Slideout mechanisms

I have an eighteen year old cable system slide that is still working although I did have a problem with the motor, the rest of the unit seems to be solid. I recently looked at a similar sized model only a couple of years old and wasn't impressed. The rails were only about half the size of mine, and the drive was rack and pinion. If the rack were to break I see where it could be a major problem closing the slide. I haven't looked at many units but my guess is that I will probably not find a newer unit that has as sturdy mechanism as the one I have now. Further investigating is necessary. JMO

I have one rack and pinion two 2 Schwintek slides on my Super Lite RV, so I hope that the reliability I expect with a gear-based system proves to be true - so far so good. I tend to prefer geared systems but must admit I have no experience with cable systems and don't even know what the arrangement looks like.

Cable systems are quite a bit lighter than standard geared systems. You'll notice on many "Ultra light units" that they have switched to cable systems.
Remember that they are using aircraft grade S.S. cables (just like on commercial aircraft).
And finally repairing a cable system is usually done from the inside of the trailer ( no need to remove the undercarriage cover)to access the drive mechanism.
I found the cable system pulls the top & bottom of the slide in equally for a rather tight fit.
Happy trails,

Just a note that some slides require a safety bar in place for transport.... if the clutch fails to hold it in place it can move outward. The danger of putting the bar in place is damage if you fail to remove it before operating the slide.....lots of red flags and warnings on switches would help not making that mistake....along with good check list.....

Thanks so much for the comments.

I currently have a rack and pinion on my Keystone Cougar (piece of junk). The slide was so far out of ajustment when we picked it up that one of the drive gears sheared off and the slide went on an angle into the entertainment center and tore off all the knobs on the DVD player.

We took it back to the dealer under warranty and they replaced the gear and adjusted the slide. Two months later, the gears stripped again and we were stuck in a boondock camp in the mountains and couldn't get the slide back in. I was able to tear everything apart in camp and push the slide back in by hand.

I made the repair myself and learned how to properly adjust the slide. Once I did the work, I never had another problem.

My dad on the other hand had a cable operated slide. He had problems from time to time, but learned how to make adjustments and repairs as needed.

Moral of the story. If the slide is properly installed and adjusted, you'll probably be good with either version. If the manufacturer was like Keystone and did a garbage job with installation, you'll be better off to learn how to adjust and repair slides on your own.

Hydralic systems (complex and needs pumps, fluid and usually for HEAVY big slideouts),Rack and pinion (gears and motors....grease fittings), cable activated (somewhat prone to issues...needs adjustment of cables), Schwintek direct drive using unique "U" grooved track), and few other minor systems.

My only experience is with the rack and pinion, so far all good…
I had a cable operated pop-up one time and it was not so good…

I'd only have the rack system. No cables or hydraulics for me thanks!

WoodGlue

The closet slide in my bedroom is a cable slide but my other two slides (larger) are rack and pinion so it may be a function of slide size and location.

Both work but I did have a cable come loose once as the screw heads on the retention bracket sheared off. Put some new screws in it and it's worked fine since.