does anyone have thoughts on the liftco system for slideouts on a mci9?thanks jim
I'm not familier with the liftco system but MCI's are very difficult to add slides too because of the stuctural problems with them, they require a lot of additional bracing before you can open up a side to any degree, even the siding is concidered to be part of the structural strenght as a unit, I know of several mci's with slides but all had to have a great deal of additional bracing to make them viable.
Berry bus,
I sent you a pm on this thread back in Dec. Just checking to see that you got it.
Kentucky Steve
Interesting site, never seen it before, but after looking it over, I think my buddy has one on his rig and it works fine, looks like quality products. Wished I had found them when I put my slides in, but if they are like the others, they will probably not even talk to you, let alone, sell you anything. Have you tried talking to them yet? Cody, when I put mine in I used Dave Galley's engineering (from his slideout book), and had another engineer review and approve. The installation of MCI and Prevost are alike and the extra bracing needed (that you don't have to do for an Eagle) is a diagonal brace in the front and one in the back, also some of the framing is a heavier gauge. I have had no troubles with the systems yet.
Ray D
You can see an example of the Liftco system used at www.busconversion101.com (http://www.busconversion101.com) But I have no knowledge of who the converter /installer is.
Quote from: Phil H / Chicago on February 09, 2010, 09:16:50 AM
You can see an example of the Liftco system used at www.busconversion101.com (http://www.busconversion101.com) But I have no knowledge of who the converter /installer is.
WARNING WARNING WILL ROGERS!!! WALKER COACH WALKER COACH LOOK OUT!!! WARNING WARNING
I wondered if it was the same Walker....
I spent some time studying the Liftco product information when I first came across them. I got the impression that their slideout systems were fairly minimalist and probably intended to be an economical & lightweight product aimed at the lower end of the RV market - ie. travel trailers and cheaper 5th wheels rather than Class A's and bus conversions. I stress that I haven't seen them operating in real life, and I don't know what they cost. But I hope and expect they are much cheaper than for instance an HWH system.
Incidentally, I would estimate that choosing the actual slideout mechanism is probably only the third most important thing to think about when planning a slideout in a bus. Priority number one is the structural engineering that will need to be done to the bus itself; once that's sorted you can start thinking about the design of the slideout room itself, and how it will integrate with the bus body - and particularly how the sealing and insulation is arranged. Finally you can think about how to actually move it, and what slide mechanism best fits your situation.
Just my thoughts based on many, many hours worrying about mine.
Jeremy
Jeremy, I think you are correct in your evaluation of the Liftco product. I think it has it's place and use.
I had actually considered using it for two separate bedroom closet slides in the back of the motorhome we now live in...one on each side of the bed....maybe 6' in length. The mechanism seem lightweight but with a 6' closet slide approx. 16-18" deep it would not take too much to support that. And in a standard RV it would be rather simple to cut a hole opening in the sidewall and add the appropriate bracing. I just can't make up my mind whether to do it or not....or just wait till I start the bus conversion.
Phil