Slide driver side

[Bounce Cole]

I have a 2012 Berkshire 39 bh. My problem is the slide will leak out periodically. What would cause this issue

[I-RV]

I also have a 2012 390BH and had the same drifting problem. I did extensive investigation as to what was defective and also what made it defective.

The drifting can be caused by either a defective hydraulic manifold valve, the hydraulic cylinder or the ant-creep valve mounted to the cylinder. I had the cylinder and anti creep valve replaced; about a $1,100 job. Fortunately I had insurance to help.

I have found that because the dinette (sofa) cylinder is the longest, it can have unwanted bending forces applied to it because it snakes over a chassis beam and under the timing rod. Although the cylinder is meant to extend and retract, the movement of the slide-room makes it go up and down, which tends to have a prying action applied to i

Refer to the following two threads for more...........

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ing-68552.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...cks-69489.html

[grt1014]

Had same problem. Mine wasn't leaking out it actually was being pushed out under pressure. Don't use the slide locks as the force will break trim. I took mine in for repair and they replaced the manifold, check valves and cylinder. Luckily all this was under warranty or it would of cost me close to 5k for all they did.


2014 Berkshire 400bh.
2014 Jeep Rubicon unlimited Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Mmnsc]

They upgraded the cylinder to a larger diameter piston to help with the stress of the in and out. That was my main problem when mine was creeping out.


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[I-RV]

Originally Posted by Mmnsc

They upgraded the cylinder to a larger diameter piston to help with the stress of the in and out. That was my main problem when mine was creeping out.


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Mmnsc, my belief is different. Of course, a 1.5" diameter cylinder is stronger then a 1.375". However, the main culprit with the dinette slide is that it that it presses on the chassis beam. A larger diameter makes matters worse. Check it out for yourself. Lay in the cargo bay towards the center of the RV and see where the cylinder goes over the beam. Stay there and watch what happens when your DW make the slide go out.

The Equalizer Systems Slide Cylinder Identification Chart states that they went from 1 1/2 to 1 3/8.

http://equalizersystems.com/files/sh...inder%20ID.pdf

They are currently only selling the 1 3/8:
Slide out cylinders | Replacement Parts | Online Store | Equalizer Systems | A Days Company | Official Site

I just had mine replaced in October. The problem is not the cylinder strength, but the fact that it gets undesirable forces on it from the chassis beam and this wears the internal seal.

Hank

[Mmnsc]

Hank
In June I had to rebuild the timing rod. You can see the thread on that. I had several opportunities to lay in the compartment and watch the in and out movement while getting the timing rod adjusted. My cylinder seemed to flex upward and away from any structural members. If the cylinder shaft gets any kind of scratch or mar it will eventually damage the seals on the cylinder body and eventually cause blow by and the cylinder will start to creep. I don't know if there is any adjustment on positioning the cylinder body or shaft end.
Marty


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[Mmnsc]

Hank
The bore on my original cylinder that came with the MH was I believe 1 5/16 diameter and the replacement was the new diameter cylinder. That helped a lot after they had changed the anti creep valve twice.


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[I-RV]

Originally Posted by Mmnsc

Hank
In June I had to rebuild the timing rod. You can see the thread on that. I had several opportunities to lay in the compartment and watch the in and out movement while getting the timing rod adjusted. My cylinder seemed to flex upward and away from any structural members. If the cylinder shaft gets any kind of scratch or mar it will eventually damage the seals on the cylinder body and eventually cause blow by and the cylinder will start to creep. I don't know if there is any adjustment on positioning the cylinder body or shaft end.
Marty


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I suggest that you re-acquaint yourself with the dinette slide. As the slide reaches the last 6 inches of going out, the end of the room drops. This brings the cylinder in contact with the beam.

Hank

[Mmnsc]

Hank
I "reacquainted" myself with the slide cylinder. On my MH the is about 1/2 inch between the cylinder shaft and the chassis frame. There is plenty of room for the brush bristles and I could put my finger between the shaft and the frame. On the outward movement of the slide the cylinder bows upward thus giving even more room between the frame and cylinder shaft even when the floor drops into position. On retraction the pull is straight and there is still plenty of clearance. I would suggest you look at yours to see what is wrong and can it be fixed.

Marty


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[I-RV]

Thanks for your reply Marty. Another thought is that when the slide reaches its all the way out, the inside flanges press against the wall and the slide room adjust itself. Depending which way the room was tilted, the end to the cylinder may go up or down, which maybe explains our differences.

I however am not dreaming. I placed paper with some carbon paper between the slide and cylinder and found the pressure mark after the slide went out. Now if you look from the outside in, yes there is a 1/2 inch clearance. But the beam is wide, and if you get your head all the way in where the cylinder is mounted, mine hits the beam. Also if you try to jiggle the cylinder, I saw it binding there.
Hank

[Mmnsc]

Hank
The angle at which the cylinder shaft is at when extended all the way out it is closer on the outside of the beam while the inside of the beam has a slightly larger gap. When i jiggle the shaft it still does not hit the beam. One difference may be the position of the hole in which the cylinder shaft bolts into on the plate mounted on the slide mechanism. I tried to adjust the 2 bolts on that plate that restricts the travel to better it try to align the slide so the bottom of the slide does not stick out as far as it does versus how tight the top is. I had Randy look at it and he said leave well enough alone otherwise it will start to wear the paint on the side of the coach. I am not going to futz with the slide anymore and just leave it alone as ling ad it doesn't start to creep out again.


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[I-RV]

Marty; you are right. I got the angle on the beam backwards, I'm good with the new cylinder and will wait to see what happens. I got into this thread for the person that started it and is now having drifting problems on the dinette slide.
Hank

[jcowles3]

I've been fighting this for some time now and thanks for the info!


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[lefaivre]

The same thing happened me this summer just as I was getting ready to leave on a long trip.

Was told my Forest River dealer that the wait for a new ram was between 1 and 2 weeks.

I ended up calling in a mobile hydraulic specialist. These rams are somewhat prepiortory due to the fact that they are welded at both end..... FR does not want to give the option on rebuild.

The person that did my work is used to working in the oil industry and is very comfortable with making rams from scratch.

After cutting the end off of the ram, he saw right away why it had failed. Masking tape that had been used in the original painting of the ram was left on the rod. Over a period of time this masking tape had shredded the internal seals. The had also.caused the rod to bend and the inside.of the cylinder to become badly scuffed.

He and his helper ended up making.me a new ram from scratch. The total.job took almost 8 hours with a cost of slightly more.than $1000. This is a fraction of the cost of.repair thought FR.

The part through FR was over 1000 and the shop rate is 200 per hour.

Kitchen side is still functional however the end of the rod is bent

[Bounce Cole]

I had the same problem we had the slide cylinder replaced on my unit by Lazy Days in Tucson .My extended warranty covered everything but the shipping of the cylinder.If you ever need work done on your unit while in Tucson they are the best I have ever dealt with..

[jcowles3]

My problem is this is my 3rd ram in 1 1/2 years... It's looks to be resting on the beam when out and not when its in...


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[I-RV]

Originally Posted by jcowles3

My problem is this is my 3rd ram in 1 1/2 years... It's looks to be resting on the beam when out and not when its in...


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Oh yes, you bring back bad memories. Before I replaced the ram, one year ago, I noted that particular ram was the longest one. Also noted that it had trouble threading its way between the frame attachment point and the slide. The ram goes in and out, but I found that the slide end makes it move vertically during the travel. The interference points of the ram is the Freightliner rail, the slide's timing shaft and the coach's body.

Like you, I found that the ram pressed on the chassis rail. This pressing could be huge, because the slide end when going vertically down acts like a pry bar. Maybe the ram did not dent, but this prying action probably put a huge toll on the piston's seal.

After I had the ram replaced, I believe that they had gotten some clearance off the rail.

I advise that after you once again have the ram replaced that you get in the cargo bay and have someone move the slide in and out. Check that when putting a piece of paper on the rail, that you can freely move it with the slide in or out. Also check that the piston does not hit the timing shaft, chassis body or the press heavily on the plastic timing shaft guard.

Once again, I chalk this up to bad FR design and not workmanship or the supplier. - Hank

[jmgllt]

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