Hi everybody, I am in the process of converting a 1968 Eagle (model 05) and I am just wondering how many of you have put slide outs in.
Was it worth it?
Would you do it again?
Should I do one?
Pros and cons?
Any advice appreciated
Do you need the floor space?
The only time I see slides as beneficial is when you are parked for extended time. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. A lot of trouble and expense to build and maintain. And you have to design them so you can get to the can and the kitchen and the bedroom when retracted. A lot of motor homes have them so it is hard or impossible to get to the back of the bus, unless they are extended.
JC
Gary Bennett @ B&B Coach in Vegas is the best person to answer your question he has been doing for 25 years on Eagles and knows all the ends and out of a slide
Ok it looks to me like the common answer is no!
That is fine be me, however it should save some big money and time! ;D ;D
We are not going to be full timing it or anything that serious. No offense to all the full timers who read this! :o
I have a friend that has 43 feet of slides (4) on his Eagle
I have a 102" wide bus and have never felt crowded. Can't say the same for 96" buses
A lot of work, expense, weight, machinery failure points, water intrusion potential, floorplan compromises to use while retracted, risk to structural integrity of coach chassis
Versus how much more usable space?
If you extend one of those slides into the adjacent parking spot in a highway rest area, you will NOT have friends, and some tired trucker will drag his trailer against you, on purpose or not...
All depends on how you plan to use the coach.
Have the RV industry marketing people put too much emphasis on slides, and now everyone thinks they need 'em?
Ever notice you NEVER see a slide unit displayed retracted??
Happy coaching!
Buswarrior
You need to talk to Bob Glines, here on the board. When it comes to slide outs, he is the man! He has put slide outs in two or three Prevosts, and did a beautiful job.
Dennis
Consider carefully. If you are new at conversions, this can be a quick way to turn a decent coach into a scrap yard candidate if you get in over your head or lose interest in the middle of it. A gutted shell is easier to sell than one that has had a hole cut in the side for a slideout.
This would have made a good "Poll" feature. Slide out or not?! ... I vote no.
I would rather eat bee's than put in some slides in my coach. But then again ... that's just me.
Chessie4905 hit the nail on the head with his reply.
BCO
I am not a slide fan but he does have the right bus for a slide candidate,the pro side they do add space,value and are easy to sell.
I see it in the selling of Prevost a non slide same year model same brand will bring around 30 to 40k less than a slide model
I would love to go to an rv show and have them show all models with slide out and same model side by side with slide in. Thank goodness for slides keeping the interest in Eagles alive.😉
LOL people love their Eagle slides or not probably the best bus ever made in their day
I talked to B&B about putting in 2 slides. At $25,000 each (!) that ended quickly. As Geoff said, if you have 102 wide bus with big windows, not necessary. Even 96 wide buses with plenty of windows can get away with no slides. Just another major thing to go wrong. Good Luck, TomC
Some of the coach models and or brands have a couple different things that come to mind.
One is some have a box tubing structure in the lower section and to me this can be a benefit in attaching or using. ( I don't have so I like it )
Another thing is floors that have a gradual rise to the rear coach and less head room.
So just a couple things that are on the list Im sure several others that are interesting in how the really played a role and now to consider or understand so we can address the choices.
Good day
Floyd
Slide problems are all in the mechanism I been around Foretravels with the HWH slides some are over 20 years old and never missed a lick.HWH mechanisms are very costly I bought 2 back in 2000 to install slides in my Eagle and never did it then sold the mechanisms for more than I paid.Now the Happy Jack slides are made cheap with the tiny windshield motors for power I have those on a 5th wheel trailer 4 of the damn things that are always a problem
You are right Cliff. Eagle made the best Eagles there ever were.
I put two slides in my 1984 MCI 9 . Electric driven. No problems for the past ten years.
Front has an electric couch on which opens to a double bed.
Rear has a queen bed on it which opens up a 3 foot area at the foot of the bed so that I can access the full closet at the rear of the coach. Makes putting my clothes on in the bedroom easier.
As I full time, it makes life more enjoyable. I am now in the 4th quarter of my life and have the usual older man symptoms so I retained a 2 foot aislewayfrom front to back for those quick stops.
As for the slides,,,wouldn,t be without them.
Just finishing my trip to Alaska from Vancouver Island
JoeMC7..I am in BuckCreek and shall call soon. JC I shall be in Calgary in a few weeks. Shall let you know.
Bob
I made 1 for the M C I and same thing after 10 years use no problems . the space when out is nice and when in it was the same as if there was not a slide there . slide was 24 " deep x 12' 6 " long
the M C I 102 C has a extra roof wall frame because of the factory roof raise and that helped a lot with the design
dave
If you decide to do one or more slides, do all the research you can on how to do one before you start. Shouldn't be too big a job if fully educated before you start.
A single slide on 1 side is not all bad the 4 and 5 slides do take a lot of space and room,some RV parks don't have the room for 12 or 14 ft wide RV's with all the slides extended lol I look for parks to start charging extra you know like they do for 50 amp service or a pet
If we go full timing, we plan to upgrade to something with slides. We have two pets which takee up a lot of room.
I'm not sure on what it would cost to put slides in. I never really thought of that before but I guess that could be an option.
I think I'll get a matching coach to park close along side. Then have a passthrough door on both. Set second one up with lounge setup with refer, recliners, and 80" tv.