We have gone from a small travel trailer, to bumper pull trailers, a fifth wheel, and a class A motorhome. We sold the motorhome and now are looking at fifth wheels again. We have narrowed our search down to the Keystone Montana, Jayco product, and possibly the Grand Design, Solitude. I have been reading a lot of negative posts on the Schwintek slide system. I believe that Jayco and the Grand Design use this system but not the Montana. Is the Schwintek system really that bad or have they fixed their system? Am I correct that the Montana uses a different brand / system?

The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?On edit: Correction, according to others the shiny "thing" in the linked picture above is a cable. I was seeing the cable and its shadow, making it look wider. So, when looking at the side of a slide, I need to distinguish between an aluminum track (Schwintek), an aluminum cable (cable slide) or nothing (regular electric or hydraulic slide).Now look at this one. No tracks visible. I think Silverback uses hydraulic slides.Here is a closer look at the Schwintek tracks so you know what you are looking for.

racer4 wrote:[snip]The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?[/snip]The Montana does *NOT* use the Schwintek system. Those "..shiny tracks.." you reference in the picture are cables. The front room in a Montana is cable actuated.

Carl n Susan wrote:racer4 wrote:[snip]The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?[/snip]The Montana does *NOT* use the Schwintek system. Those "..shiny tracks.." you reference in the picture are cables. The front room in a Montana is cable actuated.Cables good or bad?

There is an ongoing thread regarding a Class A rig purchased by a gentleman who almost immediately experienced a severe malfunction that damaged the slide and wall. The Schwinny was his first targeted culprit but I believe it was determined that manufacturer error caused the problem. Basically Schwinny work great under ideal conditions but get messed up easily when things are off. In the above case the slide was mounted crooked I believe. If it were me buying the rig I would just cycle the slides in and out an obnoxious amount of times. Then see if there was any binding or grinding.

Not all front slide in the Montana's are cable operated. My 3400RL has 4 slides and ALL are hydraulic. I believe the only Montana models that use the cable system in the front slide are the 3750FL & 3850FL.

Schwintek slides | Good Sam Community

youngone
Explorer
Jan 20, 2014
Carl n Susan wrote:
racer4 wrote:

[snip]
The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.

I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.

Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?
[/snip]

The Montana does *NOT* use the Schwintek system. Those "..shiny tracks.." you reference in the picture are cables. The front room in a Montana is cable actuated.

Cables good or bad?
Carl_n_Susan
Nomad II
Jan 20, 2014
racer4 wrote:

[snip]
The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.

I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.

Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?
[/snip]

The Montana does *NOT* use the Schwintek system. Those "..shiny tracks.." you reference in the picture are cables. The front room in a Montana is cable actuated.
racer4
Explorer
Jan 20, 2014
The Schwintek slide system is most often used on the smaller, lighter bedroom slides.

I usually look at pictures of the slide, looking for the shiny aluminum tracks on the side of the slide near the top and the bottom. Those tracks are what you see on a Schwintek.

Look at the first picture of this slide on a Montana. Do you see the shiny tracks?

On edit: Correction, according to others the shiny "thing" in the linked picture above is a cable. I was seeing the cable and its shadow, making it look wider. So, when looking at the side of a slide, I need to distinguish between an aluminum track (Schwintek), an aluminum cable (cable slide) or nothing (regular electric or hydraulic slide).

Now look at this one. No tracks visible. I think Silverback uses hydraulic slides.

Here is a closer look at the Schwintek tracks so you know what you are looking for.

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