Slide Electrical Issues

JoshInReno wrote:
Hi everyone, it's been awhile.

I have a new to me trailer and have run into a problem:

The bedroom slide will not move on 12v power. It just clicks. The kitchen slide works fine on 12v so I don't suspect the battery but it's possible.

The bedroom slide works fine on 120v so I assume the motor and gearbox are fine. It should be noted I have yet to even find the motor and gearbox. The slide has arms, not cables so I suspect the drivetrain is under the slide but it's an enclosed underbelly that I don't want to start cutting into just yet.

Any ideas?

Lots of variations in slide operating mechanisms but most with "arms" use either a motor turning a shaft with pinion gears that push the slide out or a linear actuator with motor and gearbox mounted underneath. Usually a "Through Frame" design.

I had a similar problem with my slide where it operated sometimes, sometimes stopped after a few moments of movement, and sometimes resumed operation after some time passed. I finally got frustrated with having to crank in/out manually.

I removed motor (which on my TT was mounted inside the frame on the opposite side as the slide and enclosed by belly cover). I removed motor from gearbox and dissassembled it. Found one brush was sticking in the brush holder. Wasn't making solid contact with the commutator and after a short period of operation the normal vibration in the motor would push the brush back just enough that it wouldn't carry any current into the motor. I had to spread the slotted opening in the brush holder enough to allow the brush to FREELY move in it and after reassembling the motor has worked flawlessly since.

Don't know what your system uses but when motors stop working on purely battery power, but work OK when the voltage is increased by connecting to shore power, it's almost a certainty it's voltage or poor connection related.

Before spending any money or extra effort on the issue I'd recommend connecting a voltmeter to the motor input and see if full voltage is reaching the motor when slide switch is engaged.

FWIW, most manufacturers recommend that slides be operated with shore power connected (or generator connected and running). Depending on the brand a slide can draw from <10 amp to close to 30 amp.