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Old 05-18-2016, 07:11 PM   #1
slow
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Slide Skirt Support Modification

The skirt mounted to the slide has been a persistent issue for me on long trips. The portion that extends down between the axles constantly flaps as we travel. At each gas stop, I have had to retighten the lower sheet metal screw that attaches the skirt to the support bracket. While on a 7,000 miles last fall, a crack developed in the skirt near the mounting screw. So I drilled a "stop hole" at the end of the crack and replaced the flexible support from the factory with a stiffer support and added a second screw below the original.

This spring I went further with a more robust skirt support using machine screws and nylock nuts:



Hopefully this resolves the issues I have been having.
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:37 PM   #2
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Thanks for sharing, the fender flopping around has bugged me too.

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Old 05-18-2016, 10:15 PM   #3
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that's a nice brace system

I braced mine up too, during our trip to the Arizona this month I noticed when the big trucks pasted me the skirting did a lot of dancing from the suction, I added a stiffer support bar from home depot and a second support bar forward where the aluminum and the plastic meets, I also used SS fender washers with SS bolts and nylock nuts also. I had to also stiffen up the door side too.

I now need to paint the washers and bolts black to partly blend in, and if I ever have to replace the skirts, I'll make adjustments to the new ones so to prevent Keystone's lack of engineering in this area
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Old 05-19-2016, 03:43 AM   #4
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Might be a bit of overkill but for sure your fenders wont flap. Amazing is how puny the supplied 'brace' (any brand!!)is expected to keep those very light pieces still
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Old 05-19-2016, 04:31 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave W View Post
Might be a bit of overkill but for sure your fenders wont flap. ...............
Hopefully!

BTW: I forgot to mention that I tapped the aluminum pieces and used rubber washers (large diameter tapered faucet washers) under the screw heads so as not to over load the plastic skirt when tightening the machine screws. The locknuts are acting as jam nuts and not compressing the washer/skirt.
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Old 05-19-2016, 08:19 AM   #6
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nice work I like overkill, it looks like you used 1/8th by 1.5 aluminum? I see another project happening
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:00 AM   #7
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That's nice looking work
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:54 AM   #8
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....................., it looks like you used 1/8th by 1.5 aluminum? I see another project happening
That is correct on the size. Had some in the garage from another project. 1/8 by 1 would also work.
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Old 05-19-2016, 03:36 PM   #9
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Like I said before. Nice Workmanship.
Added to the project list!
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Old 05-19-2016, 07:36 PM   #10
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Very tight work...impressive!
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Old 05-19-2016, 07:46 PM   #11
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I reinforced the skirting today . I used 1 by 1/8 strap bending each end on the vice. I had the DW hold the ss 1/6 hex bolts with nylon nut thread painted black. I also added the hex bolts into the factory brackets .
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Old 05-20-2016, 02:53 AM   #12
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Good point about also replacing the other fasteners that secure the plastic skirt to the TT. On my trailer the back side is only accessible on a few of the lower sheet metal screws, not the top row. As others have suggested, I added a speed nut to those I could access the back side.
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Old 05-20-2016, 06:27 AM   #13
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I was looking at Grand Design RVs over the weekend. They have aluminum skirting (like most manufacturers). On the back of every screw in that skirt, they had coated it with silicone.. Which is probably a good idea to prevent backing out.

A little more bracing isn't a bad idea either.
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Old 05-20-2016, 06:52 AM   #14
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................... On the back of every screw in that skirt, they had coated it with silicone.. Which is probably a good idea to prevent backing out.
When we first bought our TT, I put butyl caulking on the threads of the skirt mounting screws. It was easy to take off and reapply when I needed to remove the screws. When I added the speed nuts, I also applied the butyl. If nothing else, I do not get scratched when I rub up against them now.
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Old 05-28-2016, 01:47 PM   #15
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Slide Skirt Support Modification

Phase 2 - Slide Skirt Forward of Axle

The support between the axles worked well, so I did a similar set up forward of the front axle. A little more work since the bottom of the skirt is at an angle and no access to the outside of the tube under the slide. Also I needed an extra piece to anchor the "outside" aluminum straps to the "outside" of the slide tube. I used a 1 x 3/4 inch aluminum channel.



The two skirt supports under the slide:




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PullRite 16K SuperGlide w/SuperRail
Reese 5th Airborne (bagged) Pin Box
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Old 05-28-2016, 06:16 PM   #16
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Slide Skirt Support Modification

Phase 3 - Curb Side Skirt Support

I added. 1 x 2 aluminum angle to provide additional support to the plastic skirt between the axles on the curb side.



I left the factory installed vertical support (hard to see since it is black), but trimmed it just below the original mounting screw to allow the use of the 3/16" thick horizontal plate to add a couple of additional screws to each side.





That completes the skirt support project.


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2018 Jayco Eagle HT 265BHS (previous: 2015 23RB Passport Elite, ProPride)
2015 F250 XLT SB Crew, 6.2l gas
PullRite 16K SuperGlide w/SuperRail
Reese 5th Airborne (bagged) Pin Box
RoadMaster Shock Kit
X-Factor Cross Bracing
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Old 05-30-2016, 02:51 PM   #17
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looks great! Thanks for the photos.
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Old 05-31-2016, 08:31 AM   #18
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Your brackets are really nice. Are you a machinist by trade ?
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Old 05-31-2016, 10:03 AM   #19
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................. Are you a machinist by trade ?
As a product engineer many moons ago, I did a lot of prototyping and learned a lot from very skilled trades people that I worked with. I just pretend to still be an engineer / prototyper in my garage now that I am in operations and do not get to work directly on products.
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Old 06-05-2016, 05:03 PM   #20
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Thanksabunch

Wow, you did the engineering for me. Now I have to scrounge some leftover aluminum and rubber washers from the shop.

Question: are there 3 vertical strips or one wide strip cut partway down?
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