WGO Forza 34T and new Schwintek slides

georgelesley wrote:
As owners of the infamous Schwintek slide system we have lots of experience with rebuilds and new improvements to the original system. The WGO factory tech finally got it right and we just completed a ten week trip to Alaska with over 70 opening and closings without incident.

The new Powergear designed system seems to be fine. The tech also installed a roller in the sink cabinet to prevent the tipping due to counter weight that was misaligning the system. We also hold our switch down for 10 seconds both ways. Some say that resynch’s the motors. Not sure it does, but it did not hurt.

We recently looked at a new WGO Forza and especially the slides. They still use the improved Schwintek system but with major changes that bode well for the reliability of the system. First, the slides are shorter. Second, the counter that sticks out into the aisle is now fixed in place and the slideout counter goes over it. That eliminates the tip over due to weight transfer of the old system and no extra roller is needed.

We opted not for the Forza for some minor reasons, some fixable and some not. The biggest was the residential fridge. We still like total boondocking and thus still love our Norcold 4 door. We had the Amish cooling unit put in it as well as fans inside and out, and now love it.

We were also disappointed with the reclining love seat. It makes into a flat Bed and we really liked that part. Very comfortable for such a bed. However, the reclining part was not comfortable, to us anyway. the footrest was awkward to use especially getting in and out of the recliner. It also does not give any footrest options other than no foot rest or straight out flat.

Both the love seat and the residential fridge seem to be standard equipment now days for the Forza. The love seat could easily be switched but not the refrigerator since it has no outside venting.

Bottom line, looks like we will stick with what we have.

We have a 2013 Adventurer 32V with the full wall slide. Back in 2014 we took it to the Winnebago factory for similar repairs. The tech replaced the original rack and pinions with a little heavier design, but they are still the Schwintec design. He also added another roller under the island. The system has been working fine, but every time we move the full wall slide we still hold our breath.

At first I growled about the Schwintec design and let it go at that. However last week we loaded up for a short trip and I started thinking about the design of the slide itself.

There are 9 overhead cabinets in the dining and kitchen area. Below the cabinets in the dining area is a sofa. In addition there are also 5 drawers, a 4' long cantilevered island with a sink and under sink storage. Our cabinets and drawers aren't filled to the maximum or anywhere near it as far as volume is concerned. However I would venture to guess the total weight of the contents is approaching 200 lbs. Add to that a refrigerator full of food, a convection microwave, and stove and the weight starts to pile up.

Moving to the bedroom there are 10 drawers a television, and a wardrobe. All of these cabinets, drawers and appliances are permanently attached to and move with the slide every time it is activated. Add another hundred or so pounds or so of clothing and I would guess the motors are attempting to move in excess of 2,500 lbs.

Looking at the size of the motors and configuration of the racks and add to that the variables that go along with the way the slide can be loaded, the way that affects the motor loading, and how the slide fits to the body of the motorhome, and I can understand why there have been problems with the system.