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Old 01-17-2019, 04:33 PM   #1
battlebeetle
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Twisted Montana slide out support bracket. Safety issue?

I was airing up my tires and noticed that one of the brackets that supports one of the slide outs is twisted and slightly bent downward. I have no idea if it's been like this since new or if it happened after I bought it. Maybe a big bump while driving caused some flex and twisted it? It's a 2016 Montana High Country 379RD. The refrigerator sits in the slide right above where the bracket is twisted. The slide still works fine and is level. Is this a weight bearing bracket? Is it safe to use? Do I even need to repair it?

Thanks in advance,

Clay

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Old 01-17-2019, 05:03 PM   #2
JRTJH
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That bracket is called an "outrigger". There are several of them welded to the frame rails and they support the floor of the trailer outside the frame rails. The vertical walls are mounted on the outside edges of the outriggers. The one you show as bent in your photos is directly over the wheels/tires. It doesn't look like there is sufficient wheel travel to make contact with the outrigger, even if you might hit a large pothole.... So, I don't think it's axle travel, but you should rule that out by making sure that you don't have a broken leaf in your spring pack and that all of your hangers and shackles are intact and not damaged....

Did you purchase the trailer new? If not, the previous owner may have had a tire blowout. If you did purchase it new, then one possibility, is that during delivery from the factory the driver had a tire blowout and the bent outrigger is a result of damage caused by the tire carcass "slapping" the underside of the trailer.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:32 PM   #3
battlebeetle
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Thanks for the reply John. I purchased it new and have not had any kind of tire blowout or other accident. I guess I probably bought it with the twisted outrigger unfortunately. It seems like a major repair and I'm tempted to just leave it alone since it has not caused any problems in the 2.5 years of full timing that we have done with it. I doubt insurance would cover it. There is no damage to the spring pack or elsewhere that I can see. Thoughts?
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:52 PM   #4
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The square tube that the white slide roller is attached to is also bent. That square tube is supported by and attached to the outrigger. It may be normal bending from anticipated weight of the slide (no problem) or it may be from something not being correct, I can't tell from the photos, maybe Chuckster will chime in when he sees the photos. I'd pay attention to it, not stress over it, but monitor it for any changes for the next several months and see if things stay the same (no problem) or if things get worse (might be a problem)..... If it gets progressively worse, I'd have it checked before something gets damaged or it "gives way" and you have a real problem....

My guess is that it's been that way since day one and isn't anything to worry about, but it still deserves that you keep an eye on it for changes.....
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Old 01-17-2019, 06:23 PM   #5
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I noticed that bend as well. However, the "square tube" is actually a thin piece of sheet metal (2mm?) that runs along the top of the outriggers under the slide and bends and hangs over the outside end of the outriggers. The camera angle made it look like a tube. The thin sheet metal can be easily flexed with my fingers and it's hard to believe that would support much weight.

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Old 01-17-2019, 06:27 PM   #6
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AH HAA That explains the bend LOL

Chuckster will be along sometime tonight, I'm interested on his take on the situation....
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Old 01-17-2019, 06:31 PM   #7
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Staring at your last photo, the one with the roller and the "bent outrigger" We all know that things aren't "precision machined and assembled" by Lippert's "expert welders"..... I wonder if that outrigger was just a half inch or so too far forward and someone at the factory used a crowbar to get it to line up with the attachment hole in the sidewall mounting plate ????? If so, it's a "boot adjustment" or if you have a Ford, "a bigger hammer adjustment".... Just a theory, but maybe......
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Old 01-17-2019, 06:43 PM   #8
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Outrigger looks just like one of mine after a tire blowout last year. Did not take a picture for keep sake
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Old 01-17-2019, 07:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
AH HAA That explains the bend LOL



Chuckster will be along sometime tonight, I'm interested on his take on the situation....

At first I thought it was square tube installed haphazardly. I say if the room functions properly, leave it be and watch it. I’ve seen some strange stuff before but that’s about the strangest.
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Old 01-18-2019, 08:13 AM   #10
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Thanks for the replies everyone. I will continue to watch it and hopefully it doesn't worsen. If it needs repair I'm guessing the slide gets jacked up and then the outrigger just unbolts and bolt on the new one? There are no welds on the exterior of the frame/outrigger but I can't visualize the frame interior without removing the underbody cover. Does anyone know if the outrigger nuts are welded on the interior of the frame? If the nuts are welded to the frame the underbelly wouldn't even need to be accessed to replace the outrigger. Either way I'm guessing this is an somewhat advanced DIY or ~ $1000 repair?
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Old 01-18-2019, 08:33 AM   #11
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The outriggers are welded to the frame "main I beam" on the vertical surface. You can see the weld in the first photo you posted in your post #5.

I'd suspect that if the outrigger needed to be replaced and located in the same position, the easiest way to achieve that would be to use a metal saw, cut the existing outrigger about 3" from the vertical beam, then cut the "weldment surface" from the new outrigger and rivet the new one to the "abutment" of the old one.

If the position needed to be changed, then I'd cut the old outrigger as close to the I beam as possible, grind it smooth and install the new outrigger using self tapping metal screws and "tack weld" the heads of those screws so they can't back out or loosen. I wouldn't weld a new outrigger to an old frame. There's too much preparation work that needs to be done and too much "stuff" inside the I beams that can be damaged by someone "ripping stuff apart to get things ready to weld..... If it's been working for 2.5 years, it "deserves to be left alone"..... JMHO......
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:00 AM   #12
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You are right that there is a weld on the picture you reference, but that is the center outrigger under the slide and not the bent one. The bent one appears to be anchored differently for some reason, by 3 bolts to the frame I can't see any welds. What do you think about jacking up the slide and adding a second outrigger an inch to the inside of the current outrigger using the method you explained, and leaving the current bent outrigger in place? I do plan on leaving it be for now, but I'm just thinking ahead in case it worsens and needs repair.
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:10 AM   #13
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Without being able to "put fingers" on the area, I'd be reluctant to suggest a method to repair/replace/augment the existing outrigger. I can't tell from your photos with enough detail to suggest a "this will definitely work" plan.

Without knowing what is directly behind the I beam (tanks, ROMEX, plumbing runs, etc) I wouldn't want to weld in the area and I certainly wouldn't want to drill through the I beam until I visualized what's behind the area.

If I were you, I'd leave it alone and watch it rather than spend money on something that may even make it worse. For all you know, it's been just like that for 2+ years and hasn't caused any issues yet. I'd just watch it for now and not do anything to "fix it" since it may well "not need fixing"....

ADDED: I see that while I was typing this, you edited your post to say that you plan to watch it for now... I think that's the best plan for now. If it gets worse, deal with it, if it stays the same, live with it......
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:18 AM   #14
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Sounds like a reasonable plan. I really appreciate your responses and will leave it and monitor. Honestly one of the hardest parts of full time RV life is not panicking when stuff like this happens. I'm getting better at it though and am getting pretty handy with fixing things. There is always something breaking or needing repair it seems like.
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:27 AM   #15
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Think of it this way: If you were living in your S&B house and it went through a tornado, a hurricane and an earthquake every other week, how much "DIY fixing" would you be doing???? When you live in an RV and move to a different area every 2 weeks, that's what you're asking your "house" to do, survive "the apocalypse" twice a month..... I'd suspect your problem is not as bad as it can be imagined and that after a couple of moves with no change, you'll go back to trying to find other problems because this one isn't worth worrying over..... Good Luck and I'd guess you'll be just fine......
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