2015 Solera 24s slide

[pcbikenski]

I'm taking our Solera in for service next week. My question is the slide. is it normal for it to grunt and groan, tilt and drop, and be very slow? It has always worked but it seems like it's straining every time. Some times it's really noisy.

[hkreck]

I have a 2013 24S, the slide does the same as yours. Sometimes when bring it in coming up over that hump on the floor it will stop and I have to push the button almost like resetting it then it comes up over the hump and proceeds to close. It has to work hard getting over that hump, I sometimes wonder if there is a way to lubricate it to make it slide easier.

[JLeising]

I periodically get under mine when it is extended and spray dry slide lube on the bottom of the slide - especially the places that look like they have touched while being extended/retracted. Seems to help.

[ecramer]

Our's was doing the same thing. Sometimes would stop then start again. Was told to lube the seals that rub against the slide. I lubed the seals as far as I could reach with a foam spray designed for seals. Much better than it was but could be better. With the slide topper, it's hard to get seals lubed on top of slide.

[conrad]

My 2015 solera 24s struggling since beginning ! Gouged bottom of slide! Dealer removed and readjusted slide. Worked better for a while.. Now have to push slide from outside while wife pushes button! After about 4 inches it retracts without pushing! Going back to dealer before warranty is up!

[groupleaderpj]

After taking the unit to the dealer with unsatisfactory results and to another authorized facility FR put a complete new room in our 2014 S. Our room was doing what you describe.
The room is great now. Remember to always be on shore power or generator power when bringing the slide in or out.

[TARVIDSON]

For info on Schwintek slides check out the Lippert Industries website. Here is a link to some videos etc on how they work and how to maintain and repair them.
Technical Support Center and Videos

[propreperic]

In reply to your suggestion "Tarvidson" of the two vids at the link, I would consider the first to be an insult to ones intelligence and the second although indeed informative and to a point helpful it does not however enlighten one to why these slide problem occur.

Surely there must be better information available, for instance if the EAA can run seminars etc at Oshkosh every year why cannot the same be done for the folks that invest in these products ?

[TARVIDSON]

Agreed on the first video, if you look a little further in the site you would find 6 videos showing how to operate, maintain and repair the Schwintek slide, push it in by hand in an emergency, reboot the controller etc. as well as phone #'s, part #'s etc. I felt much more prepared after seeing these and printing off a manual to keep in the motorhome.
The EAA is an impressive outfit. I doubt I will ever get to Oshkosh or Elkhart for a seminar so this is probably the best I will get. Going by their answers to a couple simple questions the service department at my local dealer who is probably typical knows less about these systems than I do after digging through the website for a couple hours.
Owning a motorhome is a bit like buying a homebuilt kitplane without a comprehensive manual and trying to figure out what the builder did. Luckily they can't fall out of the sky when something fails.

[propreperic]

Hi Tarvidson
many thanks for further enlightenment, sure it will be useful when I get chance to look into it.................... however
"Owning a motorhome is a bit like buying a homebuilt kitplane without a comprehensive manual and trying to figure out what the builder did"
does not present a professional and trustworthy picture does it ?
happy Camping
Eric

[Still Kickin]

Ok, am I missing something here. Did FR switch the mfg. supplier for the slide on the 24S to lippert?

[SSmbs]

I disagree with the comment to always be on generator or shore power when opening slides. I have had several different RV models with slides and they have always opened fine with battery power. Previously had 2 5th wheels with no generator and they opened fine while camping in the wild.

[TARVIDSON]

I have never bothered having generator or shore power on to run slides. I do have twin group 27 batteries but had no problem on one group 24 before that. If your coach battery does get low your generator may not start either but my experience has been when my group 24 was dying I had to start the engine battery to start the generator because my slide would not operate when the vehicle engine is running but the generator did the job even with a totally destroyed coach battery.
As to the question about Lippert, they make the Schwintek slide system which is used on all the newer FR MB based motorhomes. I don't have any experience with older units.

[JLeising]

We with older Solera "S" MHs have the Lippert Flush Floor slide (or something like that name) I believe. Didn't know FR had switched the "S" model to Schwintech before this thread.

[TARVIDSON]

I just did a little research, Lippert purchased Schwintek in 2010 but apparently had been selling their product before that. I am guessing it is all Schwintek back to about 2009 was the earliest reference I saw. See link:
Lippert Completes Acquisition of Schwintek Inc. | RV Business

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by JLeising

We with older Solera "S" MHs have the Lippert Flush Floor slide (or something like that name) I believe. Didn't know FR had switched the "S" model to Schwintech before this thread.

Thanks. I did have my names mixed up. Lippert on the "S" model.

For the record, your slide on the "S" model, should deploy and retract under battery power only. Yes it does labor some getting over the "hump" portion of the retraction, but if it doesn't operate like that under battery power only, your S slide has issues. Not sure if your average RV dealer can help either, as by reading some of these posts. What do other S owners think.

[hkreck]

I have run my slide on battery power only on several occasions, I prefer to operated on shore power when hooked up but not necessary at all times. I actually had a situation this year at a camp ground where the power went out over the entire park had to use the batteries to break camp, interesting event.

[TARVIDSON]

My slide goes fairly smoothly back and forth with just one little spot where the motors change pitch for just a nanosecond. Make sure you level before you put out your slide and run it all the way out and in when you slide it. Do not stop in the middle as it can cause the motors to run out of sync and bind things up. Again, tons of information on th ewebsite on how to fix these sorts of problems. If yours is requiring a push or dragging in a spot I would get to my dealer and let them look it over, especially if it is still under warranty. There must be something wrong with the installation of the slide or lubrication or something.

[Still Kickin]

If your talking about the Lippert slide on the S model as this thread addresses, it is gear driven and partial deployment is fine. As a common practise, partial deployment at say a rest stop, allows easier movement within the coach to prepare lunch etc. You just need to be aware of the percentage of deployment, so you keep the load balanced during this type of use.

It is important to understand the mechanism on this type of slide, and further, since it is gear driven, it cannot get out of sync, if lubricated and operated within design perameters. Just sayin'

[propreperic]

don't know "Still kicking" you could ask Tarvidson