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

[larry2c]

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

[maillemaker]

The tires really don't look that bad for having been sitting for 5 years

That means the tires are at least 5 years old. 10 years is about the max most manufacturers will suggest, often less than that. RV tires tend to age out before treading out.

I would not replace them to sell, but any buyer who knows what they are doing will look for the date codes on the tires and figure tire replacement as part of the cost of the rig.

Steve

[larry2c]

subcamper wrote:
My mechanical worm-gear slides have a manual crank mode, but you have to remove a pin first. The motor has a brake on it which locks the shaft when there is no 12V applied to it to keep the slide from creeping out due to vibration. For this reason, you have to decouple the motor shaft from the rest of the assembly before going to manual crank mode.

I once had the brake fail and refuse to let go. If the slides haven't been moved in 5 years and won't go when you push the button, check to see if you have the brake, which might have seized up.

Steve

Thanks Steve, that's great to know!

[subcamper]

My mechanical worm-gear slides have a manual crank mode, but you have to remove a pin first. The motor has a brake on it which locks the shaft when there is no 12V applied to it to keep the slide from creeping out due to vibration. For this reason, you have to decouple the motor shaft from the rest of the assembly before going to manual crank mode.

I once had the brake fail and refuse to let go. If the slides haven't been moved in 5 years and won't go when you push the button, check to see if you have the brake, which might have seized up.

Steve

[Dave_H_M]

I don't think I noticed anyone mention checking for and cleaning the stuff off the top of the slides?

I would do that and hit the in button.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Just as a general note, graphite, graphite molybdenum lubes do not attract dirt, but they stain clothing. They have 8 times the lubricity of clear so-called lubricants when push comes to shove.

[larry2c]

Thanks again all!

Thanks for the feedback on the seals - I was kind of thinking the same thing but wasn't sure if it would be worth the hassle or not.

As far as selling the rig on site, we will give it a quick try but the park says the rig has to go - they've been accommodating the MIL since they were long time residents but it's too old to be there. I have talked to a local dealer and he will move it to his lot for $150 and put it up for sale on consignment. That's likely how things will go.

The tires really don't look that bad for having been sitting for 5 years (still had about 35 psi in them). They look fairly new and were covered all the time. So, some weather checking but not bad. Definitely good enough to haul it to the dealer and maybe a nearby property (that's where he said it will likely go) but I wouldn't head out on a cross country trip!

[time2roll]

How about have a mobile detailer come to the site and sell it right from there.
Quite frankly I would be more concerned about the tires.

[agesilaus]

Yeah usually there is a manual crank that will kill you trying to use it. But on my old Titanium you could drive that with an impact wrench which would move the slide. Manual crank means there is a square stub near the motor, in that area. That you can turn whatever way you can. Lube the heck out of everything. I would not be worried about using dry lube, this thing is not going touring on the road again.

If one motor is dead but another works you can swap them easily. All this is assuming it is like my old system which had a rack and pinion with the rack extending the depth of the slide and the worm is driven my the motor.

[BFL13]

Screw the seals! 🙂 You want to get the slides in and move the rig to the selling site. Fixing the seals may or may not matter to the price you get.

It is like stick-house selling. Some renos may not pay for themselves in a higher price to the seller. Let the next guy fork over his money for that.

[Lwiddis]

“and then will be selling her rig.”

What’s your rock bottom, no dicker price?

[larry2c]

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]

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]

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.