Slide out extended on I-95

[ken&ellen]

Yesterday in North Carolina southbound. WOW:rolleyes:

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I don't know how others react to seeing that, but it strikes me that there are problems at every level with that incident.

First, how is it possible the safety interlocks failed. It should never have extended with the parking brake released or the MH in gear.

Second, I wonder how the driver sees passing traffic. If you can't see my mirrors I can't see you. (Bottom picture)

Third, is that driver brain dead??????? When the slide first started moving out why did he not head for the shoulder?

Or is it possible this guy started driving with the slide extended and is dumber than we would first think?

[truk4u]

Did you notice the TN tag.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Good try plastic man.......look again at the new style SC plates. Notice the tree and crescent moon.

[jack14r]

It looks only partially extended,maybe he could not get it in and decided to drive home anyway.

[Kenneth Brewer]

On our trip to Canada last year we stopped in Albuquergue at a campground where someone who had purchased a used plastic coach could not retract the slide and did not have the proper hand crank. The electric motor was fried (very hot, anyway), and there was subsequently no response or relay clicking anywhere. There happened to be a Camping World just across the interstate, and somehow he had no problem firing up his coach and driving over there. Makes me wonder.

[jack14r]

A friend of mine had a Fleetwood and there was nothing to stop him from driving with the slides out.

[travelite]

My HWH slide has all the safety features: locking pins, emergency brake sensor, transmission override, etc. All to prevent you from operating the coach with the slide extended, but there's also an override switch. If I really need to move the coach with the slide extended, I can. I like it this way. I'm not going to travel extended distances with the slide open, but I will travel across the parking lot, or off the train tracks, or to higher ground if necessary.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Just curious David,

Under what circumstances do you envision having slides out while sitting on train tracks?

In our travels we have seen folks in campgrounds move their coaches with cords still plugged in, awnings out, etc. Perhaps the addition of slides makes the job of getting on the road too onerous.

[travelite]

Just curious David,

Under what circumstances do you envision having slides out while sitting on train tracks?

Only if there's a failure with locking pins while underway and the slide creeps out. It hasn't happened yet, which I attribute to a good design by HWH, and good preventive maintenance by me. You guys really should try out the accommodations at Northern Suffolk!

[Alan__]

I had a '05 Country Coach Affinity that had the slide extend while driving I-70 in Colorado and the extension had no effect on motor or transmission action. It did occur to me to get off at the exit immediately in front of me and proceed to trade the damn thing off for a Prevost. Maybe this guy just hasn't checked his mirrors yet.

[Jamie Bradford]

It is indeed a South Carolina plate.

Maybe it is the Governor's Bus and he was interviewing someone on the sofa??????

Tango perhaps???????????

[merle&louise]

The scary thing about that photo is the slide does not appear to be fully extended! Which means it is not locked open or locked closed. It could slide further out or slam in.

That is scary!

[Mark3101]

I can't believe it either. This guy must be brain damaged, or at the least suffering from a very low IQ! He can not see anything on the drivers side (other than the slide), and therefore has no idea what is on that side. I wonder how many cops saw him and did nothing??

He should have been pulled over and ticketed for several things...too bad stupidity isn't in the traffic codes.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If Stupid was illegal we wouldn't have so much traffic.

[Mark3101]

If Stupid was illegal we wouldn't have so much traffic.

How true that is! I just made a couple of trips to Prevost TN for warranty work on loose panels. I don't think I have ever seen so many poor drivers on the road. Not just cars either...many trucks were doing stupid things. That used to be rare, but seems to be getting to be commonplace, which is scary.

[garyde]

My previous Country Coach had one of the slides start coming out on the freeway. There were no locks on that model to keep it in only some portable hand braces you had to place above the slide inside when the slide was in. They usually didn't work well because vibration would loosen them. Seems odd now since the slides were on a cog type track that the motor would allow it to roll open.

[sticks]

I'd like to think the poor guy was " up a S--t creek" and trying to get to the nearest repair facility. It looks about half way out, he's driving over to the right hand side of his lane , and seems to be passed by all traffic.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Assuming he deliberately chose to drive with the slide out and is not so mentally challenged as to be unaware of it, he becomes this month's poster child for dumb decisions.

Apart from the fact he is breaking the law by being overwidth, he has chosen to drive with no ability to view passing traffic so he cannot make a safe lane change if forced to by construction, or other reasons that may force him to merge.

The slide is capable of being retracted. If he lacks the tool or knowledge he could have called for service. He should have. I wonder how the conversation would go if the police pulled him over. What possible excuse would get him out of a ticket and enable him to continue driving like that?

[Gary Carmichael]

I had a country coach 2006 that was a nightmare with slide issues, on most "plastic" coaches the motor has a brake that can be released so you can push the slide in with your hands, yes you can,believe me I have done this several times it takes two people usually a willing wife. once in the brake is released and slide will not come out. What better way to convince the wife we need a Prevost?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Park the plastic coach with the extended slide on the high side of a slope so the bus is leaning downhill. Release the slide motor brake and watch the slide go in by itself. Asking a wife to help when things are going wrong is step one leading up to a divorce.

With a Prevost make sure the pins are retracted and put a drill powered 1/2" socket on the end of the motor and run in the slide without breaking a sweat.

[travelite]

Park the plastic coach with the extended slide on the high side of a slope so the bus is leaning downhill. Release the slide motor brake and watch the slide go in by itself. Asking a wife to help when things are going wrong is step one leading up to a divorce.

With a Prevost make sure the pins are retracted and put a drill powered 1/2" socket on the end of the motor and run in the slide without breaking a sweat.

Jon,

I'm beginning to think that your next coach will have a slide. :)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I will be buying a coach with a slide as soon as I return from a trip to Alaska.

[travelite]

I will be buying a coach with a slide as soon as I return from a trip to Alaska.

Attaboy Jon.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

David, I think Jon was pulling your chain.

If you will look at Jon's map on his signature line, He and Di have been to EVERY state in the U.S., except for Hawaii and ALASKA. Everyone knows why Hawaii isn't colored in, but you can drive to Alaska, Jon just doesn't want to ? !!!! :D

Gary S.

[travelite]

David, I think Jon was pulling your chain.
Gary S.

That 'lil Rascal!!! :)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Apparently David did not read the post where Tuga pulled my chain about getting my coach dirty driving to Alaska.

[James]

I will be buying a coach with a slide as soon as I return from a trip to Alaska.

Jon,

We'll be happy to show you the way, we're going back up in November. Just follow us.

You can preorder the bus with the slide.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I believe I have to polish my slack adjusters in November. Maybe next September 31st.

[treedoc]

When does your 97 go up for sale?????????????

[Jon Wehrenberg]

As soon as I get back from Alaska and pick up my slide coach.

[Will Garner]

David,

I am a little late coming to this thread. I do have a question, under what circumstances would you be led to stopping on railroad tracks in the first place? Stopping on railroad tracks is about the dumbest thing a motorist can do. Of course I know they do it all the time. Amtrak usually collects the vehicles and tosses them from the tracks while dispatching one or more of the vehicle occupants to their final reward. DO NOT STOP ON RAILROAD TRACKS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! If you can't clear the tracks stay behind them until you can. The last statistic I recall is that a train hits a vehicle every 19 seconds in this country. Check Operation Lifesaver for the current numbers. When there is a rail highway grade crossing crash all the media plays is how terrible it was for the family in the vehicle. Well what about the locomotive engineer that has to live with the emotions of being helpless to do anything other than throw the train brakes into emergency and then wait for the crash. It can take upwards of 1/4 mile, that is 1,380 feet to bring a train to a complete stop.

Remember, you are driving for everyone in the vehicle not just yourself. It usually takes a train just minutes to clear the crossing. So what the heck is your hurry.

[travelite]

Hi Will,

Thanks for the post. I know your hearts in the right place. (drat, why did I have to mention railroad tracks... sigh... :))

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Uh, Will........David was kidding and you took our discourse that followed seriously. Take off the engineer hat and get your POG hat on and recognizes you cannot believe any thing we say.

He meant to say when he stopped on the runway at JFK.