Slide Toppers

[Jim7411]

I've decided to get SlideToppers for all our slideouts on the Laredo and have a question for any of you do-it-yourselfers out there who might have already done it. Over all 3 slides is a gutter. It's about 1-1/4" above the frame of the slide. Do I mount the awning rail above the gutter, or is there room to squeeze it in the space below it? Or possibly remove the gutter, since there really won't be any need for it once the topper is installed.

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by Jim7411

I've decided to get SlideToppers for all our slideouts on the Laredo and have a question for any of you do-it-yourselfers out there who might have already done it. Over all 3 slides is a gutter. It's about 1-1/4" above the frame of the slide. Do I mount the awning rail above the gutter, or is there room to squeeze it in the space below it? Or possibly remove the gutter, since there really won't be any need for it once the topper is installed.

Leave the gutter alone, Mine are installed above it with a new track and lots of the putty stuff and SS screws/hex heads?
I can try and attach a photo that shows them from my phone, but lookign at them right now its not mounted that high above those gutters, looks to be barely 2 inches above. Cant look at my camper as its in storage for 3 more weeks at the beach..
randy

[outwest]

It can be a tight squeeze to get the slide topper under the gutter, but yeah, leave gutter be.

[JRTJH]

On our Cougar, the gutter sits just about "EVEN" with the flange on the top of the slide. If we had put the awning rail (to attach the slide) under the gutter, the slide cover would have drained back toward the RV wall rather than off the side of the slide. To put the awning rail above the gutter would render the gutter as extra "useless" weight.

We removed the gutter, placed the awning rail in that location so the slide cover drains away from the RV and reinstalled the gutter and down spouts about 3" above the awning rail and slide cover.

[Jim7411]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to do the bedroom first, since it's the shortest, and see how it goes. If that goes well, then the other two, which are much longer. By then I should be an expert!

[Woodsrider]

I'll be watching this thread for updates. After this weekend’s camping trip, and the subsequent scrub down when we got it home today, I've come to the realization that this is a must have. Either that, or I need to pack a ladder to clean the top of the slide.

It was a pretty gusty weekend and the top of my slide was covered in about 4 inches of wet maple leaves, seeds, tree lichens, pine cones branches and needles.

[BeaverRZR]

Originally Posted by Woodsrider

I'll be watching this thread for updates. After this weekend’s camping trip, and the subsequent scrub down when we got it home today, I've come to the realization that this is a must have. Either that, or I need to pack a ladder to clean the top of the slide.

It was a pretty gusty weekend and the top of my slide was covered in about 4 inches of wet maple leaves, seeds, tree lichens, pine cones branches and needles.

I send my 15y/o up on the roof with a broom to clean the slides before they're retracted. Cheaper than toppers

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by BeaverRZR

I send my 15y/o up on the roof with a broom to clean the slides before they're retracted. Cheaper than toppers

Cheaper than toppers? Your 15 year old doesn't eat what my 15 year old ate LOL He'd open the refrigerator door, inhale once and we'd have to go grocery shopping before supper...... <sigh>

[Woodsrider]

Originally Posted by BeaverRZR

I send my 15y/o up on the roof with a broom to clean the slides before they're retracted. Cheaper than toppers

I don't have a ladder on my TT. And if I did, I'd have to get up there myself, my boy doesn't do heights. At home I use the same 24' ladder I use to get on the roof of the house. I'm not packing that thing $200 for a topper to fit my slide is less than a weeks groceries.

[Bob Landry]

I use a 12' collapsable ladder, lean it against the side of the slide out and clean it off with a broom. If I were to install toppers, they would be for the purpose of keeping direct sun off the top of the slide outs and only then if i were convinced it would help with summer cooling. The ladder stores under the bed.

[Terry W.]

I had slide toppers put on all 4 of our slides as part of the deal. But I still get on top of camper with a electric leaf blower and blow the topper and roof off before closing slides, also use blower the clear leaf at campsite also.