Lippert/Schwintek Tilt Bed

[Barotrauma Bruce]

We have a 2014 Coachmen Brookstone 355RL that we bought new on January 2. To say that everything has been fine with the unit would be a misstatement, but there has been nothing that I couldn't fix myself. That is, until last night when I couldn't get the bed to fold flat. This morning I took the plywood off of the bed frame so that I could access the Lippert Hall Effect Bed Tilt Control 15001-C (part #260793) and found green and red LED's blinking in every imaginable combination. I called Lippert tech support, and after over an hour of waiting on hold, I was told that there was nothing they could do to help me. That the controller had apparently lost power (which happens every time you turn off the battery switch), and the upper and lower limits needed to be reset. But, if you can't move the mechanism, you are unable to set the limits. So, bottom line, I need to visit a service center. That there is no way to bypass the thing is crazy. Fortunately, the bed is in the tilted position, or I would not be able to bring in the bedroom slide. Anyway, has anyone experienced this problem? I appreciate anything anyone can offer.

[Barotrauma Bruce]

Thought I better give an update on this problem. So, I found a technician here in Yuma at CJ'S RV Repair. And, while they are perfectly willing to do warranty repairs on all makes and models, I had to agree to a modest fee for them to come to me (something they said that Lippert would not cover). Jason, the tech was not familiar with the tilt bed, but had extensive knowledge with the Schwintek slide mechanism. Going through his troubleshooting routine he said that the motor us just like the ones used in the slide except that it had been hard wired and the slide motors have a plug assembly a few inches from the motor. Okay. He further said that all of the problems he had encountered previously were bad motors...that the electronic controllers had been very reliable. Anyway, he took all the info, said he would get a motor coming right away, and would contact Lippert the next morning so he could learn how to remove the motor (it is assembled differently than the slide motors). After dinner I grabbed my meter and thought I would delve into this a bit further. I removed all the wires from the plug at the controller and quickly found that there was no continuity from there to the motor. What? So I started taking the wires out of the plastic wire loom, and, lo and behold, there it was about 4" from the motor an unplugged plug connection! When the whole business was assembled they didn't leave enough slack in the bundle and that last bed tilt did me in. The funny thing is that there is about 6' of wire in the bundle and only about 2' are needed, so why conserve? Now, I know this is a long winded post, but if it helps the next guy....