Slide topper
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11070
Printed Date: 27 Apr 2024 at 2:52am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Slide topper
Posted By: Steve 911
Subject: Slide topper
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2018 at 10:50pm
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Hi all, I’m looking to purchase a slide topper for our 179. I would love responses please from those who have them. Im tired of carrying a ladder along just to climb up to sweep off leaves and twigs off slideout prior to bringing it in. Price is not an object if I can find a good quality brand that’s reliable. Any suggestions are appreciated... Steve ------------- Firefighter Steve (retired) 2017.5 Rpod 179 (Reepod) 2016 Highlander AWD w/tow pkg. E2 wdh, prodigy RF brake controller. |
Replies:
Posted By: voisj
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2018 at 11:43pm
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Steve, I installed a Carefree slide topper that I got at my local dealer. Go to Carefree's website and they will show you how to measure for it and you can buy it direct from them. My dealer gave me a better price though and measured it for me. I installed it myself in a little over an hour and wasn't that hard.  Here's the kit, looks worse than it is to install.  I have more pictures in my http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9426&PN=1&title=slopod-180-mods-johnsue - slopodmods link on page 2. ------------- http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9426&title=slopod-180-mods-johnsue - SLOPODMODS John&Sue,SLO,CA 2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost 
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Posted By: Steve 911
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2018 at 11:58pm
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Thanks. Great work on your mods. ------------- Firefighter Steve (retired) 2017.5 Rpod 179 (Reepod) 2016 Highlander AWD w/tow pkg. E2 wdh, prodigy RF brake controller. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2018 at 7:27am
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We put on on within weeks of bringing furpod home. Wouldn't have a slide without one. Carefree Sideout Kover II, I think the measurement was 74 inches. https://postimages.org/">  ------------- |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2018 at 10:04am
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I installed the regular Carefree Slide Cover on our 179. It's the 98-105" size. We got ours here because they had the best price I could find:
http://www.rvpartscountry.com/RV-Slideout-Cover-Roller-98-105-White.html - http://www.rvpartscountry.com/RV-Slideout-Cover-Roller-98-105-White.html ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: riotkayak284
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2018 at 2:21pm
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Have the Carefree on 182G and would not have a camper without it.... No worries about water entering the slide or crap getting caught in the mechanisms.... Well worth the money and takes about an 1.5 hours to install. |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 18 Jan 2018 at 10:15am
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Not to mention that it saves some of the seals from UV damage.
The most difficult part of the install was feeding the cloth into the keder rail. I needed an extra hand (my wife) to hold up the other end of the roll, since it's so long. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 18 Jan 2018 at 12:52pm
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Has anyone compared the various brands/models of slide toppers, and the relative merits of them? I see there are at least toppers from Carefree (4 different models), Lippert, and Dometic. Differences seem to be the fabric, and whether or not there is a cover for the roll. It seems like the ones with roll covers of one kind or another would be advantageous, but I don't know how much. The Dometic cover has a segmented aluminum cover-cover that looks clever, but I'm not convinced it wouldn't be a hassle at some point. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 18 Jan 2018 at 1:05pm
I am guessing you ordered the tall bracket and hardware set for mounting it. Am I correct? ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 18 Jan 2018 at 1:59pm
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I'll have to check it on my way home this evening. I have to stop by anyway and turn on the electric blankets that we have strung under the Pod to prevent frozen plumbing during this short cold stretch we're having. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: Kenerpod
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 10:43am
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Hi Furpod I was reading the installation instructions and it mentioned not suitable for fiberglass or aluminum siding/framing... did you run into any issues during your install? I would think there are enough screws holding the weight of the slide assembly where this wouldn’t be an issue. ------------- Kenneth, Jacob, and Pike (our mini poodle) 2018 rpod 179 Hood River Edition | 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 2:42pm
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We had no issues. I purposely ran screws into the slide framing. Please note.. there are only 2 kinds of "siding" on a slide, either fiberglass or Aluminum.. So... ------------- |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 5:05pm
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I believe the siding on the 179's slide is wood. It sure looked like wood when I drilled the screws into it. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 6:50pm
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It is "azdel", a composite.
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 8:24pm
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It is Lauan plywood, not Azdel. Unless Forest River has changed with the newer models, there is no Azdel used in the R-Pods. I visited the factory last year and saw them being constructed. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2018 at 8:29pm
I will try to remember to ask in the morning when I talk to the plant manager. It's a composite of some sort, in layers, and luan is one of the layers.. It may not be azdel on the outer layer, though that is what is in my head.. LOL ------------- |
Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 10:03am
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I don't use a slide topper and haven't had a need so far. Has anyone ever had an issue with NOT using one? ------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: Steve 911
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 10:22am
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I want to install a topper over my slideout because I’m tired of having to drag a small ladder around with me to sweep the leaves, pine needles etc. that accumulate on the top. I’m an old guy and would rather not have to deal with it. My $.02 ------------- Firefighter Steve (retired) 2017.5 Rpod 179 (Reepod) 2016 Highlander AWD w/tow pkg. E2 wdh, prodigy RF brake controller. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 11:00am
YES. In fact the reason we put one on the pod within weeks of buying it is we had friends that had a slide pretty much rot off the trailer in 18 months, due to bad seals. A topper would have prevented it. When they got the TT back from repair, (new slide, done by the factory) the FIRST thing they did was put a topper on it. ------------- |
Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 12:57pm
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I can buy a collapsible ladder for about the same price as a slide topper. And a ladder would be handy to have around anyhow. Anyone use this ladder? https://www.amazon.com/GP-Logistics-SLDD7-Compact-Folding/dp/B009IJUL4O - https://www.amazon.com/GP-Logistics-SLDD7-Compact-Folding/dp/B009IJUL4O ------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 1:29pm
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I have the single-sided version. I purchased it used while we were staying at the Desert Eagle RV Park on Nellis AFB a couple of years ago. The seller had a big RV and it was too short for what he needed. I paid $50 and consider it a very good bargain, especially after I priced new ones. I fabricated a ladder carrier which you can see in my mods. The first version was inside the storage compartment. Version 2 is underneath next to the new sewer hose carrier.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 1:44pm
Thanks, StephenH. I read your other mods and see that you went with a slide topper. That implies you no longer get out the ladder and clean off the top of the slide when you depart a camp spot. Right? ------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 2:48pm
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geewizard,
I play by ear, I have a Pahaque topper that attaches to keder rail, they're about 100 bucks and I have used it in a clear area I don't use it. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 4:56pm
Not quite. We got an awning for the door side when the side had to be replaced at the factory after an accident. I have been looking at slide-out covers but haven't been able to bring myself to purchase one of them yet. My homemade slide-out cover ripped and I either need to make a new one or go ahead and purchase an automatic one. I'm evaluating whether to purchase a length of Keder rope and make a new one. I think the Keder rope would work better than folding the awning fabric over and sewing a rope inside the fold. It would also be a lot less expensive than one of the automatic ones. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 6:44pm
So I'm thinking we will probably end up with one of the retractable covers. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2018 at 8:08pm
Adding a second keder rail is an interesting idea. I'm not sure how well that would work though. You are correct in that a ladder would still be required. I also found that it really is a two-person job to put the cover on. One person on the ladder to feed it and a second person with a rope to pull it through. I'm not sure if using the keder tape would eliminate the need for the second person. It would depend on if it were stiff enough to push the length of the slide-out. The rope I used was not, so it took my wife pulling while I fed it into the rail to make it work. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 9:58am
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I did end up ordering and installing a Dometic slide-out cover (see my mods for details of the installation). It works well, and I don't need to worry about an unstable ladder anymore. Also, I avoid getting splashed with water which would happen when I removed my homemade cover after a heavy rain. I'm happy with it although I have not been able to get out to enjoy it on a camping trip yet.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |