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Gang,

My No 1. slide has given me ample reasons to expand my vocabulary.  Problems have been multiple bearing failures, rotted ceiling, and one "waterfall event" where water actually poured into the coach.  After some serious troubleshooting it became clear what the problem was.

My slide is really long, and "sags" in the middle.  This sag means that the bladder seal cannot reach down to the middle of the slide and water can just run in.  These pics are of the top of the slide with the slide extended (valance removed).
             

Richard Entrekin helped me study the leak and we were able to determine that the hook that is designed to lift the middle of the slide ceiling when the room is extended was not engaging in the slot in the coach frame.  (Newell had previously beefed up the metal bar that holds the hook, but now the hook was hitting the wall instead of the slot).

Note:  if you have not looked closely at the top of your slide this description will not make sense.  If you are wondering about your slide PM me and I will explain more.

We decided to build a structure like a suspension bridge...specifically a Bowstring Truss Arch to help support the middle of the slide.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truss_bridge.   Our first experiment was to modify the steel bar that Newell had previously beefed up and add a long bar to the top and some supports.  It was ugly, it was heavy...but it worked. It removed about 3/4" of a bow with a 50 lb weight suspended in the middle.  

The first prototype is the one on the right.  The final version is on the left
   

For the final version, we scrapped the idea of using the heavy steel 1x1" tube that was previously used.  Instead we used 1x1 thin-walled steel tube along with a suspension system using rod steel.  This took a lot of weight from the structure but added strength.  We ended up with about the same strength but removed about 20lbs of weight.  We also investigated rebuilding the valence structure to remove weight but decided that it was time to test the beer Richard had been brewing.  

Once we put the room back together, we found that the "hook" that pulls up the middle of the room was now hitting the slot in the frame about 1/2" higher.  This allowed it to to its job properly.  (Before it was hitting the wall and just bending the room inward)

I have now moved the coach and tested the room and it seals well.  In fact the entire room structure seems far more rigid!

DO YOU HAVE THIS PROBLEM?  The easiest way to diagnose this problem is to darken the inside of the coach on a bright day.  If you can see light coming in on the top side of the slide....you could have this problem.  


Ps.  Squire Wipple was the inventor of the bow-arch truss.

wish I had bought this sooner

Gang,

I just returned from one of my favorite RV trips ever.  I stopped in at Richard and Rhonda Entrekin's southern command center.  My plan was to ask him to help diagnose a problem in my No. 1 slide that has troubled me since I have owned the coach.  Newell has worked on the slide many times without improving it ....so it was time to tear into it and see what was causing recurring water leaks which in turned caused a bunch of other issues.

What I did not know is that Richard in addition to being a full-fledged guru legend is also a renaissance man.  Between working on what ended up being three big coach projects he also put me through his Art of Manliness bootcamp.  I will post separately about the things we fixed on my coach but I wanted to share a little bit of the curriculum for the week.  My grade is posted for each class.

String Theory 101.  While we were working on the slide problem Richard brought out his trusty nylon string.  With the string were were able to figure out exactly what the sag in the roof of my slide.  (Both before and after the fix).  I learned that you can do all sorts of measurements with nothing more than a string.  In Richard's words...."The string doesn't lie"   B-

Hiking and Navigating in the Florida wilderness.  Long hikes into the Florida wilderness gave us a chance to see wildlife and enjoy the clean air.  Rhonda kept track of our direction on her phone - "Precious".  My grade for knowing which way we were going and which way was "home".  C- / D+

Cooking Seminar.  Richard gave cooking demonstrations each evening.  This was a pass fail course and if you liked the food you get a pass.  My grade - Pass.

Beer Brewing 102.  Richard brewed two different varieties of beer during the week stay.  He converted an old fridge to a microprocessor temperature controlled fermenting chamber.  Grade B+ was awarded based on my enthusiasm for drinking beer.

Coffee Roasting 103.  Richard also demonstrated the long lost Gas BBQ technique for roasting coffee beans.  I really enjoyed this seminar and will try to rig up a similar rig.

Welding 201.  The basic level welding course was not available so I took the 201 level course.  Richard put the MIG stinger in my hand, a welding mask on my head and told me to go for it.  I enjoyed a several minutes of un-bridled joy until I realized that I had welded my coach to his wrought iron fence.  (Actually I did not have any mishaps and really enjoyed this course).  C+

I left Richards southern command center feeling very accomplished (and tired)....But its a good kind of tired.  I have a renewed sense of purpose and will continue to hone my "man skills".

Hello - what an excellent site! Access to this community has helped to solidify my choice of Newell.

I'm currently having 1999 #515 inspected prior to purchase. Looks very good, but the tires are 2005/2006. No 365 modification has been done. What brand of tires would I prefer to put on this coach, assuming I don't do the front tire upgrade right away?
Thanks!
Chuck

Quad slide, bath and a half. Couch plus recliner. Hardwood floors throughout except travertine in baths. Custom paint with 4 colors with drop shadow and stencil.
http://www.newellcoach.com/newell-coaches/coach-1637/

Quad slide, rear and mid bath both have showers. Bunk beds + Queen bed. Twin couches, one with hide-a-bed, one makes a jack-knife bed. Porcelain Tile flooring throughout. 6 color paint with ghosting and stencil. Likely a 2019 model but year is not listed yet.

http://www.newellcoach.com/newell-coaches/coach-1638/

Thanks for the invite. We have a 1998 Newell #470. Looking forward to seeing other Newell lovers out there.

Does anyone know of a source for window weather stripping channel for a 1980 Newell?

Have a 1987 with 8v92, Williams throttle. Anyone know a place in AZ that knows about these? Throttle is  almost impossible to maintain in 1 position. Either 1000 rpm or 2200. Slow response and erratic at same time if that makes sense. Ideas?? Thanks in advance, Mark

2 months ago the shower would not get hot only Luke warm and would not change temp. Everyone said it was the cartridge. Newell installed a new one. It got hot scalding hot and would not cool down. At newell now they removed reinstalled and now it’s back to Luke warm won’t change temp and the other faucets are not hot. Newell is stumped.. any ideas

Btw aquahot is working perfect for the bays and heater..