Slide outs are a must for many truck camper owners. Some couldn’t imagine owning a camper without at least one slide. So, how do you winterize a slide out truck camper? Here are a few very important tips for putting it away for the winter.
Your slide out camper should be level when you store it for the winter. If your camper is stored outside, store your slide out camper closed when you winterize. This keeps the sun, rain, and snow from getting to the seals of the slides. If your camper is in a garage, you could store your camper with the slide open for air circulation. You just want to make sure that the battery stays charged so that it can be closed if needed.
Make sure that the slide-out seals are clean. Be sure to remove any debris from the top of the slide-out room or the slide-out’s awning before closing it up for the winter.
Don’t Forget the Gear Ram
The gear ram is the part of the slide mechanism that you can see from under the slide room. Doug told us to not use any lubricants or oils to maintain the gear rams because sand, dirt, and dust will accumulate on the gear rams causing friction and possibly damaging the slide out system. Doug recommends that you regularly wash the gear rams to keep any sand or dirt off the gear rams. This would be good to do before and after you winterize.
Above: The gear ram as viewed from the underside of a slide room
If you’re one of these slide out camper folks, you now know what to do to keep your slide-out mechanism working properly for years to come. Thank you, Doug, for helping us to keep our slides sliding!
Continue Reading About Slide Out Campers:
Slide Out Camper Seal Maintenance
Slide Out Camper Maintenance and Use
Operating a Slide Out Camper With a Dead Battery
Check out more articles on how to maintain your truck camper.
