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Old 07-13-2013, 08:45 AM   #1
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rockwood 8280 arrived but slide broke

Well after waiting since mid April, our 2014 Rockwood 8280 platinum edition has finally arrived. The pre delivery inspection went fine and we hooked on and drove the 4 hr drive home with the ecoboost performing as expected. Once home, I unhooked, leveled the trailer and started to extend the main slide when I heard ratcheting sounds. I immediately retracted it back in hearing the same sounds. Upon inspection, appears the slide is off its tracks or something is busted. One bottom corner sticks out about 2 inches the and top corner sticks out about 1 inch. One inside corner is even with the floor and the other corner is up about 1-2 inches. Called Forest River yesterday about 4pm and left message on answering machine but no returned call. Will try again Monday and see if they can suggest a local dealer to work on it (no local Rockwood dealers available in my area). Hopefully I can find someone local to work on it in a short timeframe so we can do some camping with it. Other then that, nice trailer and hope this is the first and last thing to break.
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Old 07-13-2013, 08:55 AM   #2
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Did you remove the slide locks, if you have them?
Our main slide is higher at one end than the other (from the floor), so that likely isn't your problem.
Check outside under the slide for the tracks that the slide runs on. Compare one track to the other to see if the gears and tracks look similar.
The "ratcheting" sound you are hearing could just be the clutch slipping, although it shouldn't be doing that.
But it could be poorly adjusted and binding.
You might want to try using the crank to manually push the slide out, and have someone watch under the slide to see what the gears/tracks are doing.
If you don't want to mess with it, you'll have to look for a Forest River dealer close by. But since you didn't buy from them, be prepared for a long wait, unfortunately.
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Old 07-14-2013, 08:25 PM   #3
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I'm not sure if you're saying it doesn't slide in and out.

When the slide is run all the way out it will make a loud ratcheting sound telling you it's all the way out. When it's all the way in it will make the same ratching sound, That's normal. (The wardrobe slide won't ratchet) When you start to run it out, the slide will tilt and not be plumb and vertical and levels up when fully extended. That's how gravity seals the slide to weather.

I couldn't be happier with the performance of the Ecobeast towing the unit. I get 9 to 11 mpg towing and always keep up with traffic, even on big hills.

Good luck with your camper.
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Old 07-15-2013, 05:55 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pwb01 View Post
I'm not sure if you're saying it doesn't slide in and out.

When the slide is run all the way out it will make a loud ratcheting sound telling you it's all the way out. When it's all the way in it will make the same ratching sound, That's normal. (The wardrobe slide won't ratchet) When you start to run it out, the slide will tilt and not be plumb and vertical and levels up when fully extended. That's how gravity seals the slide to weather.

I couldn't be happier with the performance of the Ecobeast towing the unit. I get 9 to 11 mpg towing and always keep up with traffic, even on big hills.

Good luck with your camper.
Yes, I'm aware of the ratcheting sounds made when fully extended or retracted. For some reason, my slide slipped off the tracks or sheared a bolt or something. I currently have a 3" gap at the rear and the front is tight against the trailer. I'm having a flagstaff dealer look at it on Thursday and hoping it will be a simple fix. My ecoboost gave me 12.93 miles per "Canadian" gallon doing 60 mph which works out to 11-12 miles per "USA" gallon. Really cannot complain with that........
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2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost, max tow/payload
2014 Rockwood 8280WS
2002 Harley Heritage Softail
2006 Club Car Precedent golf cart
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Old 07-16-2013, 04:29 AM   #5
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Well, hopefully your slide issue will be taken care of quickly.
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