How to Remove an RV Slide Out? (The Comprehensive Guide)

Nowadays, most recreational vehicles are equipped with slides as optional add-ons. They can make the space inside an RV significantly larger, but some RVers get rid of them.

Frequent slide-out use can cause your RV’s components to wear out over time. After a while, you may find this add-on crooked or scratched.

If it annoys you, you can remove it yourself without spending money on professional help.

However, doing this isn’t as straightforward as it seems. If things go wrong, your vehicle could be worse. That’s why you should read our guide from top to bottom.

So let’s find out how to remove an RV slide out properly.

The Comprehensive Guide to Remove an RV Slide Out

Things You Need to Prepare

It is essential to collect needed materials and tools to get the job done smoothly. The good news is that these essential tools are easy to find at auto repair shops. Here is the tools list for this project:

A Detailed Guide

This process covers rv slide out removal, lift, etc — you can call it by any name but the steps are the same.

Let’s start by consulting the repair manual provided by the manufacturer and following everything mentioned there.

If you no longer have your owner’s manual, just follow our brief guide, and you should be fine.

This project will require you to get help from several family members or friends. The amount of time needed to complete it will depend on your experience and skills.

So, without wasting much time, solve it now!

Step 1: Empty The RV Slide Out

Before you get started, you have to remove the interior trim on a RV slide out, so you do not have any unwanted trouble when removing the slide out.

Specifically, get rid of any interior decorations and furniture, such as curtains, beds, cabinets, tables, or anything that could cause a mess during this project. Any inner electrical connections and plumbing in your RV slide-out must also be removed correctly.

You’ll need to reattach a few items after this project is completed. Hence, it is essential to remember their positions. If memorization is difficult for you, it’s best to mark their positions with tape.

Step 2: Get Rid Of Your Horseshoe Fitting

You’ll need to understand the mechanism of your RV’s slide-out before removing the horseshoe fitting.

Once you’ve released the horseshoe fitting, pull the RV’s slide-out until it reaches its full extent. Then, it should be dropped inside the recess.

Step 3: Deliver Proper Support for Your Slide Room

You have to provide proper support for your slide-out using cinder blocks before pulling it out.

Your cinder blocks must be strong enough to withstand your slide room’s weight. Also, you should place these blocks as close to the RV slide-out as possible.

Many people believe that axle stands can be used for this, which is a big mistake. In fact, chances are they can withstand this add-on’s weight as they are not sturdy enough.

Step 4: Pull The Slide

Once you ensure your RV slide-out got its needed support, it’s ready to be released from some fasteners. You can find these pin-like elements at RV’s rams in most cases.

If you cannot access the fasteners, check below your vehicle to make sure you won’t face any problems when pulling your slide out. Specifically, you have to look for:

Step 5: Take The Add-on Away From Your RV

Now, you’ll need to move this additional feature from your vehicle with the support of friends.

This add-on is very heavy, often weighing more than 1 ton, so it can cause injury if you try to do it alone. Make sure you have at least four other people helping you.

Step 6: Refresh Your Recreational Vehicle

Once your slide-out is completely and correctly removed, you will end this project by re-engineering your vehicle.

Specifically, you’ll need to reattach some support beams to the proper position, fix the floor, place objects in their previous positions, etc. It is also your time to show your creativity in upgrading the camper if you can.

If you do not think you can complete this project safely and correctly, we recommend getting help from professionals. With their experience, skills, and the help of specialized tools, they will complete this project faster than you expect.

What Are RV Slides?

Now that you have the answer to “Can you remove a slide from an RV?” let’s discuss a bit about the history of the RV slide out.

RV slide-outs are optional rooms that can be slid out to increase space inside the recreational vehicle. This add-on became popular when a few RV manufacturers added it to their models during the 90s.

Initially, they can only extend out for around one foot. Over time, some brands release super slides, which can slide longer than the normal ones.

This additional feature received various positive feedback when it was released. As a result, manufacturers have ensured all of their RVs are equipped with one slide room or more. Many RVers even consider this add-on as a must-have on their vehicles.

However, many RV owners found this additional feature inconvenient, and they tried to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Benefits and Downsides of RV Slide Out

Benefits

This optional feature is popular mainly because it helps increase the floor space in your RV. The increased area will open up many opportunities, such as having extra storage space or enhanced dining spaces.

This extra feature can increase your RV value. Hence, it will be helpful when you sell the RV.

With the presence of the slide-out, you can sell your camper for a better price. It can even be 30% more expensive than traditional trailers and RVs.

Downsides

As mentioned above, this additional feature increases the value of a recreational vehicle. So, RVs equipped with it typically cost $12,000 more.

You’ll have to pay about 30% of your RV’s value for this optional add-on but you may not even get a warranty.

The more rooms there are in your RV, the heavier it will be. The added weight leads to more fuel consumption, and the chances of the RV fishtailing are pretty high.

Your camper might look huge when its slide-outs are fully extended. Yet, when these slide-outs are pulled back, they will take up more space inside your RV, leading to less storage space.

When slide rooms are retracted, they would get misaligned while you’re on the road, leading to damage to their gaskets.

In some instances, the damage is so terrible that you’ll need to remove the entire slide and replace the gaskets for your slide to work again. It can be a lengthy and pricey repair process.

FAQs

1. How Much Do I Have to Spend to Fix My RV Slide Out?

Generally, it is expensive to upgrade and fixi RV’s slides. The average cost of this repair would land between $500 and $1700.

2. How long does An RV Slide-Out last?

The lifespan of an optional room can be up to ten years if you maintain it properly.

3. How Can I Fix a Sagging Slide Out?

To fix a sagging RV slide out, you’ll need to relax the bolts on the bar’s side and adjust the front. Later, you need to slide it out or in until you hit the desired height.

You will need to loosen one bolt or even more at each adjustment point to alter the back. After that, tighten them again.

4. How Far An RV Slide Out Extend

On average, a slide room can extend between 2 and 3 feet from the normal sides of an RV. If you have slide rooms on both sides of your camper, you can figure on an 8-foot wide RV extending to 12 to 14 feet wide.

Final Recount

RV slide-outs are convenient, but they can annoy some owners. So, knowing how to remove an RV slide out would be helpful for RV owners who need to eliminate the additional weight to reduce maintenance costs and save fuel.

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand what you have to do if you need to get those heavy slide rooms out of your vehicle. Also, don’t forget to share our article with other owners who need help removing their vehicles’ slides.