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Old 12-27-2015, 07:39 AM   #1
kazuaki
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Slides possibly binding

I've just setup my 2013 Raptor 381lev in camp here in Glamis (sand dunes) and stripped teeth off the living room slide gears while opening them. I had to finish opening the slide manually, with a crescent wrench on the cross shaft. This is the second time in the 3 years we've had this coach that we've had issues with these gears on this same slide. Pretty much all of our camping is done here, on this uneven terrain. I always level the coach with the 6 point hydraulic system before operating the slides. Something is occurring to me now. On uneven terrain, in the process of getting the coach level, couldn't the level up system twist the chassis a bit? I mean, the system knows the brain modules is level, but that doesn't mean the chassis is not twisted at all. I'm just wondering if in this terrain I'm better off opening/closing the slides while it sits on its wheels and connected to the truck. Or is that asking for even more trouble? Thanks for any advice. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this.
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Old 12-27-2015, 05:37 PM   #2
dcg9381
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I can tell you that on a class-A that I owned, being overly aggressive with the leveling system eventually cracked a front window - due to exactly that - twisting of the chassis...
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Old 12-27-2015, 05:41 PM   #3
cw3jason
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Level first. Then extend slides. You are asking for trouble if you extend the slides and you are severely out of level

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Old 01-11-2016, 06:28 PM   #4
kazuaki
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Need help folks

OK, so I replaced both of the pinion gears on the couch slide. I actually bought the heavy duty gear packs, then swapped the gears over to the 18-tooth ones my unit requires. I put everything back together and even made myself a new beefier crossbar. The old one just seemed so flexy. So, on the first try out, the slide gets a little way out and then I hear the loud pop. What's happening is the front side of the slide (the one with the hydraulic ram) is skipping teeth. This tells me there must be some resistance on the rear part of the slide (the one driven by the crossover shaft). When the resistance is met, it's easier for the front part of the slide to jump teeth than it is for it to drive through the resistance. If I get under there with a crescent wrench on the crossover shaft, I can get it to open manually. There are a few hard spots, but I can still do it manually.

So, I have a few questions...
1) What could be causing the slide to meet resistance at a certain point? What can I check?

2) Is it normal for the top of the frame tube to be bowed up like this? I see it creates a gap and that seems like it would make it easier for the slide to jump over the teeth.
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Old 01-11-2016, 07:20 PM   #5
chuckster57
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Are you sure that both ends of the slide are "timed" ? By that I mean that the ends of the slide are an equal distance from the body of the trailer. IIRC 1/4" is max.

I will check my tool box in the morning, I believe I still have the "field fix" for a skipping slide.
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Old 01-11-2016, 07:54 PM   #6
kazuaki
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They are timed before the skipping starts. When its closed, both sides seal well. Once it starts to skip, then of course it gets out of time and everything is screwed up. I have to lift the slide slightly and pull one of the gears to get it back in time after that. I'm looking more and that outer slide tube is definitely much closer to square shaped (with less gap) on the other slide.
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Old 01-12-2016, 07:27 PM   #7
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Didn't get the chance to look this morning, I haven't forgotten you.
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Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

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Old 01-12-2016, 07:44 PM   #8
kazuaki
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I used a couple of pieces of steel square tubing and a couple of 6" long bolt to make a clamping tool. I used that to bend that top piece of the outside tube back down. It is back to being more or less square. When I run the slide half way out (that's all I can do in the side yard) it does NOT skip any teeth now. The true test will be running the slide all the way out, but it was skipping even in the side yard before.
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Old 01-12-2016, 08:10 PM   #9
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Okay. If you find you need it, just PM me.
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