Power Slide vs Manual Slide

[ArkyDoodle]

We've had some scares in the past with the power slide. Sometimes it'll jump wildly, sometimes it seems to go in/out crooked and we hold our breath, hoping that it'll work. I think this winter I'm gonna try to adjust the tracking and/or disengage the motor and simply use it in a "manual" mode.

What would need to be done to make it "manual", is it something that can be done in the garage with normal tools? I was thinking that there is some sort of release button on the motor itself to allow for it to come away from the chain....Anyone ever done this??

[Padgett]

Mine is a manual slide and is very difficult for one person to open/close smoothly.

I'm curious to see if you can overide the powerslide in case it gets stuck and the motor malfunctions?

[Craigrrr]

Mine is a manual slide, no problems with one person doing it. Very easy in or out.

[mcollect]

Don't know if I did something wrong,but on our trip the battery was dead. So I just opened the slide manually. Worked fine but now the mechanism won't work electrically. I'm sure I disconnected the motor from the drive. Now how to reconnect it.

[ThePair]

I operate the slide myself, no power option here. I've found that the ease of manually pushing/pulling is directly related to how much stuff is on the slide, including storage under the couch. There may also be a balancing issue with the weight, but I've not tried to parse that out.

As long as I take out my pavilion tent, it's easy enough for me to open/close it that I've never felt the "loss" of not having power.

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Originally Posted by Padgett

Mine is a manual slide and is very difficult for one person to open/close smoothly.

Dry silicon spray lubricant? On my 3124KS, I had the same problem with my manual slide out, but Will (of The Car Show fame) told me about this spray lube. You can get it at Walleyworld. It's in the RV department by the automotive stuff. It says on the can that it's for slide outs. If you have the electric slide out, this will especially apply to you too.
So I got some and sprayed it everywhere on those aluminum rails on the floor next to the outside walls where the slide out made contact with the lower shell (with the slide out open of course). Even under on the outside in the grooves of the folding outrigger supports and especially the rollers and where they make contact to the underside of the slide out. Also don't forget the bolts that connects the outrigger to the frame.
After pulling it out and pushing it back in a couple of times it freed itself up and now slides very easily. About once a year I hit it with that spray to keep it sliding properly. Give er a squirt and see if that helps. I also use it on the bed slide out to keep it sliding smoothly.
Tom

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Originally Posted by mcollect

Don't know if I did something wrong,but on our trip the battery was dead. So I just opened the slide manually. Worked fine but now the mechanism won't work electrically. I'm sure I disconnected the motor from the drive. Now how to reconnect it.

When I first got my 3124KS I asked Will Unruh (at the Car Show) about the electric slide out option and his take was that they were not very dependable and if I wanted to add one I could but at great expense!
If your slide out, manually slides out easily, I wouldn't bother trying to re hook it back up. Leave well enough alone.....you could find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with a stuck slide that wont open. Wouldn't that be a fine kettle of fish?
Tom

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Originally Posted by ArkyDoodle

We've had some scares in the past with the power slide. Sometimes it'll jump wildly, sometimes it seems to go in/out crooked and we hold our breath, hoping that it'll work. I think this winter I'm gonna try to adjust the tracking and/or disengage the motor and simply use it in a "manual" mode.

What would need to be done to make it "manual", is it something that can be done in the garage with normal tools? I was thinking that there is some sort of release button on the motor itself to allow for it to come away from the chain....Anyone ever done this??

To call Will Unrah at The Car Show (719 635 7311) in Colorado Springs Co. He is sometimes swamped as they are short handed, but if you will leave your name and number he will call you back....can't say when that would be, because last time I did that it was 2 weeks later!!! So if you want to talk to him, keep calling back every hour or so. Unless you want to call the factory (402 316 7288), he IS the only guy that I know of to talk to about those electric slides.
Tom

I never really trusted my power slide to work 100% of the time, so when we brought our TM I called the factory. I wanted to know what I could do if the camground power failed and my battery was dead when it was time to leave. I was told to "remove the pin and slide it in by hand." I haven't found any pin to remove and I can't get the slide to budge by hand.

Then I mentioned my concern to a guy at an RV shop and told him what the factory said about removing the pin. He said his shop gets about one call per month about stuck slides (not any TrailManors though.) He said if the slide would not work, call for assistance "because you don't want to get into this yourself." Anyone have any idea what pin the factory was referring to?

Originally Posted by ArkyDoodle

We've had some scares in the past with the power slide. Sometimes it'll jump wildly, sometimes it seems to go in/out crooked and we hold our breath, hoping that it'll work. I think this winter I'm gonna try to adjust the tracking and/or disengage the motor and simply use it in a "manual" mode.

What would need to be done to make it "manual", is it something that can be done in the garage with normal tools? I was thinking that there is some sort of release button on the motor itself to allow for it to come away from the chain....Anyone ever done this??