Slide Room Supports - Revisited

[mjflora]

First, thanks to all for the good information.

My owner's manual (dated 9/16/04), under Towing & Leveling - Fifth Wheel Leveling Procedures (pg. 31)- in a little box off to the right, states:

"SLIDE OUTS: In extended use situations, it is advisable to add support blocks under the slide room. Do not raise the room, but just touch the bottom. Also, periodically check the piston of the hydraulic cylinder and apply a film of grease to keep it from deteriorating."

I think, based on the suggestions/experience of this group, we will ignore this advice!

Mary

[sreigle]

I'm wondering about the grease on the cylinder. I assume that is the chrome one. That might not be a bad idea, especially if sitting for two or three months near salt air.

MIMF, if you are there would you provide thoughts on this? (anyone else, too)

Thanks.

[MIMF2]

John and Steve,

I would think that would be ok. Especially in a salt air environment. Infact, I would think you could use about anything. LPS, WD40, grease, Vaseline (good for a lot of things) However, after a long extended time, before I retract the rooms, I would wipe it off before retracting the shafts inside the cylinders. Dirt may attract and stick. I wouldn't want to pull any of that toward and perhaps into the shaft seal.

More of a common sense type of thing I believe. Infact, you will notice that I will be talking more about LPS and WD40. These products lubricate, clean and displace moisture which protects against corrosion.

Do I make any sense?

[rickety]

When I was an aircraft mechanic, way back when, we were taught to wipe hydraulic cylinder pistons with the fluid that was used in the system. In this case that fluid is a good grade of Transmission fluid. The only way I ever did it was to wet the rag with the oil and wipe the entire exposed piston with fluid.
This has always worked for me, even in the the pistons on my hydralic jacks.
Hope this helps in some way to answer your questions. by the way, we don't support our slide either.
Tis a beautiful day in the great Northwest, Ichiro just hit a double, the Mariners are actually playing baseball, all is well[

[Dental Floss Tycoon]

Rickety,

You are correct. Way back, when I was an aircraft technician in the Canadian military, we were taught to wipe down hydraulic cylinders on landing gear and servos with the fluid that was used in the system.

It's a beautiful day in southern Ontario. The Blue Jays are playing ball, well sort of

[wileecoyote985]

I spray my slide out hydraulic shafts with WD-40 until they're dripping. This has worked for me for a couple of years while we're camped for 3 months right next to the Gulf of Mexico in all that glorious salt air.

Another Montana owner, who was there for an equal period, had the beginnings of rust pits on his shafts because he didn't do something similar. I told him I used WD-40 and he said "Oh that stuff just evaporates".

Some of the WD-40 evaporates I'm sure, however I wipe the shafts off before I retract them and something that looks suspiciously like an oily film is still on the shafts after the 3 months. LOL.

[sreigle]

Dale, what is LPS?

[MIMF2]

Steve,

LPS is a product very similar to WD-40. I don't think it is as widely known or sold as WD-40. Way back when I was in plastics injection molding, we used both of these products to clean and protect delicate mold surfaces. It worked good as a corrosion prevention for more of the oxidizing effects of poly vinyl chloride and some of the acetel resins.

[Montana Sky]

I feel smarter each and every time I read through the MOC. Learn something new everyday!

[tbhd]

LPS is an industrial lubricant that is available in three forms (as far as I know). LPS 1 is a somewhat dry lubricant. LPS2 is a wet lubricant. LPS 3 is a rust inhibitor. LPS 1 is more like WD 40.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I used LPS 2 for years in the pulp and paper industry. It is a great product and used to state that it protected metal from corrosion for a certain length of time, either 1 or 2 years, I can't remember. We now use a product called Moovit, a lubricant and corrosion protector that also loosens seized fasteners.

[Searchers]

Started using LPS back in the mid 60's on my off road enduro motorcycles. When I found the engine would fire and continue to run while exposed to a continuous stream of water on the ignition system I was sold.

[mjflora]

So where can one buy this LPS? It sounds like good stuff!

Mary

[Glenn and Lorraine]

LPS1

LPS Home page

[keham]

In my aircraft hydrualics days. It was use only hydrualic fluid dampened rag to wip the exposed cyclinders. and as dale said always away from the cyclinder houseing toward the shaft end.

[keham]

oops missed rickys post see he said the same.
ken

[sreigle]

MIMF2, do you remember that dri-lube spray I got for the slide mechanisms? I forgot the name. TFE somethingorother. Anyhow, it does not collect dirt. But it also is dry so I'm not sure how well it would wipe on to cover the entire shaft. Do you think this TFE would work well for this purpose?

[MIMF2]

Steve, I remember it. Can't think of the name of it, either. Keystone had the stuff sprayed all over everything on my unit. Even down the sides of the inner tube.

This weekend, the Challenger came home for dewinterization and pm for the up coming season. She is now ready to go.

Anyway, I went under the unit with two (2) cans of black spray paint. Boy, it looks pretty under there now!! Anyway, when the paint dried, I got the WD40 out. That stuff cleaned that grey crap right off! Later when I brought the rooms in, it was music to the eyes and ears. I have never heard those things move in and out so smooth. I guess time will tell if I made a mistake or not.

And the hydraulic landing gear legs? Those things are fast and slick!!

'nough said.

[sreigle]

Dale, in another thread someone thought the landing gear should not be lubed.

Did you lubricate the lower legs, the upper legs, or both? And with what?

Should we lube the gears for those landing gear? How do you get to them and what to lube with?

Thanks.

[Montana Sky]

Another great question! I look forward to Dale's response...