All slides 1 switch

[Jimh64]

I have not run into any issues yet, but I have 4 slides and they all operate with 1 switch. I cannot control which slides come in and out. If I need to retract only one, I’m in trouble.

Has anyone else thought this was odd? Can I separate the slides with separate switches?

Thanks!

[SeaDog]

Not knowing the type of rig you have or the slide operating gear I don't see how that question can be answered provide that info and I'm sure there are folks on the forum who have an answer.

[richp]

Look for a four valve setup (small black knobs that direct each slide's hydraulcs) somewhere that will allow you to select which slides are actgetTime


On my Silverback, they are on the same panel as the water controls in the driver side bay.


Rich Phillips

[Jimh64]

I’m sorry guys. I thought I had my info in my signature. I have a 2019 Salem Villa Estate. It is a Destination Trailer.

[ronheater70]

I had a Cherokee 304 BHS limited. It had 3 slides that operated with one switch, I also thought it weird. It was kind of a pain, because if I only needed to open 1 slide, say to get something out of the bedroom I eft in there I had to wait for all 3slides to clock, sometimes only 1 slide depending on location. That said, it always seemed to work. I did have an issue with the switch near the end before I traded it, but the slides themselves always worked good and smooth.

[Philandterry]

Originally Posted by richp

Look for a four valve setup (small black knobs that direct each slide's hydraulcs) somewhere that will allow you to select which slides are actgetTime


On my Silverback, they are on the same panel as the water controls in the driver side bay.


Rich Phillips

I had a 2006 Cardinal with only one switch. I too was unable to control which slide came out first, second, or third. There was an option I could have bought to control it, but I decided against it. It can be a pain but you get used to it and don't even think about it after a while.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Jimh64

I have not run into any issues yet, but I have 4 slides and they all operate with 1 switch. I cannot control which slides come in and out. If I need to retract only one, I’m in trouble.

Has anyone else thought this was odd? Can I separate the slides with separate switches?

Thanks!

You probably have a hydraulic system. You have ONE hydraulic pump which pumps fluid from ONE tank into pistons under all four slides at the same time. As pressure builds up, the piston with the least resistance (lightest, smallest slide) moves first. When that slide is fully deployed and can move no further, pressure builds up until the next slide begins to move. And when that slide is fully deployed and can move no further, pressure builds up until the next slide begins to move. And when that slide is fully deployed and can move no further, pressure builds up until the next slide begins to move.

As richp says in this post, you may have a manifold with four valves, where the four slides connect to the pump. In that case you could close three valves, leaving open only the valve for the slide you wish to open (or close).

If you do find the manifold and valves, you could actually test this with one slide at a time and label the valves for future reference.

[lckeehne]

Great questions... It is a P.I.A to say the least.
But if you park along road you don't want the slide coming out.

The only way that I have been able to work around this is to have MDW push against the one I want to stay closed.
This causes the other two to open due to the additional friction.

It works pretty easy but still a little pain.
Hope this helps!
Larry

[John Hendrick]

I also have a Forest River that has four slides, one switch on a hydraulic system. Why the manufacturers send them out the door without having a way to isolate individual slides is certainly not appropriate in my mind either. They recommend turning off the fridge for instance when refueling, unfortunately with the four slides one switch solution, the last slide to move is the one I needed to access the fridge. Can you imagine being at the gas pump and putting out all your slides, or if you want to stop on the road for lunch, you only need one slide out to access the fridge, not all four.
Anyway, I went to a local hydraulic shop and picked up a couple of shutoff valves that could be installed at the pump. After dropping the bottom panels enough to access the cylinders, bought a couple of new lengths of hydraulic hoses and replumbed mine so I could isolate three of the slides. Total cost was around $100, and well worth it. Matter of fact I asked the dealer to do this for me and they quoted me $250 and then called later and said they couldn't do it. Not that they couldn't do it at that price, they just couldn't do it, were not sure how to go about it. I scratched my head on that one. But as I mentioned it ended up taking about a day and a half getting all the right parts and reviewing how the dealer ran the plumbing so I could run new lines from my new shutoff valves to the appropriate cylinder.

[CruiserJoe]

Most likely hydraulic system. You will have one fluid tank but there will be a set of knobs somewhere near the hydraulic tank to control the slides individually. Just close the ones you don’t want to respond.

[CHICKDOE]

larry-nc explained it. you have one pump that drives all four slides. it may also drive the landing gear. there will be a four valve manifold that you can use to control which slide or slides you want to move. note that i did not say the manifold is easy to access or easy to operate, but it it there, very near the pump.