Well Mrs. Jones and I are in BIG Trouble! We had 4 shows in the palm Springs area 2 weeks ago and our friend Cathy invited us over to see her New Bus, It was a HR on a bus frame. Christi has not been the same. She has been looking at other rigs with slides "FOR SALE" Me & Mrs. Jones don't have a chance. I can't compete with the Pro Conv's. I think it started at the "Q" rally of 2010 and Christy Hicks showing off her new Prevo! Mrs. Jones may have to move. Listen guys, if you know whats good for you, Don't let her in that New Bus with Slides! I'll keep you all posted. M&C :'(
Tell her that she will not be happy with them when, not if, they start to leak. ;D
I've never been a slide fan but living full time in a bus slides would be the way to go, I am impressed with the Foretravel slides they took the slides to a new level with the HWH hydraulic slides don't think I would go with the electric we have a 5th wheel here with 4 electric sides something is always wrong with those
good luck
No no no. I learned a long while back to poo poo slides around the Mrs. Give a women a foot and they want a hundred.
Agree, in a more semi permanent situation, parked over winter, the extra room would be welcome. traveling, where your only in a place a day or so and movin on, not so much.
Wow great timing on this subject !! :o My fiance just yesterday said " WE NEED A SLIDE AND NOW'S THE TIME !! SINCE the siding is not starting till this Monday it was 5 hrs last nite researching different mechanisms out there.The fab shop my crown is at is great and i know that if i did a living-room slide they would do a perfect job.But gee so many cons on these things..Don't think there are many ( if any ) crowns with a slide out there,But the air steam" community has done it and they have the round roof ..They look really neat.. Any input on that??
Ed, I tried that Jedi Mind Control on her before. I ended up with a longer Honey-do list :'(
Jack, LarryH could help on this ?. And I think he still has the parts for 2 slides in his shop in Tucson,Az
This reminds me of a funny story. The time before last we were parked at a rv park and while eating dinner, we noticed a couple standing outside our bus admiring the bus, I guess. Anyway about 20 minutes, the whole time I ate, I decided to go out and greet them with the usual, hey hows it going routine and asked if I could help them figure out what they were puzzled dhoot from the obvious looks they had and hand gestures. To my surprise, they were looking for the slides! They were even more shocked when I told them there weren't any. Their next question was, what year is my bus and I told them a 1992. The guy shook his head in disbelief and walked off. I guess everyone expects slides!
All the hydraulic slides seem to work well. The gear driven and especially the scissor type electric units are a pain. Spending that much money and listening to those type of slide units operate really gives you an idea of whats under the skin!
Every time my wife goes into a rig with slides she wonders why anyone in their right mind would want them. FWIW.
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com (http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com)
89 with 2 slides and building 98 with 3 slides a life style and personal choice. Great hobby just why we do it all differant. Bob
Jack and i took a little trip from our current spot and i saw Robert's pride and joy today. Judy is so happy with her island kitchen. i'm going to make sure i don't tell Fran about anything i saw. That would be our next project, i'm sure. Nice bus robert. those 2 slides do seem to make a lot of living space and walking area.
We also met Dennis (hiyosilver) who also has a really nice bus well laid out and comfy.
That's the best part of busing - meeting and attaching faces to names, inspecting someone else's handiwork, and getting new insights. Especially in Florida where it was 75 dg and sunny BK! ;) ;)
It was 65 here in Nebraska today!! However it was 8 a week ago!!!
Quote from: Sean on March 03, 2011, 04:11:44 PM
Every time my wife goes into a rig with slides she wonders why anyone in their right mind would want them. FWIW.
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com (http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com)
Yeah.... it's a shame....... she just has a downstairs AND AN UPSTAIRS!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
TOM
Quote from: white-eagle
Especially in Florida where it was 75 dg and sunny BK! ;) ;)
Hey guess what Tom? I snuck out of the office all day today and took the Softball team from Jackson State Community College in Jackson, TN to Columbia, TN to play the Softball team from Jackson State Community College from Jackson, MI! Our TN girls stomped those MI girls 5-1 first game and 4-2 second game! ;)
Oh it was so beautiful sitting out in the sun on a nice 70-75 degree day watching pretty college girls play softball! ;)
;D BK ;D
Ken worked in the R.V. repair business, and that was one of the most common problems on all the big rigs, the slides leaking. New ones, old ones, didnt matter. He also went on quite a few calls after hrs to help people out that had their slides out and couldnt get them closed. I personally would not want slides, but, I guess to each their own. ;D
I can say I never had trouble with slides that wasn't a simple solution. I have had no air leaks going down road or water. No water leaks in storms. But again I built my own and know the workings of them. Also have a plan B if they would quit working. Simple mechanical closing with a 1/2 ratchet. Will admit while in Fort Wilderness a blowing rain went under slide awning (didn't come in coach) did not know there was a low spot on top(since remedied) and pulled in slide and took off. When I hit brakes here come the cold water down my back. Curse or laugh? Just laughed and fixed problem when I got home. So again it's a personal choice that comes with a new set of concerns just as a type of air conditioner or electronics system. Our bus is very functional with the slides pulled in. Would be just like one without slides. So in the end do it your way!! My slides are not of the S&S design and have allot less to go wrong. Happy bussing Bob
Hey Bob,
Sounds to me like you just invented a new "driver alert system". LOL Marilyn is still yammering about your kitchen island. I tried just mumbling something like, "yeah, it's alright if you like that sort of thing" but it didn't put her off. She just moved on to the slides and closets...You never should have showed her. She said something about needing to win the lottery.
Dennis
Slides always seem to divide opinion - those without them convince themselves that they don't want them, and those with them gloss over the inherent problems.
I spent a very long time researching the various different slide-out designs and mechanisms, and concluded in the end that many of them must be barely adequate in terms of sealing. As it happens I am just at the stage of constructing the internal flanges for mine, which are the surfaces on which the compression seals will bear. The compression seal are probably 35 or 40 feet in length, and the fabrication accuracy required to get an even 'squash' over that whole length is immense; I have to believe that many new motorhomes leave the factory with the compression seals not even touching in places, which means that the wipe seals - which are not really meant to be fully weatherproof - are the only ones doing any work
However, I should stop talking now - my own slides aren't finished yet, so I don't know if I've done any better.
Jeremy
I guess I should consider myself lucky. I have a 1960 PD 4104. My wife does not want a huge 40' Motorcoach with slides and raised roofs. She loves Buster just the way he is and wouldn't change a thing.
Mike
Now she is looking at S&S Mega 5th Wheels with 3 and 4 slides. The Pain....THE PAIN>>>>>>>>>> :'(
Quote from: Singing Land Cruiser on March 04, 2011, 08:41:32 PM
Now she is looking at S&S Mega 5th Wheels with 3 and 4 slides. The Pain....THE PAIN>>>>>>>>>> :'(
Take her to an RV salvage yard or a large wrecker service off a main interstate and show her what's left of those after an accident! (then remind her that the former owners of those didn't plan on being involved in an accident either when they bought them! ;) )
;D BK ;D
She said it is only till we get back on the road and we will look for a pro. conv. bus till then :'(
If mama ain't Happy...
For the price that you pay for a 5th wheel you should be able to get a bus. ;D
The S&S 5th wheel she is looking at is 25G's. The bus she wants is 120G"s. We will wait on the new bus. ;D
Save yourself some cash! If she wants a flimsy 5th wheel with slide outs Im sure you could do it with pvc pipe and duct tape then maybe add some wall paper inside for looks. Hmmm, maybe even a bus barn could be built this way ::) ;D http://www.ducttapecamper.com/ (http://www.ducttapecamper.com/)
Slides leak. They all leak, and everyone knows they leak sooner or later, break, quit, freeze, need maintenence, take up space, increase weight. The farther they go out, the farther they come in. Too far in and you cant get around inside without pokin em out. Ive convinced my wife we dont want one just by pointing out all the downsides. The ONLY upside is more floor space, and only when parked. Everything else is a downside. They are pretty when parked though.
Maybe soon they will aprove 9 foot wide Buses, with slides some could take up two camp spots for when the sucker pops open. A 45 footer 9 foot wide Bus with slides. That would be like a double wide motor home.
I almost let myself to your level. Your entitled to your opinion but make sure you know bus slides not sticks and staples. Bob
I have a 1998 34ft Camper sitting in my backyard that has a 12ft slide. It was damaged so bad from water leaking around the slide that the previous owner sold it to me for parts because it would cost a small fortune to rebuild. I've stripped basically everything from the inside (oven, microwave, dinette, some windows, fridge, a/c, water heater, sinks, 12V light fixtures, toilet, shower tub, converter, power panel, holding tanks and pump, etc) to use in my MC-9 conversion. I imagine if the slides are built right in a bus..and maintained, the chances of them NOT leaking would be a much better. I'm no expert but I would think the bus would be more ridged and not twist and flex as much as a Sticks & Staples RV therefore keeping a better seal on the slide.
Jimmy
I'm thinking that slides in a better platform such as a bus have better chances of sealing. Couple that with someone like "Ole Man Glines's" experience and I seriously doubt he has any problems other than his first wetback experience!! I do have a buddy that has a 15 year old s&s 5th wheel with hydraulic slides and they work great yet to this day and it's still in great shape. Probably wouldn't be if it was running up and down the road a lot but the hydraulic slides are the only way to go.
We are mgr's of a RV resort and will not be moving the 5th w/slides for about 3 yrs. Mrs Jones is to small for the 2 of us and a 13 y/o. We are going to sell the bus and save up for a pro. conv. bus to go on tour with. ;D
OK now we are going to keep Mrs. Jones and re-fit her for our touring in 3 years. We found a 5th with slides for $4,500 that we will put on a rv site until the bus is done. I love it when she makes up my mind ??? M&C
Mile,
If it is going to be in one place, the 5th wheel with slides is a good fit. You should find that the bus will be easier to work on if you are not living in it. Also, you will be able to keep it set up for travel and use it more. There is a difference in the way things are arranged between the stationary and mobile mindset. Although it may appear to be so at times, this is not a religion; there is no need for penance before the bus gods.
My brother likes the 5th wheel stationary style, but it isnt for me. For me, there is nothing like traveling down the road and having the kids asleep or playing in the bus and me in the driver's seat being able to ask for a cold ice tea or coffee. I like being able to pull over in freezing cold weather and run to the back to go to the bathroom without having to get out too ;)
A plus with doing this is that your wife will quickly understand the difference between the strength of a bus and the weakness of a S&S. I had to live in one for awhile with my kids. It didnt take too long to understand they are made for weekends once in awhile, not full timin. She will LOVE Mrs. Jones in short order and the slides wont be so important!
Now... we bought the 5th w/slides but can't get it till mid April SOooo we will move back into Mrs. Jones till then. Then we will move into the S&S, gut the bus and re-fit her. Wpew! O wait, she is no finished yet?? ??? ??? ;D
I thought I read somewhere that you have moved into a house since you would be managing the campground for several years? Did you give up on the house?
A fellow bus nut did a good job a week or so ago, crystalizing the advantage and disadvantage of a bus with slides.
He said since my lifestyle is to make two big road trips a year - we spend four months in the summer in a New Hampshire campground, and three months in the winter in a Florida RV community - slides are probably a good idea. They make the bus more home-like with square rooms, less like a cigar tube. Easier to entertain, have extra family members visit for a week, provide more square footage, etc. Also, less in-and-out on the slide mechanisms to chance a mechanical problem.
In his lifestyle they wouldn't work at all. They are on the go all summer, spending a day or two here and there all across the country, overnighting mostly at WalMarts, Crackerbarrels and rest areas where slides shouldn't be extended. He doesn't want to crawl around retracted slides on those nights, or to hurdle the sofa to beat a path to the bathroom on the road, etc. They never have guests - just the two of them - don't want the hassle of faulty mechanisms out on the road, etc.
Makes sense, no?
Mike in GA
Hi Brian, we did move into a house. Bad choice for one who mgt's a rv resort. We are hardly ever there and when we are we work on the yard and dwelling. So we are moving back on the park. We will take a hit in the pocket but life will be alot easyer. ;D M&C
Mike in Ga.... Yes, Christi and I fell the same way. With the S&S 5th in one place as our home for 3 years we will re-fit the bus we have ( No Slides ) so we can tour the US ;D M&C
40 mph wind and 2 inches of rain here last nite. No slide leaks Bob