Slide outs

[Tinbangertom]

Just a quick question about slides , are we supposed to grease them as a yearly maintenance? thx. sometimes on battery only back slide does'nt want to open

[spoon059]

I would refer to your owners manual. I believe Jayco, for example, does NOT recommend and grease or lubricants on the mechanism. The only maintenance is keeping the roof clean and the seals properly lubricated.

[rbpru]

I look up my slide manual and it said no maintenance except to lube the boots and seals to keep them flexible.

It is a small slide and seems to run on a couple of cog rails.

[Passin_Thru]

Leave it plugged in until you have it slid too. I use a checklist and the last thing I do is unplug the shore power or ground service or 120 or whatever then put the door handle up and the steps in and check everything in my walkabout. I missed the door handle 2 X so far in 3 years. Pilots ahve checklists for areason.

[Tinbangertom]

I was talking about the 3/4 inch threaded rod and thx. all I meant lubricant as well

[wmoses]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Grease......NO

Lube......OK if you use a dry graphite or silicone spray.

This is what I was intending to say, of course. Thanks for clarifying for the OP. I was using the term "grease" generally, when I perhaps should have said "lubricate". 🙂

I have a Lippert rack and pinion type slide (rack and pinion under the slideout) and 2 Schwintek slides and last time I got my can of lubricant out I applied it to the rack and pinion under the Lippert slide no problem. The RV Doctor suggests that "All slideouts are designed for minimal maintenance" but "All slideout mechanisms require periodic lubrication. It is recommended to always use a dry lube, though some coachbuilders recommend a light grease such as lithium grease be applied." He recommends "Protect All Slide-out Dry Lube Protectant, available at Camping World", which is what I have.

The Schwintek has the tracks on the sides of the slideout, top and bottom, and they are nice and clean so I decided to postpone spraying these until I investigate further on how to cleanly apply the lubricant. Thanks to this thread I have just investigated further and Lippert has a good video on lubricating the Schwintek slides. Note that they use CRC Powerlube with PTFE "only" which has the following characteristics, among others:

- Contains PTFE for long-lasting protection
- Withstands extreme load carrying situations
- Displaces moisture and seals out corrosion

Hope this helps.

[Old-Biscuit]

Grease......NO

Lube......OK if you use a dry graphite or silicone spray

Grease gums up, attracts dirt and then grease/grit act like sandpaper.

But it does depend on type/style of slide out mechanism. Our hydraulic rack/drive gear..mfg. says no lube..just brush down with wire brush.

What kind of slide mechanism and which mfg. of slides do you have?

[wmoses]

Tinbangertom wrote:
Just a quick question about slides , are we supposed to grease them as a yearly maintenance? thx. sometimes on battery only back slide does'nt want to open

You can't over grease mechanical parts that contact one another other than brakes. 😉

Yes - go for it. Grease them at least yearly, more often as they need it. There is specific lubricants for slide mechanisms.

[Arn]

And yes, they should be greased. Methods are different depending on type so just find & follow manufacturer's recommendation. I have an electric Lippert slide & all I do is spray a slide lubricant on the support arms 3 or 4 times a year.

[robsouth]

Battery fully charged? Slides operate from the batteries, even when plugged to shore power. If battery is weak, slides most likely will not function properly.