Cable Powered Slideouts.....Really!!!

[flugelboneman]

After owner a dozen RV's we acquired our 2019 Cougar 27RES. It is a lovely unit and we are enjoying it. However, our previous slides had all been gear driven and cable powered slides were new to me. Last time out we had a bit of a "popping" noise when putting the slide out, so it was off to our local RV techs for some attention. It was here I was informed that all of the cable mechanism is hidden behind the fascia that is fastened to the upper edge of the slide. This fascia is held by small brads which are cosmetically hidden by wood filler. Once the slide cables are attended to, it necessary for the techs to replace the fascia board and somehow cover up the brads. Servicing the cables is not a big job, but restoring the fascia board is labor intensive and becomes expensive. What brain surgeon designed this system? Why on earth would they permanently affix a fascia board which needs to be removed for servicing? I was astounded at the lack of foresight and planning. There are ways of fastening the fascia board, e.g. velcro strips whereby they could be easily removed at a later date for servicing. But why did the manufacturer not figure this out? I was also told by the tech that he prefers the cable system over the geared one. But I was sorely disappointed at the need to remove these permanent fascia boards in order to service such a vital part of the RV.

[jsb5717]

The popping sounds could have been just the rubber seal changing direction as the slide moves in or out. Ours makes popping sounds all the time but it's harmless.

The slides in our 5er are easy to adjust in our main living area with the taller ceilings. However, in the bedroom I ended up removing all the pin nails and used a few screws with a nice finish cap so it looks decent but is still accessible.

Four of these on the bedroom facia holds it quite well. Black is a good color in our rig but there are other finishes available as well.

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

[sourdough]

Cable slides are used in many, many RVs. The design by BAL/Norco hasn't changed in years. Operation is usually pretty uneventful but you have to take care of adjustments and pay attention to cables, operation etc. as you would do on any other RV slide drive mechanism.

The fascia/cable situation is basically an aesthetic way conceal the mechanics of the slide operation....not a big deal IMO.

[dutchmensport]

Once the fascia is removed, the staples or brads are pulled from the back side with plyers, thus not affecting the front. This is a common woodworking practice in order to prevent the front, finished surface to get scarred up, and thus, .... yes ... resulting in a lot of refinishing work.

As thin as those boards are, the staples and brads easily pull from the back. A bit of Old English, or a darkened or colored furniture polish hides any blemishes. Then they are usually reattached with new staples or brads.

I did not want to re-staple. I took the time and effort to create my own hanging... it's called a cleat. Cleats are often used to hang upper kitchen cabinets. Now, I can remove mine easily.

Yes, those cables need attention, tightening ever now and then. They are steal and they do stretch over time. Leaving easy access is a must.

[NH_Bulldog]

There are generally three common types of slide mechanisms in use (cable, Schwintek and rack & pinion). Schwintek type mechanisms (gear drive) are best for small and lightweight slides. Rack & pinion mechanisms are used in very large and heavy slide applications where the trailer frame can accommodate the hardware underneath and through the frame rails. That leaves cable slides for everything else.

4 years ago, I needed to access the motor to install a drip pan under the gear box. I carefully popped the fascia off with a putty knife and thin flat bar. Putting it back was easy because I drilled recessed screw holes and used caps to cover them. I have not had to take it off since, but now it will be easy if I need to.

As for noises, it sounds you had that resolved?

[chuckster57]

Actually there are more:

https://www.rvidiots.com/rv-slideout-mechanism-types/

Power Gear is becoming a little more common

[Customer1]

I was happy to find that the fascia in my 2018 26RBS was attached with screws hidden by buttons.

[Brentw]

Nice work, wish I would have seen that before I screwed mine back on

[fivergeezer]

The reason they are designed this way is because engineers have determined that the average person who purchases an RV only uses it an average of 2-weeks per year. Even the owners manual says that longer uses or full-time living in your RV will cause rapid deterioration of the mechanism’s & materials like carpeting & seat coverings. And, as build quality declines most RV’s regardless of price point, make better yard ornaments than rolling Ramada’s.

[Bandit12]

We have a 2021 27SABWE we bought brand new in Sep 2020. Ever since it was new I thought the slide was out of adjustment. Before the 1 year warranty was up I took it to CW (I know, but they're the only Keystone authorized service center within 100 miles) for a short laundry list of things to address including the slide. When I picked it up, they informed me that A) Slide adjustments are only warrantied for the first 30 days, and B) they checked it, compared it to other brand new units on the lot and said it was fine other units were slanted similar to mine. OK, I'll live with it as is. Fast forward to early this June when a fellow Cougar owner on a cross country trip stopped in to say hi. I asked him what he thought and he immediately said the slide is out of adjustment. The lower aft cable was visibly sagging with the slide fully extended. OK, warranty has long since expired, I can take it wherever I want. I made an appointment at a shop in Lodi CA. This place is only in the RV repair business, no sales other than parts and accessories. They had my rig for about 3 hours, adjusted the slide as best they could, but they brought to my attention, there is a bigger issue. Apparently, the outer wall of the trailer is bent at the top edge in the forward end of the slide opening. The slide contacts the outer wall before the bottom of the slide is fully extended. I have just started the claim process with Keystone. Hence my dilemma. The 3 year structural warranty will expire on 4 September. We are going to be selling our house in California and moving to South Dakota around the beginning of October. I don't know if I can find a shop that can repair the damaged wall before the warranty runs out and if not, will Keystone still cover the repair since I reported it before the warranty expired. I'm attaching 3 pictures the repair facility sent me, 1 is the cables before they adjusted anything, second, the cables at the forward end of the slide, you can see the bend in the wall above the cables and that the cables are not coming straight down off the pulleys. Third is the outer wall of the trailer at the forward end of the slide. The tech put a straight edge on the trailer and you can see the amount of bow in the wall. Sorry for the sideways pics, I can't remember how to make them appear correctly.

[CedarCreekWoody]

You need to see you're alert asap and get them to file the claim with keystone. They may need to partially disassemble the wall and take photos. The approval/denial of the claim will depend on the effort they expend.