Winnebago Itasca Full Wall Slide Failure
We own a 35 foot 2014 Itasca Suncruiser that we bought new 2 years ago. Six months after purchase the full wall slide out would not fully close on the lower rear corner. We took it to a dealer about...
Forum Discussion
Hikerdogs wrote:eheading wrote:
I cannot believe that neither Thor or Winnebago will replace the motors with anything but the original motor. The newer units have a larger more rugged motor, as I understand it. I think it is unpardonable that the manufacturers will not install the larger motor when a smaller one fails since the replacement will eventually fail also.
And regarding the issue of a full slide, it is a Schwintek problem, not a full slide problem. We have a full slide in our Newmar motorhome and it has worked flawlessly for over 2 years now.
Ed Headington
The problem I many cases is a combination of the slide, how it was installed, and the Schwintec system. A major part of the problem with the full wall slide in our 2013 Adventurer was the way it was installed. It wasn't fully supported on the kitchen island which is a good four feet long and cantilevered from the wall.
In addition the slide was not installed square with the opening in the wall. It was high on the rear causing the gear mechanism on the top front to bind the and the lower front gear mechanism have minimal engagement between the gear and the rack. The lower front would continually go out of time because the minimal gear engagement would allow the gear to jump teeth on the rack. The Schwintec system requires much closer installation tolerances to operate properly.
Our past HWH system didn't require close tolerances between the coach body and the slide to operate properly. As long as there was no interference between the two it would go in and out with no problems.
The Schwintec system on the other hand requires far closer and consistent tolerances side to side and top to bottom. The gears on the motor shafts (mounted on the coach body) and the racks (mounted on the slide) must remain in contact and not bind the entire distance the slide moves. This system requires far more attention to detail at installation than the previous HWH system.
Very good explanation.
Maybe a better response from me would have been it's a Schwintec limitation issue. In a perfect world it works, let something be off even a little and things go bad fast.
IMO it's a very, very poor system to install in a house that moves down the road at 65 MPH, over many bumps and potholes, that is then parked on unlevel ground.
At work I often say there is a lot of difference between the lab and reality. I'm sure the Schwintec system works wonderfully in the lab; the reality is it's a pretty fragile system with a lot of limitations. To me it would be a deal breaker.
