Long Term Parking Question

[dewat]

Are there any dangers/concerns/potential problems if I keep the two slides on my Thor Hurricane (Ford F53 gasser) extended while parked on my home pad for two to three months at a time? Since my pad is level, I do not plan on using the jacks, but I want to make sure that there is no harm in leaving the slides out for extended periods of days into months. I am talking the Metropolitan Washington DC area where wind gusts are rarely over 30-40 mph, and strong thunderstorms are occasional in the spring and summer months. My main concerns are future chassis problems and leaking, but any other warnings for anticipated problems would be appreciated. Of course I can be totally off base, but I just thought that I would solicit help from the veterans.

Thanks.

[ClayL]

Since I full time my slides are extended and my levelers are down 12 months a year when we are stopped. I would drop the levelers, they provide stabilty.

No problems is 8 years with slides or levelers.

[Briarhopper]

DeWat,

Our slides have been out on and off for months. On the common sense side, anything exposed to the elements will age more than if not exposed. So, maybe a little depends on the benefit of slides-out outweighing the slight aging of seals, canopy fabric, etc.

If your mode of operation is going to be parked for weeks at a time for the next several years, you would want to cover the tires to slow the aging process. Beyond that just consider where the sun, rain, etc. is going to attack.

Agree with extending jacks for stability and taking weight off the tires for an extended parking.

Never a bad idea to call the coach builder and ask all the questions you have, especially when you just helped them keep the lights on.

[dewat]

I thank you both for the answers thus far. I did intend on calling the manufacturer, but I really like the advice that I see coming forth in these forums. While I am new to the RVing lifestyle, I have been on various forums for other hobbies for years on end, so I do know that forum advice can be wide ranging from excellent to downright wrong (naturally, nothing intend here), which is why it hit me to post the question. If at all possible, I don't want to lower the jacks because I am talking about when I'm parked in my own yard at home. I don't want to damage the driveway from the repeated and constant pressure of the jacks always supporting the weight in the same general area of the parking pad. BTW, I had a 4-5 inch concrete parking pad and driveway just for the MH completed this week .

[dalltop]

Your jacks are only for stabilization and not meant to lift the coach. Having the jacks down would help spread the per square inch load of your coach across all services, tires and jack pads. You could place plastic blocks used for under tire leveling to prevent maring of the concrete surface. I would also use some light lubricant on the jacks exposed cylinders to prevent corrosion the jacks are left down for a really long time.

[five]

I would run the jacks down...place boards (2 x 12) or something similar if you are concerned about the driveway. Also, if your MH is going to be parked next to your house for several months and you will not be going in and out or using it, leave the slides in. That way you'll be protecting your slide toppers.

[danddferr]

If you are using it and want the slides out, then I would put the jacks down. I have 2x6 boards under my jacks. I agree that if you are not using it why leave the slides out? More exposure and the chance that the wind will hurt the slide toppers. Full timers have the slides out all year. I agree that the wisdom you gain from forums like this one is huge. I have been Rving since 1988 but when I bought my Class A in 2008 I started looking to forums for help. I didn't know how much I didn't know!!!

Kind of like going to an RV show and finding toys for your RV that you didn't know you really need!!!!

Dan

[dewat]

Well.. Thor finally answered me today

"You can leave your slide room out if you are using the coach. If not using it you should store the coach with the room in and the jacks "up"

BUMMER!

[Guest BillAdams]

I am not sure that this is a bummer at all. What possible difference is there between using and not using your RV? If it's OK to leave the slides out (with the jack down) you can use leave the slides out with the jacks down. I don't think anyone anywhere would ever recommend using the slide-outs in a non-level condition. The jacks do not need to exert unnecessary pressure on your slab as their job is NOT to support the weight of the entire coach but rather to ensure the coach is level. If your slab is already level, it would take very little to put the jacks down for stabilization and extend the slides. If the slabs not terribly level then you should have the contractors return and fix their poor work. The reality is that if the coach is level you can extend the slides whether the jacks are extended or not as the suspension will be supporting the exact same amount of weight whether the slide is stored or extended. The jacks being down will only help keep the coach from putting additional strain on one side of the suspension or the other.

[dewat]

Thanks Bill.

I understand your point... see it all the time at the shows, coaches bouncing around while people are in and out due to the extended slides, and undeployed levelers. In my situation, my pad has a slight front left tilt. Lately, I have been manually deploying the levelers enough to take the bounce out of the suspension while removing some of the angle. The coach is not fully level, but we're not running the refer either, we just use it as a study room and escape from the house. I stopped using the auto level feature because it was the reason the coach was actually being "lifted". I also feel like the levelers were not properly set from the factory or dealer, something I plan to do when I get to a truly flat pad one day. The main thing that I wanted was Thor's stance on the situation (in adition to the opinions here), which is what the "bummer" is.

[wolfe10]

Consider driving the low-side tires up on 2"X12" boards to get the coach more level. Just make sure that the whole tire is supported on the board.

[dewat]

Consider driving the low-side tires up on 2"X12" boards to get the coach more level. Just make sure that the whole tire is supported on the board.

I never thought about this, but it would work :headbang: (I know, the icon is not supported). I would really only have to put one two inch under the front driver's tire. I could get a little more OCD and put 1/2 to 1 inch under the other front tire to really get level. But with that said, to be in "total" compliance, I would still have to put the levelers down due to the sticker at the slide controller that reads "Jacks must be down before operating slides". I think I will still look at using a little wood just for leveling sake. Thanks again.

[wolfe10]

Even if you are using your levelers, having the coach/chassis/suspension as level as possible is ALWAYS a good idea, particularly for extended periods of time.

Brett

[Guest Wayne77590]

If you use the 2x10's, put them under both of the duals on the side you are leveling. Only running one dual up on a board will stress the tire with all the weight being on that tire.

[grayman]

I also have a Hurricane 32a and the label beside my slide controller only says " to set the parking brake"

[grayman]

I always put the jacks down first anyway.

[dewat]

I also have a Hurricane 32a and the label beside my slide controller only says " to set the parking brake"

Not being smart, but I think that would be a given for any MH. I was more interested in the long term affects of parking for 4 to 6 months with the slides out and levelers down... if any.

[grayman]

They left that label off my RV. I have the same control panel but the caution label is above the panel. Do not have the one about jacks.

We got ours at the end of this past December and have had 2 recalls so far. One should have been done before it was sold to us.

No real complaints yet.

[gwjohnson]

If you're going to leave your jacks extended for months at a time, (I do when I'm wintering in AZ) it's also a good idea to put extra height blocks under the jacks, so that the retractor springs aren't fully extended for months at a time which can affect their tension. I place 5-6 pieces of 2" x 12" boards on top of each other and then the jacks only have to extend 4-5" (instead of 12-16") to level the coach, depending on the surface you're on. Also, I put 2' x 3' rubber mats under all of the tires and tire covers on whenever I'm parked for extended periods. This advice was from our service manager at our coach dealership and has served us well. I agree with the advice to NEVER have your slides out without your jacks down and the coach level.

Greg Johnson

[wrbrown7636]

I have a 2000 Dutch Star, 38.5 feet. What is the recommended lubricant for the levers and the silde out while staying out for extended periods of time. My MH is living in Oklahoma City.

[wintex55]

In reading all the comments about long term parking and whether the leveling jacks should be extended or retracted and the concern that leaving them extended might possibly damage the jacks due to the jacks supporting too much of the vehicle weight is of no importance at all.

The jacks are designed such that they could support more than the weight of the coach as a built-in passive protection. It is not a good idea, when leveling the coach, to extend the jacks until a wheel, or two, is up off the ground which I have seen many times. The danger is not that the jack components may be damaged due to the weight of the coach, but that the jack extension is extended to the point that the shaft may be slightly bent due to "side pressure" if the coach itself should "shift" for any reason.

If it looks like this may be the case, use short sections of 2 inch boards, in any combination as long as the entire footprint of all the tires are on the boards, to level the low side of the coach until the coach can be leveled with none of the tires off the ground. Boards can also be used under the jacks to reduce the extension of the jack shafts. Boards under the jacks does not affect supported weight...only extension.

So, when leveling your coach, don't worry about how much "weight" the jacks may support, but whether the weight is evenly distributed between all the jacks and none of the jacks are airborne!

[Sundancer268]

One thing to consider when the slides are out is more leverage will be generated and transfer some of the weight from the non-slide side suspension to the slide side suspension. Yes the motor home weighs the same with or with-out the slides out. The only change is in the leverage generated. Very little with a small slide to very large with a deep and large slide. With slides on both sides the equation changes again. To keep everything in balance, I would extend the jacks. If the concrete was installed properly and allowed to cure properly there will be no harm to it. I park mine on my slab every summer and take most of the weight off the suspension and have had no signs of damage. Happy Travels.

[Koliver]

My Beaver has a sticker by the jack controls that cautions "slide must be out before extending jacks". Don't know why there are so many contradictions among different RVs.

[wolfe10]

Different coach/chassis makers DO have different "deployment" order.

Suggest you follow the order recommended by YOUR coach/chassis maker.

[Habu978]

I'm a full timer and when we get to FL we stay 5-6 months with the slides extended. Make sure you don't have a water leaks around your slides. I operate my jacks, genset, and other components every other month. Been doing it for over 10 years. Make sure you change the oil, filters don't forget the fuel & water before storage.