Vital slides Installed on a marathon Prevost should I be concerned

[Gboya12@aol.com]

I’m looking at a 2001 Prevost h3 marathon with two slides 160,000 miles. Should I be concerned with the fact that vital slides were installed after the factory Prevost frame was created…?. I’ve heard when you install slides they were not created at the Prevost factory on the chassis they’re not as structurally sound




Thank you Dr Gary
GBOYA12@aol.com











miles each three

[tnjet]

If you are talking about VALID slides, then don't worry. Marathon wouldn't use them if they were problematic. I've had both Prevost and VALID slides and had much more trouble out of the Prevost slides. Plus, VALID slides are deeper (expand further) than Prevost slides.

[Gil_J]

A late model Marathon with Valid slides is very different than early slide installations. Prevost delivers a chassis with slide openings to Valid for late model Marathons.

Prevost approves the structural changes Vantare did in late model coaches to support Vantare slides.

I don't think Prevost approved structural changes to early slide coaches done by early slide adopters.

Also know that support for some early slides is hit or miss, even from slide companies still in business.

[Coloradobus]

The model of H 2001 described above will have HWH slides with air seals. Only drawback, slides need removal to replace air seal. The way theyre designed, the slides can not be made to retract into coach like a Prevost installed slide can for seal replacement.

[truk4u]

If I recall, they are also hydraulic in addition to air seals.

[Coloradobus]

Truk is correct. Now for Featherlite slides (HWH mechanism) like our coach,, an 1999 shell/2001 XL45 with two slides. Featherlite slide openings were re-enforce according to Donny Meyers for the shell to operate as contained unit with no slide rooms. (Rigid) In early 2000’s Prevost even adapted some of Festherlite’s structural improvemts. We chose the Featherlite design knowing they dont use air seals, but rubber “D”. A difference between “air seal” and the “D seal, is the air seal will inflate to seal regardless if slideroom is fully extended. The “D” rubber strip like an automotive door seals slide fully extended ot retraction, nothing in between. I believe Featherlite designed their own slides up to 2011
VALID slides we understand are quite bullet proof