Escapees May June 2015 Demo

Staff

“I am one of those folks who really prefers to do it myself whenever possible, but I am not sure I would tackle a slide-out myself.”

Mark, My Words By Mark Nemeth #45776

misalignment can cause odd wear patterns. Try to avoid really tight turns when backing by lining up on the site as straight as possible before backing. It is better to work back and forth several times to get into a better position rather than to try a sharp backing turn in one shot. As for tire life, your RV tires should be watched for signs of deterioration, especially when they reach and pass the five-year-old mark. All RV tires should be replaced at seven years of age, regardless of how they look or how much tread is left on them. Trailer tires have a tough life and tend to wear faster than other RV tires. If the tread reaches the minimum safe depth (generally 3/32 inch), the tire should be replaced. RVs typically run at, close to or even over their maximum load ratings 100 percent of the time. That is a demanding tire application, and tires degrade as they age. If you have a tire failure or a tread separation, it usually does costly damage to the RV. If your tires are old, worn out or show any sign of deterioration or damage, replace them. Slide-out Adjustment Q. I have a Carriage Compass 2005 SLQ. How do you adjust the bedroom slide-out? It has a solid bottom, and I have looked inside the bed compartment, and I’m not sure how to adjust it. I have an almost one-inch gap on the upper left-hand side as you are looking at the slide-out from the outside. On the inside of the slide-out on the same side, it is rubbing against the carpet and making a pretty good canal. The other side of the slide-out seems to open and close with no evidence of any problem. Dennis A . In my opinion, if the slide goes in and out reliably, is not actually damaging anything and does not leak, it probably does not need adjustment or repair. It’s also my opinion that slide-out adjustments are probably beyond the capabilities of the average RV owner. An experienced RV tech will probably be the best choice when your slide gets

Tire Wear Q. At Escapees RVers’ Boot Camp, it was said that tires should be replaced after five to seven years even though the tread is not worn, because the sidewalls deteriorate due to age and sun. We’ve been full-time RVing in our fifth-wheel for a year, typically staying a week in a park, then moving on. We put about 20,000 miles on the truck in the first year, and about 12,000 miles on the trailer. Our trailer tires are wearing along the outside edges of the tread, especially those on the rear (two axles). By observing the wheels while backing into a space, we can see that the rear tires slide sideways during the turn, and we think this is caus- ing the excessive wear. It seems worse on paved surfaces and when the spaces are 90 degrees to the street. And we often leave some rubber on the street while trying to park more so on narrow streets and spaces, as the truck has a wide turning radius and there is a lot of backing and filling. The front truck tires are showing the same sort of wear, though much less. 1. Is this sort of wear normal for the way we use the RV? 2. Is the five- to seven-year recommendation based on using the trailer for only two to three weeks a year, and we should expect to wear them out in two to four years, depending on mileage? John and Vicki A . There are several possibilities. Wear on the outside of the tread can be caused by the scuffing of the tires during sharp turns, but that wear is usually fairly light. If you are seeing significant wear on the outer edges, it could be caused by operating the RV over its designed weight lim- itations or by alignment issues on the trailer axles. If you are sure you are not overweight and you are see- ing significant wear patterns forming, it may be a problem with the axles/suspension. It is easy to bend axles or sus- pension components with a curb strike, or even by backing into a tight spot and jackknifing the trailer tightly. That

54 . ESCAPEES | May/June 2015 | www.escapees.com