Cable Slide out pully failing........ w/pics

SargeW · 09-30-2023, 01:56 PM

So I go to open the slide out yesterday and from where I stand in front of the panel with all of the system control switches, I am looking right down the left side of the slide out. As the slide starts to move, a bit of motion catches my eye.

I stop the slide and look closer, and see that one of the big screws holding a cable pully to the wall has 2 screws. The one on the right the head has snapped off, and the pulley is only about a 1/16" away from grinding on the lower pully.

I check the cables on the pully and the outer cable has a little slack, but the inner cable is piano wire tight. I tried to push up on the end with the broken screw, but there is extreme tension on it. I took a pic with my cell cam and could see well enough to tell that the screw head is snapped but the rest of the screw is still in the bracket.

It figures, I has my selling dealer tighten the cables a few months back when I was there for a few small repair items. Now I wonder if it was over tensioned.

I called around and now need someone that knows how to loosen the cables and try to get that screw out and replace it with a better one.

The joys of RV ownership.

**sourdough** · 09-30-2023, 02:26 PM

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...IW7kkJa5I,st:0

About the 2:20 mark it shows how to loosen the cables (you will probably have to do it with both cables that go through that pulley). That should get you enough slack to remove the top screw, pull the pulley back to remove the broken screw and then reattach it. Not had to remove a pulley before but it's what I'd do.

**chuckster57** · 09-30-2023, 03:05 PM

Sounds like they overdid the cables. With the room 1:2 way out, you should be able to loosen the cable for that pulley. What do you plan on using to get the broken part out?

Cbrez · 09-30-2023, 03:37 PM

In the video the slide is fully extended while tensioning the cables. This is understandable since the goal appears to be getting a consistent seal on the top and bottom of the slide during the RV build. I just need to take the slack out of the cables. If I do this with the slide fully extended I think I’ll have to remove the entire fascia to access the adjustment blocks.

If I tension the cables with the slide retracted enough (perhaps fully retracted) to reach the tensioning blocks through the access panel, do you think this would cause problems?

SargeW · 09-30-2023, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Sounds like they overdid the cables. With the room 1:2 way out, you should be able to loosen the cable for that pulley. What do you plan on using to get the broken part out?

I was hoping there was enough screw left to clamp on a vice grip plier and slowly twist the screw out. don't know how big it is, or if it can be drilled out. I have never had much luck with an easy out.

I didn't know it loosing just he cable clamp for that side would allow the cable to loosen enough to get the pully out of the way.

SargeW · 09-30-2023, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...IW7kkJa5I,st:0

About the 2:20 mark it shows how to loosen the cables (you will probably have to do it with both cables that go through that pulley). That should get you enough slack to remove the top screw, pull the pulley back to remove the broken screw and then reattach it. Not had to remove a pulley before but it's what I'd do.

That's a good video, I had seen it before when I was searching looking for clues. I didn't know if just loosing the chain screw would take tension off of the pully enough to rotate it out of the way.

**chuckster57** · 10-01-2023, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SargeW

I was hoping there was enough screw left to clamp on a vice grip plier and slowly twist the screw out. don't know how big it is, or if it can be drilled out. I have never had much luck with an easy out.

I didn't know it loosing just he cable clamp for that side would allow the cable to loosen enough to get the pully out of the way.

You might try a left handed drill bit. It may grab and turn the screw out since you may have to drill for an EZ out.

SargeW · 10-01-2023, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Sounds like they overdid the cables. With the room 1:2 way out, you should be able to loosen the cable for that pulley. What do you plan on using to get the broken part out?

Would extending the slide 1/2 way cause the cables to be looser than pushing it all the way out?

**chuckster57** · 10-01-2023, 10:25 AM

I was told by BAL that 1/2 way was the "neutral" position.

**JRTJH** · 10-01-2023, 04:52 PM

If you extend the slide fully, the "out cables" will be tight to pull the slide to the furthest extension. If you retract the slide fully, the "in cables" pull the slide to the furthest "retracted position".... At either extreme, one set of cables will be "actively forcing (and holding/securing) the slide to that position"...

If you move the slide to the "midpoint" neither the "out cables" or the "in cables" are in their tightest position and both sets of cables are in the easiest tension for working on the system....

Hope this makes some sense the way I explained it....

SargeW · 10-01-2023, 08:27 PM

With help from folks here, and some You Tube videos, I made the repair on the broken pully today. I started by removing more of the bolts on the pully mounting plate in an effort to drop the pully down far enough to get to the broken screw. I soon realized that the pully's have a center shaft and cotter pin holding them in, so the whole assembly would have to be dropped down.

I had loosened the other cables prior to removing the other screws to avoid having a pully sling shot across the rig.

I took out all of the screws except for the top right in an effort to keep all of the cables controlled and in the right place. The first surprise was after removing the rest of the screws, there were several different sizes and types of screws holding the mounting plate to the wall. It looked like there was no "planed layout" just whatever came out of the box is what was put in.

The broken screw was fairly light weight to be holding a bracket with that much tension on it, which explains the failure. Dropping the mounting plate out of the way, I now had enough screw to clamp a vice grip on and twist it out. Surprisingly the screw backed out easily, as though it had been over driven when put in, and didn't have much of a bite on anything. In a below pic you can see the broken screw, and another one that had not broken. Yet.

I replaced both screws with a beefier lag bolt as both were holding one side of a pully. The most time was spent adjusting and testing cables, and with the help of a few videos, I managed to get both cables lined up with acceptable tension. Even though the repair was on the left side cables, I had to remove all of the top trims as the right side cables were way out of adjustment.

So it's all back together and opens and closes evenly. The downside that any future adjustments will require pulling of the top trim boards which are just held on with several 2" brads into a double piece of 3/4" plywood frame. No easy way to adjust without disassembly. The pics will show the process of removing and replacement of the parts.

CedarCreekWoody · 10-05-2023, 08:34 AM

Just curious. Are the screws you replaces driven to a wooden or aluminum frame? I some trouble with screws failing on the outboard end of the cable and they were attached to aluminum. I couldn't get them to bite and my mobile tech eventually used a type of expanding rivet.

dutchmensport · 10-05-2023, 08:53 AM

Here's my solution for the top facia of the slide out. It easily just lifts off. It's called a "cleat" mount, used for hanging kitchen cabinets in old school carpentry. I did a modified, instead of the typical V shape catches, I used the U shape (male - female concept. But it works, easy to remove, easy to replace, no more screwing, drilling, or stapling. I did this to 2 of my slides. And funny, since I did this, I've not had any more cable brake on those slides. I hope I never have another broken one again, even with the ease of removing the facia!

dutchmensport · 10-05-2023, 09:00 AM

The worst part about modifying the facia for my mount was removing hundreds of staples that held the thing up-there to begin with. Again, old school carpentry..... Instead of pulling the old staples from the front, I used a heavy pair of plyers and a block of wood for a wedge and pulled them through from the back. This way, the front does not get scared up and the holes are not noticed. So, yes, the staples are pulled completely through. If pulled from the front, the finished wood would chip out.

Just a tip!

SargeW · 10-05-2023, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Just curious. Are the screws you replaces driven to a wooden or aluminum frame? I some trouble with screws failing on the outboard end of the cable and they were attached to aluminum. I couldn't get them to bite and my mobile tech eventually used a type of expanding rivet.

The bigger back plate screwed onto the wall is what the pulleys mount to. I "hope" that the back plate is screwed into the wall studs, but I have no way of checking that without tearing the wall apart. The larger screws I replaced in the pulley's bit into the backing plate. I was VERY careful not to over torque them and risk stripping them out as well. Both lags I put in were at least double the girth of the ones that Keystone used. Unfortunately rivets or lags won't help at all if the backing plate fails and pulls out

SargeW · 10-05-2023, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

The worst part about modifying the facia for my mount was removing hundreds of staples that held the thing up-there to begin with. Again, old school carpentry..... Instead of pulling the old staples from the front, I used a heavy pair of plyers and a block of wood for a wedge and pulled them through from the back. This way, the front does not get scared up and the holes are not noticed. So, yes, the staples are pulled completely through. If pulled from the front, the finished wood would chip out.

Just a tip!

I saw your previous post with your cleats and really liked it. My only concern is if they are just held there with gravity. These towable trailers can buck like a wild bronc going down some of these crappy roads (like I40 by me). I have had some devastating failures in towables driving around the southwest for 25 years. I would be afraid that I would walk in after a trip and find it flew off and punched a hole in the refer or something crazy.

Murphy follows me around at times.....

**JRTJH** · 10-05-2023, 11:49 AM

So far, I've not yet had to remove my fascia, but when I do, I plan to drill holes at each end and appropriately spaced along the fascia, reattach it with screws that can be removed if the fascia should need to be taken down again. Then, my plan is to cover those screw holes with wooden plugs that I can finish to match the stain on the fascia.

jsb5717 · 10-05-2023, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

So far, I've not yet had to remove my fascia, but when I do, I plan to drill holes at each end and appropriately spaced along the fascia, reattach it with screws that can be removed if the fascia should need to be taken down again. Then, my plan is to cover those screw holes with wooden plugs that I can finish to match the stain on the fascia.

I did something similar when our bedroom slide facia ended up on the bed after one trip. I went this way. Easy to install and made for a nice finished accent.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

dutchmensport · 10-05-2023, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SargeW

I saw ... I would be afraid that I would walk in after a trip and find it flew off ...

Murphy follows me around at times.....

Well, the good news is, it's never jumped off. That is one reason why I made the cleat as long as possible. I debated about making two short ones, one on each end. But like you, I visioned it jumping off the track and destroying itself and everything else with it.

With the cleat the entire length, and being deep enough to make a good catch, it's almost impossible for it to jump it's track (sort of say). It would have to go off a cliff and go upside down before it would pop off.

The problem I had was making the cleat deep enough I could still get it over the main slide support and still have enough clearance to get it past the ceiling also. I experimented with multiple length and what I ended up with was the longest possible (depth) of the cleat so it would hook on.

So far, it's worked very well as we've traveled many thousands of miles since I've done that bit of handi-work.

I do know this much, it's hanging better and safer now than when it was attached with a hundred thousand staples.

SargeW · 10-05-2023, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsb5717

I did something similar when our bedroom slide facia ended up on the bed after one trip. I went this way. Easy to install and made for a nice finished accent.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

Hey, like the look of that. I was considering plastic screw covers, but they look pretty cheesy, and will usually pop off due to heat after a while. I didn't realize you could get them in black stainless. That would match my trim piece nicely.

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