Adjusting height of slide out

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
JoelP

JoelP

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Posts
735
Location
San Jose, CA
It seems that every other day I have another issue to ask about.  I am hoping that someday soon I will run out of issues, but I am so far not optimistic.

Last November I took my low mileage (7K miles) 2010 Itasca Suncruiser  37F in to have the local RV shop adjust the full length slide out that was not fully closing.  I had not used it for several months after that so I never noticed that all of the basement compartments under this slide out rub hard on the bottom of the slide out when the slide is in. Now at 12K miles of use it isn't clear to me if the shop will readjust this again without charge and I am trying to keep the continuous outlay of shop costs to a minimum.  Is this an adjustment that I can make myself?  To be clear this is a dual track, rack and pinion type of system (not hydraulic).  When searching past posts on this topic I read that there are adjustment bolts. If so are these straightforward to tune or am I more likely to do more harm?  My guess is that someone here has done such work and can tell me if it is touchy.

Joel
 
Hey Joel,

Does this video help?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cycjHrNMnlg

If nothing else it should give you some ideas.
 
Thanks KandT for this YouTube video.  It is a great instruction to adjusting a variable gap front to back on a dual track slide out.  I already paid once to fix that when it seems simple enough to do myself.  It also is a good instruction for the proper method to lube slides.  This is now simple enough that I won't need to pay for this anymore.

Sadly, it doesn't address adjustment for height of the slide out relative to the basement doors. I searched for another YouTube to address this, but have yet to find that one. I found one video that simply showed the two bolts for adjusting height so I may go looking for these on mine and experiment. There are, also, other YouTubes on the best way to lubricate and maintain the seals and slide rack and gear. 
 
First I'd go back to the shop and tell them their adjustment wasn't done right - slides maybe need adjustment every few years, not months. You could also try calling Winnebago but not sure how interested they'll be in supporting you. Otherwise perhaps call around and see if you can find a mobile RV repair that guarantees they know how to do it. You'll have to pay one more time but you can watch and see how it's done.
 
Sun2Retire said:
First I'd go back to the shop and tell them their adjustment wasn't done right - slides maybe need adjustment every few years, not months. You could also try calling Winnebago but not sure how interested they'll be in supporting you.
Click to expand...

Of course you are right that they ought to fix this since they promote themselves as the most qualified service shop in town and charge the largest hour rate.  Since it is summer the earliest appointment to take it back in just to have a quick look is June 21st, but that is my plan. The worst that can happen is they tell me that they want big bucks to do it again and I can either argue with them or know by then how to do it myself when I go there and argue more effectively.

So far my only letter to Winnebago was answered in a way that left me less than satisfied.  I complained to them that the drivers side door was rusting from the inside in California climate where it has never seen snow or salt.  Their reply was that the prior owner never complained so they don't see this as their problem (basically, pound sand).
 
Sorry Joel.  I was thinking you meant that the whole bottom was hitting before the top.  In that case you maybe could adjust both sides out or at least start there and see what it left you.  Now I reread your post and it sounds like you need the whole slide to move upwards? 
 
KandT said:
Sorry Joel.  I was thinking you meant that the whole bottom was hitting before the top.  In that case you maybe could adjust both sides out or at least start there and see what it left you.  Now I reread your post and it sounds like you need the whole slide to move upwards?
Click to expand...

Yes exactly. In the past I had one side hitting before the other, which seems to be a common problem. That is fixed now, but your YouTube showed me how to fix that issue myself.  It also said in another YouTube that such side to side misadjustment can lead to a vibration, which I have also experienced, and now know how to fix myself. 

In still another YouTube, where somebody had motor drive slides like mine, he pointed to a long screw with a locknut that was for that purpose, but he didn't adjust it.  That said, I will go hunting for those screws, that is if I can't shame the RV repair shop that did work on this last November into doing this correctly this time without further hourly charges.
 
I helped my friend adjust his. His coach is a National Tropical. It had two covers in the ends of the tracks. Behind the covers was a bolt on each end. He put a lever under the track while I loosened the bolt. Once loose he pried it up and I tightened the bolt. It took a few tries to get it dead on, but we did it without much trouble. His slide was hitting the doors below it as well like yours. The whole procedure only took twenty minutes.
 
Thanks for confirming that this works.  It gives me the confidence to try even though one very experienced RV owners on this blog have called slideouts "black magic".

Joel
 
Sun2Retire said:
First I'd go back to the shop and tell them their adjustment wasn't done right - slides maybe need adjustment every few years, not months. You could also try calling Winnebago but not sure how interested they'll be in supporting you. Otherwise perhaps call around and see if you can find a mobile RV repair that guarantees they know how to do it. You'll have to pay one more time but you can watch and see how it's done.
Click to expand...

So after a long wait to get back into this shop where it was adjusted last November, they agreed to readjust it to correct this problem. I just learned today that they found a bolt associated with the operation of this slide to be broken. They went on to say that replacing this bolt is next to  impossible due to where it is located. Instead they are welding this to effect a repair.  They said that this is aa repair that they have done in this way successfully in the past.  I am still at a loss as to just exactly which bolt this may be why it cannot be replaced  or how it was damaged.  Before I pick this up on Monday I will be sure to have them show me exactly where this bolt is located.  I have to wonder if it broke when they tried to adjust the height.  I am betting they will tell me this is a new problem and that I am paying for this repair.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,141 (members: 27, guests: 1,114)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,973
Posts
1,388,468
Members
137,722
Latest member
RoyL57
Back
Top Bottom