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larry2c's avatar
larry2c
Explorer
Aug 29, 2019

Suggestions for closing slide out that's been open 5+ years

My mother in law has been living in a 2002 Alfa Gold 5th wheeler for about 5+ years at an RV park. We are going to move her to a senior residence next month and then will be selling her rig. I want to do some clean up and prep on the rig prior to putting it up for sale.

The first thing I need to do is pull in the 3 slide outs. We have a travel trailer with a slide out so I'm familiar with the type we have (Schwinteck) but I'm not familiar with the slides on her rig. I didn't think to look at them when we were up there the other day but looking at some pictures I found online of Alfa 5er's they appear to be mechanical and not hydraulic.

I'm looking for any suggestions on pulling them in for the first time - like shooting silicone lube on the drives and any friction points I can see. Is there anything else to consider? For the record, the seals on the sides and tops of the slides are completely dry rotted so I know they will be crumbling away.

So far we haven't found the manuals for the slides so if they don't move, I'm not sure what to do next. Anyone ever have this model of trailer or where I might find some manuals for the slides?

Thanks
  • larry2c's avatar
    larry2c
    Explorer
    Aug 29, 2019
    Thanks so much for that information - a glimmer of sunshine in what's been a pretty dark time!

    The slides still have the white seals but they are so rotted that they will likely crumble during cycling in and out. I was thinking of replacing the seals to help improve the price of the rig. It sounds like you may have replaced the seals on yours - if so, was it a pain or fairly easy? It looks like there are screws that go through the flange of the seal and into the siding of the trailer - with maybe some sort of GeoCell sealant or something. Does that sound right?
  • BFL13's avatar
    BFL13
    Explorer II
    Aug 29, 2019
    Some slide- outs have a manual crank to wind in the slide-out, if the electric switch method fails. (My Lippert electric did).

    See if it works the way it is supposed to, then figure out Plan B.
  • bobsallyh's avatar
    bobsallyh
    Explorer II
    Aug 29, 2019
    larry2c, you are correct. They are a very simple electric motor driven, no hydraulics involved. They aren't sequential or anything like that. One button at a time brings in each individual slide. I've fulltimed in an Alfa for 16 years. I'd get a can of Protect All slide-out dry lube. Stinks for a couple of minutes. Spray everything you can see that moves on the slide gearing. Make sure that the converter is operating and the battery is very good. If it still has the old white slide seal that should offer no resistance when bringing them in. If the white has been replaced with black, you might want to spray it with slide seal lubricant. If I can be of more help, just PM me.

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