What's the pros and cons to slide outs?

[NeverEnding]

I like how much room slides give which would be a pro. The years we are looking at I'm pretty sure all have slides. Which brings me to my question of what about the cons? Pros and cons would be helpful.

[express1]

Pros- ROOM
Cons- $$$$
if $$$$ not a problem. There is no Cons.

[lbrachfe]

Ditto Matt

[rheavn]

In 11 years of having coaches with HWH slides I have spent a grand total of just under $700 on slide issues. I know you are just looking at buying, but selling must always be a consideration. Therefore slides become a "giant pro". Even one slide coaches now sell at a major deduction and selling non slide coaches has become a challenge without major discounting. Having the extra room of 2 slides or more is priceless. "Cons": A mechanical device that can break, but so is the engine, transmission, rear end, etc........................... I see NO downside to slides!

[lbrachfe]

The no slide coaches are engineered well in the interiors to give ample room and our 2 slide does allow access to everything and we don't need to crawl over the bed to access the rear. Steve is absolutely correct with resale. There is a perception that 4 slides is always better, but I feel the best configuration is 3 slides as it allows for more patio living and better access below and the front salon passenger side slide offers little extra room and storage. If resale is what you want in a coach go for 4, but we love our 2 and it has just as much room as our previous 4 slide Monaco Dynasty did and better storage and visibilty. I like to be able to look out the windows without bending over and the TV's and cabinet designs on the 4 slides limit that. PS HWH is a great company and helped us out when we were stuck in Vegas last year with a control board issue. They could have charged me $1200 for a new one but charged only $0.35 for a single solderless connection. It was the shipping cost that was $165.00.Whatever you decide the quality of the condition of the whole coach is most important and that you are prepared to put some $$ into it to make it your own.

[rheavn]

For clarification, my coach is a 2 slide and we wouldn't want four slides. I could live with 3 slides. I too want my patio area free of slides, but the biggest reason is usability without the slides deployed. A 2 slide coach is as usable going down the road as a non slide coach. As you add additional slides the "down the road" usability is drastically impacted.

[tuga]

Tom & Donna,

I agree with Matt!

Most newbies are afraid of slides, I know I was. Everytime I would extend or retract my slides I would hold my breath. At first I didn't understand the instructions on extending and retracting the slide rooms.

From ROAD LEVEL position only (and this is the difficult part to understand) extend the slide. The reason for this is if you level the coach first and then extend the slide you are moving the slide room while the body of the coach is in a twist. Not Good!

Next step after all the slides are out, is to level the coach.

When you are ready to retract the slides, BEFORE you retract them go back to ROAD LEVEL first. Then retract the slide rooms.

If you follow the above procedures you will be good to go!

[lbrachfe]

Thanks for clarifying that better than me Steve

[fulltiming]

Another downside to 2 slides in the salon area is traveling with friends. The space to move around is limited and the isolation between the driver and passenger seats and the couch make it more difficult to communicate and share the experience when you are on the road. If you never travel with anyone else, or you travel with folks that you would prefer to have some separation, 2 salon slides would be great. There is NO question that the more slides you have the more pleasant the experience is when they are deployed.

Generally, if a park will accommodate a 45' coach there is room to deploy slides. However, I have spent the night in several RV Parks that would not have allowed opening even 1 slide, much less 4. Of course, I would not pick those parks again if I had the choice anyway as they were very difficult to get into the site due to the spacing of trees and bushes.

[Hugo]

Everyone said exactly what I would have. So I'll just add my two cents.

We have two slides and Glo wouldn't have it any other way. The extra room it allows is wonderful and I agree with others that yes you could have issues with slides that could cost you $$$ but there are other things that you can have problems with also.

So with that we say go for slides if you can!

[Neweller]

I was just in a 2010 45' Newell with 4 slides and it was amazing to say the least. This particular model had a rear king bed that folded up in the head area when the slide was in to allow ample walking room back to the rear bathroom. Now if this type of quad slide is in your budget and none of the prior comments matter to you; go for it!

Myself, I have only owned three Newell's and all were non-slides. Momma says she is waiting for a dual-slide and when we get one she will be ready to go, until then I will only enjoy everyone else's Newell. That said, I am in the hunt for that special deal and believe the right deal will surface to fit my needs sooner or later.

Ken

[tuga]

Originally Posted by Hugo

Everyone said exactly what I would have. So I'll just add my two cents.

We have two slides and Glo wouldn't have it any other way. The extra room it allows is wonderful and I agree with others that yes you could have issues with slides that could cost you $$$ but there are other things that you can have problems with also.

So with that we say go for slides if you can!

Hugo,

You are right about spending money on other repairs: I dropped $5,000 on an Aqua Hot tank replacement! Ouch!

[express1]

One more twist.
Cannon has a quad slide. However they are only 24". Thus saving what was told to us 10,000lb. Also makes it more useable during travel. Another good thing about Newell they will build whatever you can pay for!!!

[express1]

cannons rig

[tuga]

Matt brings out a good point, Ronnie Cannon's 2007 Newell quad slide has 24" deep slide rooms in the front and rear. Most Newell (I think) have 30" deep slide rooms in the front and 24" slide rooms in the rear.

Having the front slides 24" deep saves weight and gives an additional 12" in the center aisle of the coach. Yet when the slides are extended the living area is 12'6" wide! It is truely a smart move to have this setup IMO. You have the best of both worlds.

[NeverEnding]

Thanks everyone for the information. I appreciate it and I can see now that slides are a must, at least for us. That 2007 Newell is a beauty! If we get what we want then money isn't what I'm worried about. After all this will be our new mansion on wheels.

[GringoPhil]

Once we decide to upgrade we will search for a double slide Newell late 90's most likely. Wife really wants a couple slides.

Gringo