Newell Coach Slides vs Marathon Coach are they the same now?

[Billy Bussman]

While at a RV dealerhsip looking at a Newell I also checked out a beautiful Marathon Coach. With the slides fully extended on this Marathon the inside floors were flat like the Newell. I was thinking only Newell has flat floors with their slides? What's the deal then?

[fulltiming]

Many companies use flat floor slides. However, few (any?) use the method incorporated by Newell. First, Newell uses a flush exterior slide. I am aware of Newell, Prevost and Foretravel that use flush exterior slides. That means that an air bladder must be used to seal the slide. Secondly, Newell's flat floor slide uses a drop down floor section to allow the slide to move in and out without raising or lowering the inside most edge of the slide. To open a Newell slide, turn the slide key on, the air bladder deflates, wait for the light, hold the button, the slide goes out, the floor section raises to fill the hole in the floor left when the slide moved out, then the air bladder re-inflates. Newell originally used an HWH hydraulic system to power the slide. Beginning in the late 2003 models, Newell switched to Valid changing to an electrically activated slide.

Hope that helps. If anyone would like to see photos of a Newell slide in various stages of deployment, let me know and I can post them.

[Gone Busing]

fulltiming, I would take you up on the offer to post photos. My curiousity has the best of me. thx

[pairodice]

There are some guys that have sourced slideout rubber bladders for the Wanderlodges (for around $500 each I think).
They are better quality than HWH and if there was enough interest they would probably build them for Newells also. Check on the Wanderlodge Owners group forum for more info.

[fulltiming]

OK, lets see a sequence of photos of a Newell flat floor slide extending.
2865 Slide retracted
2859 Slide begins to move straight out
2860 Slide continues to move out
2861 Slide fully extended, carpeted floor section begins to raise
2862 Floor section continues to rise
2863 Floor section almost flush
2864 Floor section flush

[Neweller]

Sweet as all get out!

[Billy Bussman]

The pictures do enlighten things a little. Thanks

Doesn't Valid build the same systems for Marathon? Are they built different for each coach company? Does anyone know all the company's that have slide mechanism built by Valid? Thanks