Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-07-2018, 01:46 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 43
Slideout Roller Issue

Have a 2016 2400WS. Multiple rollers are underneath the full slide out. the roller brackets are screwed in place with four number 8 by 1 inch self tapping screws. bracket is bolted into a ledge in the RV side wall. The bracket next to the drivers door fellout when extending the slide this weekend. The screws were stripped and sheared in half when the bracket fell out. Wedged bracket in place in order to retract slide. Looks like another poor design as have lubricated rollers every few months to avoid any problems. Anybody else have seen this issue? Need to re-drill and install new screws, but space is not available. Looks like shop repair.
fishheads is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2018, 05:49 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 918
There is now slide out lubrication spray at RV dealers.

Stuck rollers and failed slides seems to be a common hassle.
FFred is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2018, 06:09 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
halbright's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 161
I had the same issue, multiple times on my 2016 WS. The first time, last season, the third roller from the front pulled loose. It didn't come out all the way so I was able to push it back in and replace the screws with one size larger. On that one, one of the original screws was twisted off and another was stripped. On our last trip out, the same roller pulled loose again and was wedged under the slideout when I extended it. Just replacing the screws was not enough. I was able to completely remove it. and we continued the trip. The next night, the fourth roller back did the same thing. Again, I was able to remove it, but was hesitant to continue the trip with only four of the six rollers left. I stopped at a Camping World to see if I could get it repaired (silly me!) or get an opinion on whether or not it was safe to continue using it. The recommendation from a very courteous and knowledgeable technician was to not use it. Again, it appeared that one of the screws had been twisted off when assembled and another hole was stripped. We aborted the trip and returned home.

When we got home, my mind was working overtime to come up with a way to repair those rollers myself so that I would not have to take the Solera to a shop, wait weeks for service, pay a bunch of money, and be disappointed with the outcome. That was a strong incentive. I had an idea, which I applied the next day and it seems to have worked. I really did not want to have to have the slideout removed to accomplish these repairs., but there is only two inches of clearance under there to work with.. Here's what I did:
1. I extended the slide out about 2/3 of the way so that I could work under it and it wouldn't be tight against the wall.
2. Using a floor jack and a couple of pieces of 2x4, one to extend the height of the jack and another as a cross piece to support the slide, I raised the slide just enough to take the load off of the rollers.
3. I drilled out the roller brackets to accommodate #12 self drilling stainless steel screws with hex heads.
4. I inserted the rollers, moving them about 1/2 inch farther back from the original holes to get fresh material for the screws to bite, then removed the jack so that the slideout was now resting on the rollers.
5. I used a box wrench to hold the screws in place and turn them while applying downward pressure on them with a prybar resting on a small piece of wood against the bottom of the slide out. That was the tricky part. Once the screws got a good bite, I used a geared wrench to tighten them down.

That fixed the rollers. Then, I went looking for how to prevent this from happening again. I found that there were some small divots where the slideout rests on the rollers when it is in, likely a result of all that weight bouncing around on the rollers while traveling. When the slideout begins to move as you put it out, this would apply some slight outward pressure on the rollers until they are out of the divots. Those rollers are not designed to withstand any sideways pressure. I filled the divots with J.B. Weld and sanded them smooth. There was also a bit of overspray on the rollers from the paint shop. I cleaned them off and lubricated the roller surface and the rollers themselves with silicone.

I have operated the slide in and out four or five times since making the repairs and so far it looks like everything is working as it should. We're off on another trip next week, so hopefully all will be well.

Good luck to you. You are right that this is a design weakness. Newer units have a steel plate under the slide for the rollers to ride on. I've thought about adding those, but that would raise the slideout by the thickness of the plates and I'm not sure how that would affect the rest of the mechanism. But, if I this problem continues, that will likely be my next step. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about it.
halbright is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2018, 10:35 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 918
Thanks, great post!
FFred is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2018, 11:08 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Englewood FL
Posts: 2,797
I would think that a piece of 12 ga sheet steel cut the depth of the slide and maybe twice as wide as the roller would do for reinforcement. That would only add 3/32 to the height which I doubt would have an effects on the mechanism as that is pretty tight for "housebuilding."
__________________

2015 335DS
ScottBrownstein is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2018, 03:27 PM   #6
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 43
All rollers and tracks have been sprayed with lithium grease routinely. Roller that fell out spun freely so was not frozen in place. Slide out undercarriage does show multiple indentations and weight stress on the track line. You did a great personal fix, but I don't have the same capability. You are right on all issues. I do have extended service plan for $100 deductible. Will have the shop replace all screws and add additional carriage track support and will provide a copy of your resolution to them. NEED solid fix as travel 1/2 time. Should not expect a 2016 RV to have the number of issues that I have had to deal with. It's like a 10 year old car. The service plan has been worth it for the repairs. This slide out repair will not be cheap but you should not have to cross your fingers every time u push the slide out button.
fishheads is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2018, 03:39 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 333
I am currently waiting for a new roller for my slide out; under warranty, thank goodness. I had noticed that one roller was marking the bottom of the slide out differently than the other rollers. Had dealer service crew look at; they discovered that the roller was out of round; slightly oval shaped. Might be wise to confirm once in a while that the rollers are round. When they work on it, I plan to take a look at the faulty one and double check with the tech that the others look round. Hard to say if it came that way from the factory or if a concentration of weigh caused it to flatten some.
RolandRevenger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2018, 11:07 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
namusmc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Posts: 338
All the above helpful posts got me thinking about the rollers on my own slide. Since my 2016 2401W was home with the slide out, I checked the roller bracket bolts. With a 14mm socket, every bolt I checked needed at least a turn to be snug again. This five minute job probably saved me from some heartburn down the road.

Love this forum! Thanks to all the knowledgeable posters here.
namusmc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2018, 10:05 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ozark, MO
Posts: 386
Quote:
Originally Posted by namusmc View Post
All the above helpful posts got me thinking about the rollers on my own slide. Since my 2016 2401W was home with the slide out, I checked the roller bracket bolts. With a 14mm socket, every bolt I checked needed at least a turn to be snug again. This five minute job probably saved me from some heartburn down the road.

Love this forum! Thanks to all the knowledgeable posters here.
When checking those roller bolts, you might also want to check the screws that hold the roller brackets in place. There is a lot of stress applied to the inboard screws especially. They're very difficult to get to, however. I used an s-1 bit that I fit into a quarter inch ratchet wrench. There's not enough room to get a socket in there, so this is the only way that I could figure out how to tighten them. Some of them had to be replaced with longer screws since they had pulled all the way loose. Those screws are going into the edge of plywood, so they don't get much of a bite to begin with. I attached a picture of the tools that I used to get to those screws.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Former MBS 24R and 2401W Owners
Just recalibrating our camping set-up for now!
barnbnb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2018, 05:02 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
halbright's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 161
The screws are the issue, not the bolt that goes through the roller.
halbright is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2018, 09:01 AM   #11
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 43
Please attach the tool picture and also please provide the type and size/length of your screws!
My Rv in for extended warranty repair to re-install the roller bracket that fell out and replace all the cheap screws with oversized stainless steel screws on all the roller brackets.
fishheads is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2018, 09:50 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ozark, MO
Posts: 386
I have 6 rollers total on the wall slide. 4 under the dinette and 2 under the bed areas.
It looks like there should be one more under the dinette, right in the center, based on the spacing of the other rollers.
There never was one installed there, so I am wondering if I have the proper number of rollers.
Anyone know what's correct?
__________________
Mark & Susan
Former MBS 24R and 2401W Owners
Just recalibrating our camping set-up for now!
barnbnb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2018, 10:13 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ozark, MO
Posts: 386
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishheads View Post
Please attach the tool picture and also please provide the type and size/length of your screws!
My Rv in for extended warranty repair to re-install the roller bracket that fell out and replace all the cheap screws with oversized stainless steel screws on all the roller brackets.
I tried to attach a picture yesterday, but it didn't work. I'm going to try it again now. One of the rollers was completely loose. Two of the screws were broken, the other two had pulled all the way out. I used the two good screws from the roller, and then 2 longer, larger diameter screws to reinstall. You can't use a screw that is very much longer than the stock screws however. There is a very limited amount of space to work in. If my picture does not show up, just Google an S-1 screw bit and 1/4" ratchet wrench. The bit will fit in the wrench, but you do have to have a lever bar above the bit in order to apply downward pressure. It is not easy, but it can be done with patience and time.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Former MBS 24R and 2401W Owners
Just recalibrating our camping set-up for now!
barnbnb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-07-2018, 05:54 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 918
I wonder if a modern glue would assist the roller mount to stay in place?


After all if we can glue aircraft together , why not a slide out roller base?
FFred is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-08-2018, 03:28 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
namusmc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Posts: 338
Glue it and screw. I like that! It would be worth trying.
namusmc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2018, 11:24 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ozark, MO
Posts: 386
Quote:
Originally Posted by FFred View Post
I wonder if a modern glue would assist the roller mount to stay in place?


After all if we can glue aircraft together , why not a slide out roller base?
The roller bases sit on top of the rubber gasket. Glue would not work.
__________________
Mark & Susan
Former MBS 24R and 2401W Owners
Just recalibrating our camping set-up for now!
barnbnb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2018, 07:19 PM   #17
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 43
follow up on my slide issue: 2016 2400ws Rv in shop for repairs under good Sam esp. slide out to be removed, shop will install additional rollers and stainless oversized screws on all rollers. Shop states the the slide weight stresses the current rollers and the swentech (sp) slide mechanism is undersized for the full side slide out. Rv in for repairs about every 6 months; which tells a lot about forest river quality for a 2016 model. Without extended service plan, my yearly repair cost would be $1500-2000 per year.
fishheads is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2018, 11:37 AM   #18
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 43
Completed the installation of four additional rollers under the slide as well as stainless screws on all rollers. Slide is now operating smoother and more consistent speed. Hopefully no more issues with this FR design deficiency.
fishheads is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2018, 12:03 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ozark, MO
Posts: 386
Just curious--
What was the total cost for the slide removal and installation of the extra rollers?
Did they put in more powerful slide motors?
__________________
Mark & Susan
Former MBS 24R and 2401W Owners
Just recalibrating our camping set-up for now!
barnbnb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2018, 06:57 PM   #20
Member
 
bobgeri's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 94
I had problems with my motors popping out of their mounts and spinning which pulled the wires apart. The front motor had not been drilled and tapped for its retaining bolt. The assembler had just gone ahead and ran a bolt in against the body. The rear motor was done correctly. Now I’m going under the slide in the morning before we leave this park to check my rollers.
__________________
2016 Coachmen Prism 24M
bobgeri is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
slide

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:12 AM.