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Veteran
Posts: 197
 
Location: MT | I'm looking for new trailer and I wanted to know for those of you that have pulled a 4 horse with a 10ft short wall or close to it. How much more does a trailer weigh if it has a slide out compared to one with out a slide out.
I never pulled a trailer with a slide out, I've pulled trailers with 10ft short wall and there are 4 horse slants. Maybe it doesn't way that much more, but what is the pulling difference in the two is my big question. |
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Expert
Posts: 1351
Location: Decatur, Texas | Originally written by brew26 on 2009-10-22 3:49 PM
I'm looking for new trailer and I wanted to know for those of you that have pulled a 4 horse with a 10ft short wall or close to it. How much more does a trailer weigh if it has a slide out compared to one with out a slide out. I never pulled a trailer with a slide out, I've pulled trailers with 10ft short wall and there are 4 horse slants. Maybe it doesn't way that much more, but what is the pulling difference in the two is my big question. If I remember right the slide out adds somewhere around 500lbs, depending on the maker. So I would not think there would be much if any difference at all in pulling with or without the slide out. |
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Location: Central Arkansas | There is quite a bit of difference. I pulled a Sundowner 4H no slide then upgraded to a Sundowner 3H MT with a 6' slide. The trailer with the slide was so tongue heavy that it cracked the fold down ball. When they replaced it, they showed me where all the ridges in the bed that were directly under the plate had all flattened out to the point you could hardly tell where they used to be! This was in a 1 Ton Dodge dually. Both those trailers were the same width, length and height. The only major difference was one had a slide and the other didn't. note: that was my last fold down ball. Now we only do the B&W Turnover ball in the pickups. |
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Veteran
Posts: 235
Location: Keymar,Maryland | I can't say for sure but we went from a 2 horse steel straight load with full LQ ( 6') with midtack to a Merhow 3 horse slant w/ 8' LQ and 6' slide ( trailer steel frame, aluminum skin) and I have far less tongue weight and I think overall my total weight is not up that much. I pull with a F350 reg. cab srw. |
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Regular
Posts: 69
Location: Elkhart , Indiana | a slide out adds about 2oo lbs. to the trailer , the only extra weight is the slide out floor ,side walls and roof . and should make no difference in pulling but does add alot of extra room when you open it up .if adding a slide to a 7 wide trailer you can get a din. that is 44 in. wide ,no slide you will get a 2 person din. slide out make a big difference in room and in resale . most of the trailers we build have slides in them . 1 out of 40 does not have a slide out . Good Luck Randy |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 720
| RAF, please clarify. A sliode adds 200# to the trailer you manufacture. This will not be an across the board statement as Brushy Creek Ranch points out. Many other Sundowner owners will attest with her too I'm sure. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
Location: Ottawa, Illinois 61350 | We sell a lot of trailers with slides, from 6 - 12 ft. ; and I would say that your closer to 700 - 800 pounds (6 ft. unit) if you factor in the heavier bracing and framing that it takes for a slideout. We sell several brands, and some of them use a 12 volt ring/pinion slide, and some use a hydraulic slide. Both systems work well. We are a Sundowner dealer; and they do have a very well built slide unit. They brace and frame very heavily, and also use an enclosure under the trailer for the slide mechanism, so that road debris and salt/chloride used in the winter in the midwest doesn't get in the slide mechanism. Their slide units have always been very trouble free for us. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
Location: Ocala, FL | If you are ready to upgrade... come and check out our trailers here on Horse Trailer World! Go to an all aluminum trailer with an easy glide slide for maintenance free hassles! www.buyshadow.com |
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Member
Posts: 6
Location: Columbus, Georgia | I have a Sundowner 14 shortwall 3 horse. It is my first LQ trailer. It has a 6' sofa slide which is hydrolic. The dealer told me app 1000 lbs extra for it. My trailer is 8 high and has all the bells etc. I wondered re actual weight so went to a truck weight scale and found out it weighs 14000 w/o horses. That is with water, gas, bedding, food etc. Suggest you do likewise to know for sure. Braking required me to upgrade to a digital controler for trailer which has been super. Pull it before buying! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402
Location: Valentine, NE | What about slide outs lasting or needing more maintenance? I have always wondered if one would have leaking or dust coming in. I've never heard anyone having problems, but always wonder. Are they mostly maintenance free? I also heard that insurance companies are less apt to insure due to the slideout???16 |
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Location: Central Arkansas | First of all, I think my slideout adds alot more than 200# to my trailer, I would guess probably more like 800#. There is ALOT of heavy bracing plus the slide had a full top, full bottom and 2 full sides (all aluminum) that are finished out on the inside to match the LQ. I have never had any promblems with my insurance company not wanting to insure a slide trailer. Most of the time they don't even ask if it has one. You have maintance on a slide, keeping the track lubricted, keeping the seal in good shape and replacing as necessary. I think the hydraulic slides are the best. But they all have seals you have to routinely inspect. And gears that need lubing.We use a can of lube from camping world made just for slide out mechanizisms. Even though most slides come with the slideout awning, some companies don't put them on automaticaly. Get one up there ASAP if your trailer doesn't come with one. Everytime you close it, remember that anything on top of the slide, ie water, bugs, snow,leaves, now have full access toyour LQ. I try to remember to clean mine off after I close it and before I leave the show or campgrounds. I keep my trailers under sheds but don't leave my slide in the out position. We have dirt dobbers here and that could make for a miserable trip! It may be out a day or two tops if we are cleaning or working inside it. I would rather have a slide than not, but a "problem" slide is a royal pain in the butt so get it in the shop the very first sign of problems! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 720
| One thing I noticed when I was shopping- I liked a certain 10' shortwall plan, nice kitchen, nice bathroom with a lavatory, decent closet, and I felt my F-250 could handle it well at 24'. But I looked at the sofa sitting there and thought if it was pushed out how much nicer it would be. So I looked at "the same" floorplan (it was still 10') with a slide and half of the closet disappeared along with the sink in the bathroom. I told the sales guy I wanted the same things I'd seen before. I was told I had to look at a 12' with slide to keep everything else the same- and he was right. And this included 2 major brands. After this experience, I've begun to really keep track, and seem to find this (having looked at several manufacturers)- if I have to have floor space, then I need a slideout. But if I am willing to give up floor space square footage, I can get everything else and usually have a trailer 2' shorter. So now I don't own a slideout, and my "friends" who kept telling me I just had to have a slideout don't seem to understand. Has anyone else noticed this issue with the floorplans, or am I just being too picky about closets & storage? |
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Location: Central Arkansas | Horsey, you are correct. The slideout takes up space. I think it is about a foot on each side. And the slide has to be set back so far from the bulkhead to accomadate the extra bracing. I love my slide trailer. But a trailer with slide issues is no fun. Believe, I know this from personal past experiences. I think we finally have it figured out this time. There are certain things to know. 1) keep your generator battery seperate from you LQ batteries 2)always put it in while still hooked up to 110 or with the generator still on 3) always try to get your trailer as level as possible to prevent the slide from getting in a bind 4) If it does get in a bind, pull the trailer up on a jiffy jack so the slide has to slide down into the trailer and not up into it. 5) Keep debris from getting under it. We once found a crayon under one of ours and have no clue as to where it came from. 6) always carry extra fuses because they will blow if the slide gets in a bind 7) regular maintence is important to keep your slide unit functioning at it's best! |
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Veteran
Posts: 188
Location: Kinston, NC | The amount of space needed really depends on the hardware used. Some slideout hardware designs require up to 10" on each side, while some slideout hardware designs require very little. We like the hardware that requires very little space, that way, we can keep our layouts the same. Bartley Heath
bartley@DoubleDTrailers.com
Buy Factory Direct at DoubleDTrailers.com |
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Regular
Posts: 69
Location: Elkhart , Indiana | HORSEY1 Yes I was talking about the way we install slides , we use to install slide outs in all makes and models and we used Lippert slide outs they worked out the best and did not add alot of weight . some manuf. use other systems and put alot of extra weight in the unit . some systems take up alot of room and you can loose more then you gain . it is always good to look at all makes and models before you buy . There are a loy of new manuf. that are building with new products .Sorry I was not trying to mislead anyone just talking from our point of view . Thanks RAF |
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Expert
Posts: 3802
Location: Rocky Mount N.C. | Originally written by brushycreekranch on 2009-10-24 12:27 PM Horsey, you are correct. The slideout takes up space. I think it is about a foot on each side. And the slide has to be set back so far from the bulkhead to accomadate the extra bracing. I love my slide trailer. But a trailer with slide issues is no fun. Believe, I know this from personal past experiences. I think we finally have it figured out this time. There are certain things to know. 1) keep your generator battery seperate from you LQ batteries 2)always put it in while still hooked up to 110 or with the generator still on 3) always try to get your trailer as level as possible to prevent the slide from getting in a bind 4) If it does get in a bind, pull the trailer up on a jiffy jack so the slide has to slide down into the trailer and not up into it. 5) Keep debris from getting under it. We once found a crayon under one of ours and have no clue as to where it came from. 6) always carry extra fuses because they will blow if the slide gets in a bind 7) regular maintence is important to keep your slide unit functioning at it's best! I can't even imagine what my blood pressure would be, for me to wake up at 3AM, with a 800 mile/12 hour drive home from a show, only to find that the slide out won't retract.... I would be about ready to rub that slide out up against the nearest bridge abutment... I kinda like the idea of the one that pulls out manually... Like it's in cabinet drawer rollers. They must not be very heavy. What kind of manual override does the electric ring and pinion and these hydraulic slide outs have??? Even with adequate electrical power, sometimes gears do bind, motors burn, hydraulic lines break, etc. etc. |
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Regular
Posts: 69
Location: Elkhart , Indiana | The Lippert slide out electric has a place to put a socket wrench so you can take in and out without electric in an emergency . the others I can"t speak for . it is always good to spray the outside sides with silicone spray that will help it from binding as the rubber wipers drag along the sides . |
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Slide out vs not having one
