Tom, I think this thread would be a great addition to the library. I was going to post the link to this thread over on the Arctic Fox owners' forum, but was surprised to see they have a mandatory monthly fee for posting. I decided to pass, as I am not active on that forum. I'll try to remember to PayPal YOU some money again.
Unfortunately, when we brought the slide back in to test the reattachment of the mechanism, the slide wouldn't come in right. There were loud popping noises coming from the header area at the top of the slide inside. The front lower edge of the slide refused to come up over the roller.
I'd had problems getting it started before, even with the original couch, chair and free-standing dinette, but I had already moved the major weight off the slide as usual (the recliner and filing cabinet) and it still wouldn't come in. Ron adjusted the back wall of the slide down a bit so the front inside could tilt up more. It was better, but still not enough.
Investigation revealed that a plastic spring clamp had gotten stuck between the outer top 4" wide lip seal on the slide and the header inside. Over time, the clamp had bent the inside of the "u" channel at the header and interfered with the slide function.
I usually check the top of the slide for obstructions before I pull it in, but I guess I missed one. Since the clamp got caught, it was stuck behind the big 4" seal so I never saw it again. I recalled that I had used spring clamps to fasten some shade cloth over the slideout about 3 summers ago when it was up in the 90s and I was boondocking.
Lesson learned, I hope! I'll start a new topic on fixing it. I'll have to remove and replace the U channel and repair or replace the 4" by 12.5 ft long slide seal at the top. The clamp had been caught hard against part of the header and broke thru the rubber roof material into the wood. I'll have to treat that for rot somehow. I discovered another crappy way that the slide seal had been mounted and not caulked right. The wood behind the screw holes there will have to be treated as well. I plan on documenting this and posting pictures.