Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Travel Trailers
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-15-2015, 04:25 PM   #1
14george
Senior Member
 
14george's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 1,271
Slide out awning

Have a 2015 Ladero 240MK is worth the money to put a awning over the slide out don't camp among trees
__________________
Navy 1980-1984
14george is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2015, 04:40 PM   #2
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,237
Slide toppers are a personal choice. I don't have any, and don't see myself getting any. There are those that say it keeps the trailer cooler in the summer heat, and yeah it keeps the debris off. Since my trailer came with a roof ladder, I use a $10.00 broom to clean the slide roofs before I retract them. Besides that, the slide topper fabric (vinyl) rots faster than awning fabric. You can get nice topper material but it comes at a lot NOT nicer price.

Bottom line: figure out the cost for materials/installation and if it's reasonable to you, go for it.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2015, 04:48 PM   #3
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
I won't own another trailer without them, but we camp in the trees A LOT...

If you don't... then you wouldn't really see much benefit from having them installed.
__________________
2015 Ford F350 DRW 6.7 Diesel XL
2020 Avalanche 313 RS
Javi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2015, 06:35 PM   #4
Harleyhop
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: NJ
Posts: 311
I wouldn't own another unit without them. Especially if you camp under tress. Also it's nice when you're breaking camp to go home and it's raining,keeps the water off the top and in you're unit once you put the slides in....
__________________
2014 F250 SWD 6.7 CC
2014 Alpine 3500RE
Harleyhop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2015, 10:38 PM   #5
Ken / Claudia
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
I say, your choice. This is 2nd rv I have had them on and here almost anywhere you camp the side roof gets covered with pine needles or leaves in a few days. If nothing was failing on the side while in use maybe I would pass. I was going to do this trailer myself but, the dealer labor was around 100 and total cost was 425 in 2013, so I had them do it. I have read or been told less heat gets into the side out with one on but, really I do not know if that is true or not.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
Ken / Claudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2015, 11:18 AM   #6
Steve S
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: B.C
Posts: 1,399
I have one and it really keeps the heat out. And a side note about worries about the topper and the wind. Mines out 24/7 and we have bad wind here at times and we've had no problems.
__________________
2010 Keystone Cougar 25 RL.
Steve S is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2015, 04:24 PM   #7
MarkS
Senior Member
 
MarkS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Golden Co
Posts: 367
I occasionally park under the trees. The broom takes care of that. But, I also push the ends of the season. The awnings would be very nice to keep the snow off. I'm not going on the roof when there is snow.
__________________


Mark S.
2014 Cougar 318SAB
2015 Silverado 3500HD 6.6L Diesel 4WD CC SB
18K Pullright Hitch
MarkS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2015, 08:55 AM   #8
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
If you can get it for a reasonable price, I say do it. My dealer did not have a reasonable price on this, so I opted to wait the first season and bought a folding ladder and broom instead.

What I found is that while the ladder is perfect for most things, the one thing that is touch and go is being able to get high enough to clean stuff off the slide. I usually have to stand on a couple of 4x4 on the top platform step of the ladder (has wide steps) to use it for this, and its worse if the ground where the slide is out is unlevel or lower than everything else.

Luckily I never had to leave in the rain, but I could see this being a issue. I plan on this year getting one, I may install it myself or have it done (haven't decided yet).

What I mean by reasonable price is my dealer had a deal, it was $600 for any one topper installed, on any slide. So I asked them, what if the slide was 10 foot long? $600. What if the slide was 4 ft? $600. From what I was able to find online, the price of the topper varies by the length. SO if you had a short topper, you paid more for the install than someone with a longer one. Felt like a scam to me.

Not sure what CW does for this year, but last year you could get them to install it for $39 flat fee I believe, and you just paid what it cost for the topper.

Of course my local CW is over an hour drive away without towing anything.
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2015, 08:56 AM   #9
GMcKenzie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Okanagan, BC
Posts: 916
I looked into these at one point, as my slideout does not have one. What I noticed is some (most) trailers have a track for installing the topper already. My trailer doesn't so I guess I'd have to remove the entire length of the rubber whatever it's called, cut it to size and put the topper in between.

If you look at around the 1 min mark, you can see the track they use. I don't have one like that on my trailer so I'm not going to bother with one.
__________________
2010 Cougar 30RKS
2015 GMC Sierra Max Trailer

"Drinks for 6, Dinner for 4, Sleeps 2"
GMcKenzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 05:15 AM   #10
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
Quote:
Originally Posted by GMcKenzie View Post
I looked into these at one point, as my slideout does not have one. What I noticed is some (most) trailers have a track for installing the topper already. My trailer doesn't so I guess I'd have to remove the entire length of the rubber whatever it's called, cut it to size and put the topper in between.

If you look at around the 1 min mark, you can see the track they use. I don't have one like that on my trailer so I'm not going to bother with one.
My opinion always was, it is the other way around. Most don't have that track, unless your confusing it with the bumper or whatever is it called up closer near the roof.

Admittedly, I have not actually spent a lot of time looking at new trailers on the lots to see if they have this "track". But my thought was always that the track was added on after, as well as the brackets that mount on the slide itself.

I'm pretty handy when it comes to most things and was considering tackling this myself. But I am concerned that I don't think there is a easy way to determine where any studs or thicker wood is located when you start driving screws in. Then again, I doubt the guy at camping world knows this either, but its got to be on them to correct any mistake they make, right?
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 06:03 AM   #11
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
On many RV's, but not all of them, there is a "mounting strip" built into the sidewall of the trailer just above the slide framing. That "strip" is designed to support the weight and tension that a slide cover will create as the slide pulls in and out. On some RV's that "mounting strip" is not present and it will be difficult to install the "awning rail" to the side of the RV. On others, the "awning rail" is already mounted or there is a "drip rail" there already. Cougar has this "drip rail" installed above every slide, at least on the 2014 models. It's that way on my XLite.

Carefree ships the awning rail with every "complete slide cover kit" and the first step is to install that awning rail in the appropriate location. But, actually, even before you buy the "kit" the first step should be to determine if there is a "mounting strip" or a "framework support" built into the trailer sidewall that will allow the awning rail to be installed in a place where it won't pull away from the trailer during slide cover use.

Some trailers have it, some don't. If the "mounting rail" is not present, I wouldn't try to install a slide cover, but would defer it to the "experts" at a dealership, but I'd make certain that they really are "experts" and not trust just anyone to do the job. Without proper support, the awning rail WILL fail, probably just AFTER the warranty expires.

It's more or less, the same concept as trying to install a roof ladder on a trailer that doesn't have the supports built into the trailer framework. If that's missing, it "may be able to be done" but it's not a simple installation.....
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 10:08 AM   #12
GMcKenzie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Okanagan, BC
Posts: 916
Mine is a Cougar TT and it does not have the drip rail, or anything between the top of the slide and the roof edging.

I could be wrong about most having this. It is just based on me looking at trailers haphazardly.

Not sure how I can determine if the support is in there for a drip rail or whatnot.

But I think this goes to show why I'm not putting one on.
__________________
2010 Cougar 30RKS
2015 GMC Sierra Max Trailer

"Drinks for 6, Dinner for 4, Sleeps 2"
GMcKenzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 11:13 AM   #13
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
Here are a couple of pictures of the drip rail that has been "standard" on the Cougar fifth wheels the past couple of years. I don't know when installation began, but there is also a picture of a 2014 that doesn't have the drip rail installed, (it's a travel trailer, not fifth wheel) so I'm not sure if there's any supporting structure there or not ????

Anyway. If this is installed, it would be reasonable to think that installing the awning rail directly under it or removing the drip rail and installing the awning rail in its place would work, but if nothing is there, I wouldn't just assume that there is supporting structure under the Filon to attach the awning rail.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	cougar drip rail4.jpg
Views:	163
Size:	46.9 KB
ID:	7917   Click image for larger version

Name:	cougar drip rail5.jpg
Views:	139
Size:	58.8 KB
ID:	7918   Click image for larger version

Name:	cougar drip rail.jpg
Views:	151
Size:	74.8 KB
ID:	7919  
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 01:57 PM   #14
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
Thinking of my trailer, now that I have take a look at some pictures on the internet, it appears that the top portion of the slide is so close to the drip rail, that it would have to slide in there. I would assume the "roll" would hang down over the edge..or something like that.
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2015, 02:06 PM   #15
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
Take a look at the installation manual from Carefree: https://www.e-carefree.com/ecarefree30/product-library Scroll down to "Slideout Awnings" it's the middle selection, "Slideout Cover".

On the cover of that manual you'll see pretty much how it's positioned, and the manual will describe exactly what you need to do.

If you feel "up to the challenge" after reading the book and if you have someone to help you position the slide cover so you can thread it into the awning rail you'll have to install, the rest is pretty much just "wrenching it tight".
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2015, 05:27 AM   #16
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
Thanks for the link JRTJH! Seems pretty straightforward. Am I correct in thinking that the bulk of the weight of the topper would rest upon the brackets attached to the slide?

Like you said, I still don't know if the drip rail is attached to something solid. Even if the weight of the topper rests on the slide, there is probably one hell of a tension on that rail when the slide is out...not to mention any rain or stuff that might fall on it adding more.
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2015, 06:16 AM   #17
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
You're welcome. Yes, the bulk of the weight (from a vertical and horizontal perspective) is placed on the two awning support brackets. However, the awning rail will take all the lateral forces when the awning is extended. Additionally, the "anti-billow lock" as Carefree calls it, will put some significant jerking pull on the awning rail when the wind hits the extended awning as well as when the wind gets under the awning roll during travel. The lock makes that an abrupt pull rather than a "spring mediated gradual pull" as the spring unwinds.

If I remember (and I may well have forgotten or may be confused) there used to be the same warning in the rail installation step that is currently in the bracket installation step: "The mounting surface must have sufficient framing or backing to support the brackets and allow the use of the screws. Aluminum or fiberglass skins are not adequate to support the installation."
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2015, 08:21 AM   #18
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,237
Quote:
If I remember (and I may well have forgotten or may be confused) there used to be the same warning in the rail installation step that is currently in the bracket installation step: "The mounting surface must have sufficient framing or backing to support the brackets and allow the use of the screws. Aluminum or fiberglass skins are not adequate to support the installation."

Cant say I've seen that warning. The awning rail included in the kits we use have a screw hole about every 1" and the screws included to mount said rail aren't long enough to go through the outside skin AND grab onto framework.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2015, 10:29 AM   #19
{tpc}
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkley
Posts: 750
Well this is a very informative thread. Even if I took it somewhere to have them do it, I am now leary that the drip rail even as close to the proper screws in it. Would they replace them with longer? Is there somewhere they can secure into if they did?

I would venture a guess that there is something across the very top just underneath the roof line as far as framing goes. I wonder if with the slide out or partially out, if one can see up inside there a bit if you pull the seal back or something?

I guess I'm on the lookout now for 2300 or 2400 bunkhouses that have a slidetopper on the dining table slide lol. Someone has to have had it done!
__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL
{tpc} is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2015, 03:11 PM   #20
GMcKenzie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Okanagan, BC
Posts: 916
I wonder how I could find out if there is structure behind the wall if I don't have a drip rail.
__________________
2010 Cougar 30RKS
2015 GMC Sierra Max Trailer

"Drinks for 6, Dinner for 4, Sleeps 2"
GMcKenzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:45 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.