BAL Accu-Slide maxed out on adjustment
I have two questions dealing with a BAL cable Accu-Slide system. The two questions are below. I am trying to give you the background on the camper. The camper is a 2019 Keystone Laredo 5th wheel,...
Forum Discussion
Hi everyone,
First off, thanks to all who have responded. Please, keep the comments coming. This is just a mid-day break/update.
I called and talked with BAL tech support again this morning. He gave me the G4 Accu-slide mounting specs for the Corner Pulley Brackets (the top left and right cable pulleys on the wall) at how high above the rough opening they are supposed to be at. And he gave me the spec on the motor drive mounting angle. Yes, the motor end is supposed to be pointing downhill at a cant to help this IN cable block yoke crashing problem. This gear motor is mounted parallel to the slide opening aggravating the crash problem.
These are the G4 install instructions, just they lack the mounting specs of the corner pulleys and the motor height https://balrvproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/InstallationOperation/G4-Installation-Instructions.pdf
Thinking through all this for myself, I need to verify what is mounted correctly before adjusting anything to ensure the entire system result will come into proper alignment. I am fighting two issues in the big picture right now where I am at;
1. The crash at the gearmotor with the cable block yoke
2. All cable block yokes and individual cables are close to being totally out of adjustment. And the rear BTM OUT cable is maxed out of adjustment.
The way the system is mounted right now and acting up, it is like all eight cables are too long. This may be the symptom of not mounting the corner turn pulleys in the correct height relationship to the motor (they are too low). The system has a lot of adjustments if everything is mounted correctly. There is 2" total adjustment in the long center bolt for the cable block yokes, and 2" of adjustment in the cable ends themselves. Yet, all eight cables and cable yokes are close to maxed out. Ideally, when new, the system is adjusted close to mid-range of design adjustment or skewed toward min adjustment to leave extra room for chain and cable stretch. If the corner pulley brackets are mounted too low, say by 3/4 to 1", every cable will be 3/4 - 1" too long to accommodate the low-mounted corner pulleys. If the corner pulled is too low, this also affects the angle uphill the cable block yokes take to get over the Gearmotor sprocket aggravating the cable block yoke crash.
If you look at this picture on my first reply of the "as found", the rear slide end cable block/yoke is close to maxed out from the installation and the cables.
And here is the front end of the slide "as found." This end has some level of adjustment, but a lot was used up on the original install.
While I know bolts loosen or tighten and rattle out of adjustment, in this case, they rattle loose, not tighter, against increasing pressure. Those 2 pics above seem to point to the system was not optimized in the right spot upon installation. Everything gets worse with time with chain and cable stretch.
I have another trailer to get done today and may not be back to this until tomorrow. But please keep the comments coming.
Thanks for the comments, and keep them coming. I will report back after I can get back into this camper.
John
First off, thanks to all who have responded. Please, keep the comments coming. This is just a mid-day break/update.
I called and talked with BAL tech support again this morning. He gave me the G4 Accu-slide mounting specs for the Corner Pulley Brackets (the top left and right cable pulleys on the wall) at how high above the rough opening they are supposed to be at. And he gave me the spec on the motor drive mounting angle. Yes, the motor end is supposed to be pointing downhill at a cant to help this IN cable block yoke crashing problem. This gear motor is mounted parallel to the slide opening aggravating the crash problem.
These are the G4 install instructions, just they lack the mounting specs of the corner pulleys and the motor height https://balrvproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/InstallationOperation/G4-Installation-Instructions.pdf
Thinking through all this for myself, I need to verify what is mounted correctly before adjusting anything to ensure the entire system result will come into proper alignment. I am fighting two issues in the big picture right now where I am at;
1. The crash at the gearmotor with the cable block yoke
2. All cable block yokes and individual cables are close to being totally out of adjustment. And the rear BTM OUT cable is maxed out of adjustment.
The way the system is mounted right now and acting up, it is like all eight cables are too long. This may be the symptom of not mounting the corner turn pulleys in the correct height relationship to the motor (they are too low). The system has a lot of adjustments if everything is mounted correctly. There is 2" total adjustment in the long center bolt for the cable block yokes, and 2" of adjustment in the cable ends themselves. Yet, all eight cables and cable yokes are close to maxed out. Ideally, when new, the system is adjusted close to mid-range of design adjustment or skewed toward min adjustment to leave extra room for chain and cable stretch. If the corner pulley brackets are mounted too low, say by 3/4 to 1", every cable will be 3/4 - 1" too long to accommodate the low-mounted corner pulleys. If the corner pulled is too low, this also affects the angle uphill the cable block yokes take to get over the Gearmotor sprocket aggravating the cable block yoke crash.
If you look at this picture on my first reply of the "as found", the rear slide end cable block/yoke is close to maxed out from the installation and the cables.
And here is the front end of the slide "as found." This end has some level of adjustment, but a lot was used up on the original install.
While I know bolts loosen or tighten and rattle out of adjustment, in this case, they rattle loose, not tighter, against increasing pressure. Those 2 pics above seem to point to the system was not optimized in the right spot upon installation. Everything gets worse with time with chain and cable stretch.
I have another trailer to get done today and may not be back to this until tomorrow. But please keep the comments coming.
Thanks for the comments, and keep them coming. I will report back after I can get back into this camper.
John
