slideout

[ukjoe]

when I am bringing my slideout in it will stop 3 or 4 times before I get it all the way in. I have checked fluid an connetions but cannot find a problem. It is a 2006 5th wheel.
Thanks

[c5racer]

Make sure your battery is up to par.

[prariepoodle]

I have the same problem with it coming in or out and Dale says that we should replace the breakers that are 30 amp to 50 amp...We have a 2003 3280 RL.

[H. John Kohl]

Is the slide hesitation with hydraulic fluid lose or paused because the hydraulic pump quit working. If latter, check and see if the rest break in the battery compartment is tripping. If so it may need to be replaced, it goes without saying you will need to try and determine what is tripping it or loading the motor.

[capn chris]

Very common problem that's been discussed many times. Simplest solution is get a replacement (or two) 50A autoreset breaker and install. Costs

[indy roadrunner]

Welcome to the forum UKJOE, a lot of us with the 2006 models have had this problem. Lippert sent out a fix and someone on the forum here has pictures and all. I installed two 50 amp breakers in paralle per the Lippert instructions and have not had a problem since. Another thing, once those 50 amp auto re-set breakers start breaking, they get weak and will need replacement.

[Waynem]

All the above with emphasis on the parallel circuit breaker.

First things, check the ground going to the motor. I have heard that some members have found the ground wire to be inefficiently installed.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Could someone explain to me, if a 30 AMP circuit breaker was initially designed in, how two 50 Amp breakers in parallel is a good solution? It just does not compute. Is the wiring or the whole system capable of handling 100 AMPS? Just insn't a very safe solution if the design was based on 30 AMP to begin with. Technically this doesn't make any sense.

[richfaa]

The newer units such as our 06 3400 have 50 amp breakers. Dale can better ezxplain whay the system can handle that. We do have the suggested fix breakers in stock but have not installed them. Given ample warning by folks on the forum about the breakers tripping we do the following on our 4 slide 3400. Bring in, or out, the bedroom slide and kitchen slide..pause..then the opposing slide ..pause...the the big main slide. It might take a extra 15 or 20 seconds to bring in/out all the slides but the breaker will not trip and we are still on the OEM breaker. We did have ALL our slides adjusted while at the service center in April of 07. That may have also helped.

[SlickWillie]

The hydraulic pump is rated at 100 amps. Wiring on our hydraulic unit is #6 stranded cable and can handle that amperage. I believe the hydraulics are running right on the edge with a 50 amp breaker. We had no problem until I installed a new cylinder, which was tighter than the old one. Breaker started tripping when bringing the slides in. I couldn't find a 50 amp breaker where I was located, so I merely paralleled a 30 with the 50. End of problem.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Even if the 2006 was designed for 50 Amps, putting in two 50 Amp breakers in parallel is just plain unsafe unless the system is designed for 100 Amps. Something is totally amiss here. Rich, I think you sometimes forget that most of us don't have easy access to the Goshen Service Center like you have had. We have to deal with phone calls, local dealers and their service personnel, etc. We have one breaker which was replaced under warranty and we have not had problems since. Two in parallel will never be installed on any RV that I own. Parallel circuit breakers are never designed in and never should or will be used in acceptable electrical designs by a registered Electrical Engineer. It is a bandaid that is dangerous.

[SlickWillie]

Dean, I suspect the reason for the parallel breakers is the availability issue of a 100 amp breaker. Plus, it may well be much more economical to go with two 50 amp breakers. While I would not parallel two breakers on single phase AC voltage line, I have no qualms about doing so on a 12 volt DC system. Merely my opinion.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

As you might guess, the rated ampacities are just a rule of thumb. In careful engineering the voltage drop, insulation temperature limit, thickness, thermal conductivity, and air convection and temperature should all be taken into account. The Maximum Amps for Power Transmission uses the 700 circular mils per amp rule, which is very very conservative. The Maximum Amps for Chassis Wiring is also a conservative rating, but is meant for wiring in AIR, and not in a BUNDLE. For short lengths of wire, such as is used in battery packs you should trade off the resistance and load with size, weight, and flexibility. NOTE: For installations that need to conform to the National Electrical Code, you must use their guidelines. Contact your local Certified and Registered Electrical Engineer to find out what is legal!

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Slick,

My other guess on why two 50 AMP breakers are being suggested is that there is a possibility for greater than 100 AMP momentary surges which will trip the weakest of the two 50 AMP breakers but still allow operation of the slides if the surge doesn't occur again before the first 50 AMP breaker resets. There are much better engineering solutions to this problem than putting two 50 AMP Breakers in parallel. Given identical 50 AMP breakers, nearly 100 AMPs could flow continuously for an indefinite period of time. #6 wire in an enclosed and bundled environment without the proper insulation with a long run will not safely handle 100 Amps continuously. It is unsafe in this RV environment. IMHO, the parallel breakers are a dangerous bandaid fix rather than designing it right to begin with. Fire is a definite possibility.

[SlickWillie]

The hydraulic pump is in very close proximity to the battery. Open air chassis wiring. I realize power transmission and bundled wire changes the current capacity. Ambient temperature also affects current capacity. I have never checked, but I would suspect the pump actually draws more current in the winter months, due to fluid viscosity in cooler weather.

Flow from the converter on my unit as I understand it is maximum 45 amps. Lippert says they will void the warranty on units damaged by operating strictly on the converter. There are a lot of other things on my unit that concern me more than the hydraulic system. As I stated earlier, I have 80 amps protection on the system, and have had no breaker trips since installing it. I would agree though, overall engineering on these fifth wheels leaves something to be desired.