (maybe CO2). The pvc pipe would be used to put it in place (no ladder needed) and then used to inflate it, sealing the edge of the awning and slide out from wind.

Neal, you're free to use my idea, I only ask a slight per unit royalty!

 

[Neal]

Neal, you're free to use my idea, I only ask a slight per unit royalty!

Oh no, I believe in 50/50 all the way (glad this isn't in writing!)

 

[BGMAC]

Just asking, but could it be the topper does not have enough tension?

 

[Chuggs]

Carefree...(not so carefree)...awning. Single stitched beading. Pulled out of the track. The wind picked up one evening while in the Florida Keys.

New Tuff Top Awning. RVGEEKS have a discount code. These are double stitched. Appears to be a tough fabric and more water repellant.

Anyway...not a fun project.

 

[Jim]

I just had mine replaced and they are nowhere near that taunt. Maybe I need to take the coach back and have them revisited?