Mobile Home Slideout realignment
In Cloverdale, California, a customer contacted me about a slideout that would not close properly in his destination trailer. He was able to move it thanks to some strong neighbors and clever use of rope to secure the load, but the 14 foot slide was closed at the front and remained open by nearly a foot at the rear opening.
This Keystone Residence destination trailer was in sound condition otherwise, and I learned that a dining chair caused the problem. In a recent move, the chair became jammed as the slide moved inwards. It’s a hydraulic powered slide, and as I was once told, the power of hydraulics won’t stop for anything.
In this case, the slide continued, crushing the chair, and somehow jumped several teeth between the slideout rack and the alignment cog on the rear rack. Quite often, this kind of stress will break teeth on the alignment shaft. There are two low tensile bolts in the alignment shaft which are designed to snap and save the mechanism in this type of instance, but the two bolts stayed and the slideout jumped teeth instead.
With the hydraulic actuator located at the front end of the slide, it was a fairly simple remedy to remove the rear bolt in the alignment shaft and operate the slide until it aligned correctly again.
Now this huge trailer can be used safely again thanks to the well-designed engineering in modern slide mechanisms.
RV slide systems have fundamental design differences between makes and models of RVs and between makes and models of slide room mechanical manufacturers. Some are electric, some are hydraulic. Some are mounted within the frame of the RV, below the floor. Other slide rooms can be mounted above the floor and will be operated by two motors set vertically and either side of the slide room walls.
RV slide rooms are so varied that it is impossible to list all possible remedies and maintenance methods. Adjusting slide rooms and synchronizing the tracks also varies from model to model. Always consult the manufacturer for detailed instructions before attempting any RV slide room repairs, maintenance and adjustments.