Slide Sticking/Off Sync, then jerk into position?

[JW30WRLTS]

My Flagstaff is 8 months old and I've notice when opening the front bedroom slide out, the side closest to the hitch sticks for a few seconds until the rear part of the slide is about 5" out! After 5", the front part "pops" into place and catches up with the rear part. Is this normal because I dont remember it doing this before although we've only messed with the slides 2-3 times?
Warranty will be up in Dec so wondering if I need to get this in to the dealer? Hate doing that since I keep it 3 hours from closest dealer.
Any thoughts regarding this? Thx.

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by JW30WRLTS

My Flagstaff is 8 months old and I've notice when opening the front bedroom slide out, the side closest to the hitch sticks for a few seconds until the rear part of the slide is about 5" out! After 5", the front part "pops" into place and catches up with the rear part. Is this normal because I dont remember it doing this before although we've only messed with the slides 2-3 times?
Warranty will be up in Dec so wondering if I need to get this in to the dealer? Hate doing that since I keep it 3 hours from closest dealer.
Any thoughts regarding this? Thx.

Have you ever cleaned the wipers and seals? Could be causing a drag or hang. Make sure things are cleaned and treated.
Define messing with the slides?
Have the the unit level before opening and closing. I have my jacks just kiss the ground before open/close just in case of bind on the frame. Then after there open add some pressure to the jacks and reverse for closing.

[JW30WRLTS]

Originally Posted by Platokidd

Have you ever cleaned the wipers and seals? Could be causing a drag or hang. Make sure things are cleaned and treated.

No I knew nothing about needing to do this. Can you explain? Wonder why they wouldn't mention this during the walk thru if it's needed. Nice!

[Platokidd]

Clean the wipers and seals soap n water. Get the dirt off. They make a slide lube you can buy. Or some people use powder on a sock and wipe the wipers and seals. I like to keep everything clean and minimize the friction.

[Platokidd]

some popping is normal. What kind of slide is it?

[jimburd]

Same problem with my 2017 Rockwood 8310SS bedroom slide, except mine is sticking on the side towards the rear of the RV.

I've spent nearly two weeks off and on piddling with this issue. To me, it seems like a poor design. There is one rack and pinion gear system that pushes and pulls a fairly large slide. This is a through-the-wall 12VDC actuator that is controlled by a double pole, double throw switch. To extend the slide, DC voltage makes the motor rotate in one direction; to retract the slide, DC voltage is reversed to make the motor go in the opposite direction. The motor simply extends and retracts a ball and screw actuator that attaches to the inner rail of the slide mechanism. There are plenty of opportunities for the slide to wiggle, wobble, get stuck, etc. Additionally, the slide travels down a slope at the end of the extension process. Of course this means the slide must travel back up the slope in order to be retracted.

I can see that there are two white hard plastic wear bars under the slide on each side. These are located several inches from the edge of the slide. There are also two hard black plastic wear bars on the inside of the camper. Of course there are also ski pads that are on the bottom frame of each side of the slide, and these are also a fairly hard plastic. At the beginning part of the ski, the material is molded at about a 45 degree angle in order to facilitate the climbing. The skis appear to travel over the wear bars.

My belief is that something is causing sufficient resistance on the rear end side of the slide such that it won't easily climb the slope until the entire slide has gone totally crooked by several inches. Then the slide jerks violently, the rear side climbs the slope, and eventually it straightens itself out.

It would be nice to know whether there is any adjustment to the height of these wear bars, since one side might be higher than the other. It would also be helpful to know any other possible issues that would cause one side to have difficulty climbing the ramp slope.

If the creator of this thread would be so kind as to let us know the ultimate outcome of his situation, I would certainly be grateful. Those who want to suggest that I lubricate my weather strips or clean the underbelly, etc., should refrain from responding to this message for obvious reasons.

[phillyg]

If it's a Schwintek slide, hold the button in 6 seconds after each open and closing cycle to let it synchronize. If it's hydraulic, it needs to be inspected to see where it might need adjustment, or clean the wipers as others suggested.