Slide roof walking

jasin1 · 08-16-2021, 12:26 PM

I didn’t know a slide roof would support a grown man …is this a normal thing people do? I feel skiddish just walking on the main roof

Getn off · 08-16-2021, 12:28 PM

I feel skiddish just looking at this pic!
Lol
Not this boy.
Troy

jasin1 · 08-16-2021, 01:03 PM

I was gonna ask him if thought that would hurt the slide but he was busy cleaning…he seemed pretty comfortable up there like he was gonna set up a picnic table and some lawn chairs
..

Camping family · 08-16-2021, 01:58 PM

Not me noooo way am I going to do that.

**JRTJH** · 08-16-2021, 02:43 PM

Some Keystone trailers advertise "fully walkable roof and fully walkable slide roof" as a standard feature. Then again, "some don't".....

As an example, the 2017 Cougar brochure lists walkable main roof and walkable slide roofs as a standard feature in the Cougar, Cougar XLite travel trailer and the Cougar XLite fifth wheel.

About the only way I know to confirm the "walkability" is in the brochures. And even then, it is "subject to change during the production year"...

rhagfo · 08-16-2021, 03:09 PM

The super slide roof on our Copper Canyon is framed with 2x2 material (1.5” x 1.5”) no way am I stepping on it!

dutchmensport · 08-16-2021, 04:41 PM

I do it all the time on my Montana High Country. No problem at all. Not every camper is made for this though.

jasin1 · 08-16-2021, 04:47 PM

I just don’t know why someone would need to be up there…

**JRTJH** · 08-16-2021, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasin1

I just don’t know why someone would need to be up there…

On my Cougar, it's either put a 12' ladder against the back wall and climb up on the roof then "lay on your belly to scrub the slide roof" or put a 7' step ladder against the extended slide end, climb onto the slide roof, scrub it, then just step onto the main roof to keep scrubbing....

Much easier to use the slide as a "stepping stone to the main roof.

jasin1 · 08-16-2021, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

On my Cougar, it's either put a 12' ladder against the back wall and climb up on the roof then "lay on your belly to scrub the slide roof" or put a 7' step ladder against the extended slide end, climb onto the slide roof, scrub it, then just step onto the main roof to keep scrubbing....

Much easier to use the slide as a "stepping stone to the main roof.

Ahhh now I understand

Javi · 08-16-2021, 06:47 PM

I hire small people to work on my rv roof and slide... I ain't dragging my fat old butt up there... ever

Vinnie · 08-16-2021, 07:23 PM

I'm right there with Javi- but so far the only person I can get to walk up there is my autistic kid, and getting quality information from him is... challenging. My good-communicating kid is afraid of heights. Gonna have to drag out the Little Giant ladder. That thing's pickin' heavy!

Mikendebbie · 08-17-2021, 02:17 AM

I recently stepped down onto my slide out roofs to clean and treat the rubber wiper blades with rubber treatment. Also cleaned and treated the top rubber bulb seal that seals the slide up to the body when slide out closes. It was the first time I had done this since I have had the unit. Roof felt solid, no deflection or movement. My living room slides are hydraulic and my bedroom slide is schwintek. I probably should have posted an inquiry to the forum group, and I should have looked thru the manual for an answer (doh!) - but I eased out onto the big dining table slide near the back end and got down on my knees to proceed with the cleaning task. The longer I was there the more comfortable i felt. I need to research this more over at the Montana Owners forum.

ChuckS · 08-17-2021, 04:24 AM

Nope.. not walking on my slide roofs.. My Alpine is probably walkable there but why stress the roof .. I can clean all three slide roofs just fine by either getting up on main roof and use my telescopic brush or clean from the ground using my ladder... I've resealed the out four inches from edge to edge at the screw line and replaced wiper seals... I have no fear of heights..

Others can walk on their slide out roofs as they wish... not me

**sourdough** · 08-17-2021, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Nope.. not walking on my slide roofs.. My Alpine is probably walkable there but why stress the roof .. I can clean all three slide roofs just fine by either getting up on main roof and use my telescopic brush or clean from the ground using my ladder... I've resealed the out four inches from edge to edge at the screw line and replaced wiper seals... I have no fear of heights..

Others can walk on their slide out roofs as they wish... not me

I agree! I figure the MHC slide roofs are walkable as well and if there was no other way to get the job done I would. Like you, I can use a ladder and one of my many extendable brushes to clean the roof and the seals are easier to me from a ladder than the roof. I only see a down side by getting on the roof vs working on it from another position.

jasin1 · 08-17-2021, 06:06 AM

For clarification I’m not afraid of heights as far as walking on the roof. I’m skiddish about walking up there because I can feel the roof deflecting and I weigh 185 lbs …I have a nice telescoping brush that I only use on my fifth wheel and I have an EGO battery blower for getting leaves and debris from the roof. It seems to me that even though the roof framing can support it…..the leverage induced on the slide from walking to the far outside edge can cause problems with the inside trim at the ceiling and slide out track under the floor on some slides.. but I don’t use my ladder either…most of the construction seems to be built to the lowest acceptable structural integrity from what I’ve seen so far.. but I tend to overthink things .. worry about things… my wife is in great shape because I park a half mile away from any store we go to lol…don’t want any door dings..
And I realize that slides already support people on the inside as far as dining tables and beds are concerned but it seems like more leverage when a person is on the roof..

Mikendebbie · 08-17-2021, 03:18 PM

As a follow up to my previous post to this thread - I posted the “walking on slide out” question to the MOC forum. A senior member provided links to seven threads on the subject dating from 2005 to 2016. I enjoyed reading thru them all.
A few points I gathered…
-I did not find a definitive post quoting a factory rep providing a weight limit. Most members professed to weighing from 180 lbs to 250 and more. I am at 215 lbs.
- seemed like a majority felt comfortable stepping onto the slide out roof and “do it all the time for cleaning”
- more folks were worried about the roof ladder failing before the roof buckled, and I agree with that comment!
- it is probably not a good idea for ME to step out on MY bed slide which is a schwintek slide - which may be structurally weaker than cable or hydraulic slides.
- the midpoint of the slide roof is the weakest due to the span…I probably should have used a small piece of plywood to spread the load out in the middle section.
- several members mentioned that at the 2004 Montana rally, they named a factory rep who got out on a slide and jumped on it to demonstrate strength. Of course my slide roof might be constructed differently than a 2004-05 model.
- one member commented about remembering a sales brochure with a photo of several men standing on a slide. I think I have seen that photo but I could not find it.
- I realize not all slide out roofs are constructed alike. If you want to get out on your slide roof, go slow. If you feel any deflection or movement - back off. I did not feel any deflection in my slide out roofs, but I will not be testing my schwintek slide out again.

77cruiser · 08-17-2021, 04:56 PM

The slide roofs feel more solid than the main roof.

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