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ab257's avatar
ab257
Explorer
Nov 12, 2015

Slide out problems

Having a problem with our dinette slideout. It is a simple Power Gear twin rack and pinion driven by a single motor. The slide room goes out until the flange on the inside of the slide room hits the inside wall of the camper and the motor kicks out on high amps (apparently that is the way Powergear designed these, with a high amp stop switch).

The problem is when it comes in, it stops when the flange (fascia) that is a part of the outside wall of the slide room hits the outside wall of the camper, or at least it is supposed to.

The fascia has weakened over time and now it flexes when it comes in and hits the wall so the slide room comes in further than it should. Not much, but enough so the end of the rack comes off the pinion gear on the rear rack and pinon and the pinion gear starts slapping against the last tooth until the front rack comes in and kicks out the motor.

Then when you push it out again, since the back rack is not on the gear, it misses for a second or two until the front rack pushes the slide room out enough so the back rack catches, and now the slide room is cocked with the front out an inch more than the back.

It wasn't until I got back there with a boroscope that I realized the spur gear was coming beyond the end of the rack. It doesn't help that the way they cut the end of the rack the last tooth is just a little stub.

I'm talking with the manufacturer and a local RV dealer, but I'd like to know if anyone else has run into this problem, and what the resolution was.
  • I'd install some kind of a stop on the last tooth of the rack. If the rack is thick enuff, you could drill and tap horizontally into the end to bolt a stop,.....or weld.

    I like my manual control,.....just let off the button when the slide should be stopping.
  • Not the same set up but ...

    My slide has a bit of angle iron that hits the frame and stalls the motor when the slide goes out.

    And it also has one for when it comes in, but that one popped off, bad weld, strong motor. So now I just watch it coming in and stop it manually before the outside fascia gets out of shape.

    One of these days I'll get that bit of angle welded back on.

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