2013 Sunseeker 2860DS Slides

[kittyskeeper]

Sorry I posted this in the wrong place, so I'm reporting.

My slides are out further at the bottom then at the top by an inch and a half or more. So when the slide comes in, the top contact the sidewall first the the bottom continues in til the motor ratchets. That lays inch and a half make the whole slide lift up in the air till the bottom of the slide on the outside contacts the sidewall. The weight of the slide is on the mechanism while traveling.

My question is, is this normal? My dealer says yes. It looks stupid from the outside.

Thanks for any comment.

[Chas69]

Did you try running the slide all the way out and then back in again? I had the same problem last weekend in our 3010DS. The first time I brought the slide in the top was up against the RV but the bottom was out about a inch or so so I ran it back out all the way and brought in back in and bottom had only a slight gap of about 1/4 inch or so. It was not perfect but I figured I could live with that.

[kittyskeeper]

Both slides have done this since delivery. They have been run in and out many times and it's always the same. I'm worry about the raising of the whole slide up a couple inches when they are in.

[Geri]

Ours acts as yours ( on retract the top hits first and bottom a bit later, but seals all the way around) and I too was assured that it is normal. We have recently returned from a 3 month trip during which we used the slides daily with no problems; so they might be right

[KQ2N]

Let me chime in, I too have the 2860 and my slides act the same as yours, so I assume it's normal. On another note, the outside kitchens have a large door, when mine is raised up, there is a bow in it. When I put it back down, I have to push both ends to lock them in place. Is yours the same?

[kittyskeeper]

No, our kitchen door is straight and closes very nice.

[DangerCliff]

My slides are just the Opposite, When in the closed position the top is still about a inch and a half from touching the coach the bottom is only about a quarter of an inch out. The dealer said that was okay. When I look at the slides on the other RVs they fit flush from top to bottom andContact on all four sides. I have not noticed if there is a bow in my kitchen door when open, however I do have to push hard on both sides to get the locks to close.

[kittyskeeper]

All the other new units on the dealers lot are straight and parallel to the side wall.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by kittyskeeper

All the other new units on the dealers lot are straight and parallel to the side wall.

Make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Different slide makers will behave differently from each other. On my fifth wheel, I have 4 slides and 3 different slide designs.

If you're looking at other units on the lot - make sure they're the same slide mechanism/design as yours.

[BigJohnD]

It is not normal. Should be a fairly even gap. I'm assuming you're referring to a LCI above floor slide, which is like the one I've had problems with. Sometimes, but not all the time, there is a stop mounted on one or both of the slide rails. It secures with an Allen screw and is just a small tab. I had them add one to mine as it had none and pulled in too tight. Might check and see if you have one. If so, easy to adjust. It is normal for the top to tag first, but the bottom should pull up snug too. I can post pictures of the tab of you'd like.

[BigJohnD]

Here's the stop that was added, top right of picture. I already had one on each rail inside to stop it going out, but none on the outside prior to this one. I don't remember if they're supposed to be on the outside or not, but it fixed part of our problems.

[kittyskeeper]

What was the problem you were trying to correct? What do the stops do or prevent?

[BigJohnD]

Where your doesn't come in far enough, mine was pulling in tight enough to bend the T-moulding. The stop on the rail bumps the frame that the rail runs through containing the drive gear, thus controlling where it stops. the t-moulding will stop it, but not before putting a lot of pressure on them. I got another picture of that somewhere.

[kittyskeeper]

Once the top of the slide on the outside of the coach touches the sidewall the mechanism has to pull the bottom portion of the slide in and as it does this the whole slide assembly raise up until the bottom is flush with the outside of the sidewall.
Sorry about the run-on sentence.

[BigJohnD]

The slide will teter a little on the guides / rollers. Starts coming in, you'll see it tip inward about half way in, the you'll see the floor appear to lift up as it reaches the full retracted position, all that movement being normal. Once the upper flange tags the wall, bottom comes in which lifts the floor up a tad. You'll see this really good on a flush floor slide.

[kittyskeeper]

Thanks

[BigJohnD]

kittyskeeper, here are a few pictures that may help you out, provided this is the type slide you have. At least you can see how the above floor slide system looks before the box is on. Took some of these while at the factory. In the picture you can see the inner stop which can be set to stop the slide at the desired extension. I didn't look on down the line to see if they put stops on the outer side of the rail to control the retract stop point, however this is what was added to mine to keep it from pulling in too tight.

[kittyskeeper]

BigJohnD, Thanks for the pictures. I have one of these slide units on each slide not two.
I don't know if there are stops. I don't think so. It seems as the motor has to draw the bottom in to contact the sidewall, the motor unit binds up to the point that the safety ratchet kicks in to protect the motor unit. Then all the pressure and weight of the slide assembly sits up against the gears of the motor unit.
Why would the slide operation be designed to hold the weight of the whole slide up in the air to bounce down the road?

Thanks for your help.

[BigJohnD]

It doesn't bounce really once in snug. Just how it's designed. They'll actually hold quite a bit of weight and are designed to have passengers in the seats while retracted. I can sit in there and it doesn't budge, but mines snug against the outer wall. If its moving around or bouncing, something isn't right. The only time it should be moving around or unstable is during extension or retracting.

[kittyskeeper]

The slide doesn't move around at all. I just feel that the weight would be working on the mechanism as it went down the road. Seems I don't have to worry about it because it's working as design.

Thanks for the discussion .