Slide out locking bars

[Priusron]

One of my slides creaps out at the bottom. I have 2 hydralic and one cable. It would be impossible to install the bars on both of my hydralic slides. It is at the dealer now to be repaired.

[garbonz]

How doth one know whether they are needed or not. How about the Swichert (sp) slides?

Mine did NOT come with them for either slide out, and I don't think my dealer would have removed them.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Electro/Mechanical Rack and Electro/Hydraulic (piston) slides need these. Electric motor/cable systems (like NORCO) do not.

The NORCO cable system does not need the bars because motor rotation is required to open or close the slide and the mechanical advantage works against the slide turning the unpowered motor.

So, I learned something new recently. The NORCO cable system also comes with a locking bar and should be included in the stuff that comes with the camper. It is part of the emergency equipment that is included in the box with the slide mechanism (they tell me).

It is used if the motor's gearbox fails and the motor has to be removed to close the slide. In this case the locking bar keeps the slide from opening during travel. The other piece of emergency equipment that comes in the box is a flex drive for use if the motor fails, but the gearbox does not.

[Jim in Halifax]

I understood that their purpose was to keep the top sealed while traveling......The bottom has all the "gears" to keep it in tight.My Flagstaff had them...My Jayco No...My CC no.......J

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Jim in Halifax

I understood that their purpose was to keep the top sealed while traveling......The bottom has all the "gears" to keep it in tight.My Flagstaff had them...My Jayco No...My CC no.......J

The purpose is to keep the slide from opening while driving. The electric motor/rack systems have internal clutches in the gear box that can be over ridden in a lurch and once the slide starts to move there is nothing to stop it from continuing to open.

You can hear the clutches ratcheting when closing or opening the slide at its full extension or full closure.

[Big Paul]

Am I understanding this right my dealer should have or would If I requested them for my slide?? Just want to make sure do not want slide to come out for any reason when on the road!!

[Dave Lyon]

Originally Posted by Big Paul

Am I understanding this right my dealer should have or would If I requested them for my slide?? Just want to make sure do not want slide to come out for any reason when on the road!!

I believe that they are supplied by FR right from the factory. If they were not included when you purchased the trailer I would expect that the dealer should provide them at no cost,

[Kaadk]

My understanding was that they were only supplied when the particular type of slide you have might be prone to opening. Herk's post have covered this pretty well, but let me throw in an extra example.

My 2012 Flagstaff came with slide locks. My Brother In Law's 2011 did not. While we were trying to figure out the difference, I noticed a few things:

1) My slide rails are inside my TT, under the couch and under the oven. In the BIL's, they're under the floor since his is one of those flush slides.
2) When retracting mine, you can hear the clutch ratcheting. You cannot with the BIL's.
3) This is probably the most important difference. On my TT Forest River included a "Place Slide Lock here" sticker that indicates where the wall was supported to take the pressure of a slide lock. His had no such sticker and a random check with a stud meter was inconclusive to whether or not he had any backing in there. Our guess is that even if he did get a set of slide locks from somewhere, he'd end up damaging his trailer trying to use them because the walls weren't supported for them in the first place.

[Herk7769]

I found out recently the NORCO cable wardrobe slides also are supposed to have a brace included (in addition to the flex adapter). If the drive gear box fails, the only way to retract the slide is to remove the motor/gearbox assembly and push the slide in by hand. The brace is to keep it there while you get it home/to the dealer.

[Big Paul]

I have wardrobe slide how do you determine if it is a NORCO?


Rockwood 2608WS
Paul

[AshnJim]

Our Rockwood HW276 didn't come with these, but when one of the exterior slide locks sheered off (we still have no idea how/why or even exactly when), our "RV guy" fabricated a slide lock for us. We've ordered a replacement slide lock, but will probably continue to use the bar, and will send it with the unit when we trade it in.

[scootingranny]

Wow have never heard of these. Our 2015 Coachmen Chaparral didn't come with any. Guess we need to investigate....

[kcdelan]

Our 2015 Flagstaff V-Lite did not come with them. Only need one so our dealer is getting us one. Had a Topaz 5th in the past and it used two and we used them all the time. Once they are in place, we put a piece of masking tape over the Slid Switch to remind us to take them out.

[5er_tom]

My guess is that it all has to do with how much weight is on the slide. Our Rockwood 8289WS had a very heavy slide with the couch, refer, and oven, all with storage cabinets above. That is the slide that moved as we traveled and therefore needed a lock.


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