Surveyor 235RS Rear Slide Issue

[collabr8tr]

Hi. We recently purchased a used, 2006 Forest River Surveyor 235RS. The trailer has all of the features we need and we really like it.

My concern is with the rear slide. When the slide goes out, it seems to dip down quite a bit (maybe 3" - 6") before levelling back out when it is fully extended. It seems solid and stable when it is fully extended.

Is it normal for the slide end to dip while it is being extended?

My biggest concern however is when I retract the slide, the slide appears to bind a little on the inside ceiling tracks. Sometiimes the motor can't get the slide in without someone outside helping the lift the end of the slide a little to keep it from binding on the inside.

The ceiling rails have some abrasion on them so it looks like this may have been happening for a while. The rollers seem to be ok in the ceiling track but the metal plates, bolts etc seem to have a lot of play that go in the tracks.

FYI, I have followed a lot of the tips in this forum and ensured the trailer is level and all of the slide mechanism is lubed.

Guess I'm just concerned that this is not normal and may result in an expensive fix.

Thanks to everyone who is able to provide some insight.

[milzat]

The slide will drop a very little while being extended/retracted, but not very much. I'd be concerned about it drooping as much as you've experienced. You may want to contact someone in service at the Forest River, Surveyor line.

574-296-7700 or 574-533-5934

[acadianbob]

There is a significant dip/tilt in the 235 when extending/retracting the rear slide. That is totally normal. Ours does not bind like you describe under normal circumstances. It did that once but that was because one of the trollies had broken. You might want to examine your trollies very closely to make sure all is right with them. It is also possible that your trollies/tracks need some tightening and/or adjustment.

[acadianbob]

P.S. Our tracks and trollies do not have much of any "play" in them.

[collabr8tr]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. I do think too that there seems to be more play than there should be in the ceiling trolleys/tracks. I'll take a look and if I can't figure it out, I'll get the techies at my local RV dealer to check it out.

[chill960]

Any update to your issue? I've got the same thing on an 08.

[stefatc]

I have the 2005 255rs but no problem at all ''yet''. I would like to keep in touch just in case of it happen to me too!

[smib]

I have an 2009 model with the same problem. Are the roof guides and wheels only a "guide"? How much weight is supported by the roof? How hard is it to replace the trollies? Thanks for any insight.

[MOD Guy]

The play when going out is normal. Had ours for four years and the only issue was with a bottom roller, when it was new.
Look under the bed when it is extended. There are two metal plates on each side. These plates roll over rollers on the bottom. If the pain is scraped off the metal plates, there is a problem. If you pull the rubber seal back, you can see the rollers. I would bet you retracting problem is caused by a roller that is broken.

[2003chevy]

hi, i have a 2009 235rks love it owers also dip down goning out and caming in
it dose this so any water is drain off . and it has a little slop to it also to help water form running inside.i did alot of mods to my i will post them as soon as i
learn how.

[Bittz]

I had the same problem on my 2008 255RS. I phoned FR and they sent me a new set of top trolley’s - they said old style kept failing. After I looked closely, sure enough one was broke. They weren't hard to install, you just need to remove the front wood panel at the top. Now I'm trying to figure out how to adjust the box on the rollers; when closed the passenger side of the slide drops down < 1". Any thoughts? Oh yea, I also experienced a leak in the slide which occurred after the slide was left extended and tilted down. I now see delamination on the exterior rear wall of the slide.

[acadianbob]

So what do you have to do to remove the wood panel? Isn't obvious to me.

[Bittz]

On my unit there is a long wooden (Stainded MDF) panel across the top of the rear slide. This has another piece wooden trim inserted into the center creating a raised molding look. Once you remove this center trim and the rosettes on the square ends you will see the phillips head screws. Remove them and the wood panel will come off. You only need to remove the top panel, the side panels can stay on. Once you get them off, FR suggested I place the slide about 50% in and 50% out so it is about in the middle. Then remove the old and screw on the new. All in all about 2 hours of work tops.

[acadianbob]

Did they send you free replacements or did you have to pay for them? Ours is a 2008, we've had 1 broken trolley, so probably have the old design.

[Bittz]

I had to pay for them. I think they were about $20 each with shipping. Contrary to many other posts on other sites, FR was very good over the phone. In fact the lady I spoke to walked me through the removal of the old and the installation process for the new; she was very helpful and friendly. She would email me daily to even check on my progress.

[acadianbob]

Wow! Do you have her name and contact info? Please . . .

[Bittz]

Yes, send me a privite message. Steve

[collabr8tr]

I couldn't find the issue or how to adjust it myself so I ended up taking it to my local dealer. They were able to adjust the trolleys and the upper track as that is where it was binding. Approx. $300 later, it works fine now.

[zbittsurveyor]

My contact was: Marla Pullen [mpullen@forestriverinc.com] She was great to deal with. Sorry for the delay, couldn't locate the email.
Steve (AKA Bittz - I've got two login's).

[acadianbob]

Thanks! b