SLIDEOUT IS NOT LEVEL

[Angie M]

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

Since the present floor is only 5/8" OSB, which was a poor choice anyway, I like Kirks idea better than mine. Depending on clearance under the floor, If there is clearance, 1" angle iron mounted under the present bowed floor, would push the OSB back up to level. Each end would have to be secured with carriage bolts from above and nylock nuts on the bottom, It might require more than one piece of angle to completely level the floor.

This would be ideal, but I don’t think they could be installed without affecting the slide being able to retract. Will send picture tomorrow of underside. 

[Wrknrvr]

   I believe putting attachments under the slide would not allow the slide to retract.

   I will say I have seen slides on Prevost conversions and other high end motor coaches, come up and over the interior floor. But that whole mechanical system is built to do that.

     I believe a trip to a hardware store to test plywood, could be a learning experience.    Get a piece of finish grade birch plywood out and lay it so it is supported on both ends. Then push on the middle for flexibility.  Your with is 32” I think , so support it at those distances.

   Then get other types of plywood out and do the same test.   See if you can detect a difference in the stiffness of the plywood.

   My thinking cannot remember the tool that puts wood wafers in wood joints. I will check and get back to you on your subject. But I use the biscuit cutter and biscuits when joint joints in wood. Apparently I thought of breakfast biscuits for the last sentence.

   If any screws are used to attach anything from above the floor. They cannot be long enough to penetrate the lower side of the floor.

 

 

[Wrknrvr]

    I would suggest using the strongest plywood you can find.

 

    I am thinking that is you measure the amount of dip you have in the floor as it sits there. Fairly accurately.    Then put a Jack with a piece os 2x4 on top of it, cut at the correct length, up against the floor. What we want to see is if the existing floor will flex back into place. Even a little. Without lifting the interior slide lip.

   I am thinking you could get a 4x4 piece of your plywood, for a test. You should get a countersink bit kit. That will allow the drywall screws to be counter sunk in the plywood when the job is finished.

 

    You must not have one screw penetration on the bottom of the slide.

 

   With your new piece of plywood, you could center it in the slide-out. 

    Then with the floor supported from underneath, in the middle, the new 4’x4’ plywood with counter sunk holes say drilled ever 4” apart. Now try attaching the plywood to the existing floor. This is for a test.

   I have done such work to see how things are going to solve the problem. Adjusting the drill driver to only put a small amount of torque on the dry wall screws to start with. Full torque could strip the original floor out.  Testing to see how things work, hopefully will give a good idea how to move forward with the project.

   Working from the front and back of the floor, hopefully will pull the original floor up to the top plywood as the screws are installed. This is a learning test.

   More thinking to follow?

 

[Kirk W]

12 hours ago, Angie M said:

Will send picture tomorrow of underside. 

My thoughts about your best way to repair will depend to a large degree on what that picture shows. Try to show both the structure of the slide and it's floor support and also what the opening for it to retract looks like. There must be some clearance? As I look at your pictures again, I'm wondering if the scratch on the floor that you show might be caused by the sagging floor rubbing as it moves in and out?

[Angie M]

[Wrknrvr]

    Kirk

   If you look at the pictures that were posted on February 14, on page two of this topic the evidence is exposed.    You can see the white subject under the black slide edge. That white material is a nylon (?) plate that is screwed to the rv structure. 

   The slide bottom slides across it when operated, from front to rear. So there is no space between these two subjects.   If you look at the picture that shows the scratch in the floor, there is a scratch in the nylon plate?

 

   I could be a little slow this morning. Woke up at 2:30 am with about 40 mph winds.

[Angie M]

[Wrknrvr]

   While I was typing, Angie posted the above picture. If you look closely at the plastic fabric that is glued under the slide floor, you can see marks where it is sliding over that nylon support. That proves there is no room for a support under the problem floor.

 

   

[Wrknrvr]

      I would suggest to put a block of wood between /////‘ll.

[Angie M]

So I posted pictures. I hope you can see clearly since I have to dumb these down to post them. I tried pushing up on the floor and it doesn’t budge. So whether a jack would life it up without lifting the entire slide remains to be seen. You should be able to see that there is no space to work with for supports. Unless someone sees an option. Both sides are scrapping against something because the black weather proof material is fraying. 
 

I hope these pictures help with ideas. 

[Angie M]

1 minute ago, Wrknrvr said:

      I would suggest to put a block of wood between /////‘ll.

??  Is this a complete thought?

[Wrknrvr]

No

 

 my finger is tired.    So i sent a pm. With my phone number.  

We could accomplish much more , faster over a phone call.

[Kirk W]

Angie, have you checked to see if that floor sag is also under the slide, as it doesn't appear that way from what I can see in the pictures. Also, is the shiny surface a weather coating that may have insulation between it and the OSB of the floor? All of those could be issues to deal with when trying to repair that sag. If there is a layer of insulation, it is filling the space below the floor OSB and would probably be crushed if an attempt is made to jack up against it to push the sag up where it should be. The only similar problem that I have worked on was one that you could seen the under side of the flooring when looking up on the outside. It was also quite a bit older RV and didn't have any insulation under the flooring. 

I would do a lot of looking very closely before starting to work as you don't want to make things worse in the process. Unfortunately not all companies build their slides the same way to it is difficult to be sure of advice without actually looking at yours. 

Edited February 26 by Kirk W

[Kirk W]

16 minutes ago, Angie M said:

Both sides are scrapping against something because the black weather proof material is fraying. 

Is that the underside of the OSB that can be seen where the fabric is worn?

[Wrknrvr]

 Page 2

 top photo shows how thick the slide floor is. The Osborn’s board is right there covered in plastic cloth

   With one finger and your thumb, you can feel how thick the floor is.

[Wrknrvr]

Yes

my finger is going to need a splint.    I type like a chicken. One fingerrr.

at a time

[Wrknrvr]

Changed hand to type with.

  Could you put that level up under the slideout floor. We are looking to see if the lower part is curved like the upper.   Then post a picture of it.

[Wrknrvr]

I just noticed the edge wear on the plastic covering.

 

is it worn like that on both sides of the slide edges.

[Angie M]

27 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Angie, have you checked to see if that floor sag is also under the slide, as it doesn't appear that way from what I can see in the pictures. Also, is the shiny surface a weather coating that may have insulation between it and the OSB of the floor? All of those could be issues to deal with when trying to repair that sag. If there is a layer of insulation, it is filling the space below the floor OSB and would probably be crushed if an attempt is made to jack up against it to push the sag up where it should be. The only similar problem that I have worked on was one that you could seen the under side of the flooring when looking up on the outside. It was also quite a bit older RV and didn't have any insulation under the flooring. 

I would do a lot of looking very closely before starting to work as you don't want to make things worse in the process. Unfortunately not all companies build their slides the same way to it is difficult to be sure of advice without actually looking at yours. 

The shinny covering is only a weather priggish. No insulation as you can see by one of my pictures showing the fraying all the way to the wood. It does bow underneath but I couldn’t capture in picture. I’ll have someone stand on it and see if it more prominent 

[Angie M]

20 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Is that the underside of the OSB that can be seen where the fabric is worn?

Yes

[Angie M]

19 minutes ago, Wrknrvr said:

 Page 2

 top photo shows how thick the slide floor is. The Osborn’s board is right there covered in plastic cloth

   With one finger and your thumb, you can feel how thick the floor is.

It’s either 5/8 or 3/4

[Angie M]

11 minutes ago, Wrknrvr said:

Changed hand to type with.

  Could you put that level up under the slideout floor. We are looking to see if the lower part is curved like the upper.   Then post a picture of it.

I will work on that

[Angie M]

7 minutes ago, Wrknrvr said:

I just noticed the edge wear on the plastic covering.

 

is it worn like that on both sides of the slide edges.

Correct

[Wrknrvr]

Have one person under the slide, to feel if the slide moves down, when someone stands on it .

 

   That side wear is another subject In itself. I have a few thoughts on that subject.   Thinking back 10 or so years for fixing that subject.

[Angie M]