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Old 01-06-2018, 07:31 AM   #1
mtlakejim
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Cable to electric or hydraulic

Anyone ever converted a cable slide system to electric or hydraulic operation?

I am thinking that going hydraulic would allow for conversion to hydraulic leveling as well and I could use a superior hydraulic pump since I will do the install myself (I am well versed in multiple disciplines).

I am NOT concerned with the weight of these systems as I would want such critical items to be robust!
 
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Old 01-06-2018, 07:43 AM   #2
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Question is why ??? As a very experienced RV mechanic said to me while getting one of my cables/gear drive replaced on warranty as I was contemplating going to a new Solitude and or Montana from out 2015 due to the cable issue. "these cable systems have been around for over 25yrs and usually cause little problem at all other than a cable now & then, easy to fix and very cheap". Then he proceeded to point at about 15 units out in the lot waiting on parts where the new style slide mechanism had failed and he said they are expensive to fix and a pain in the arse to work on.... Convinced me that the 3 cable slides in our 3790RD weren't all that important. Haven't had any issues with the two big hydraulic slides but on occasion they do creep out if I leave it sitting for a period of time with them in..... His advice seemed pretty logical and saved us about 20 grand in trading to the new 2018 for essentially the same layout.
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Old 01-06-2018, 07:55 AM   #3
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Owned Montana units since 2002. Never had a hydraulic slide issue. Owned our 2015 since july 4 weekend, 2014, bedroom slide is cable, one cable issue, fixed myself on site, no big deal. Understand the desire to have the Hydraulic leveling system, we love ours. Matter of how much it is worth to you to go through the effort.
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Old 01-06-2018, 07:56 AM   #4
mtlakejim
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Speedster,
It isn't something that I plan on doing any time soon as my rig is brand new. But I would like to get more familiar with how the systems are setup.


Let me ask this: if a cable breaks while the unit is in transit can the slide extend outward? That would make me think that adding a safety lock pin would be a good idea.
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Old 01-06-2018, 12:30 PM   #5
K0LCB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mtlakejim View Post
Speedster,
It isn't something that I plan on doing any time soon as my rig is brand new. But I would like to get more familiar with how the systems are setup.


Let me ask this: if a cable breaks while the unit is in transit can the slide extend outward? That would make me think that adding a safety lock pin would be a good idea.
IMHO anything is possible. I don’t think a cable is likely to break in transit. If you start worrying about little things, pretty soon you are worried all the time.
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Old 01-06-2018, 04:33 PM   #6
Carl n Susan
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Quote:
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Speedster,
<snip>
...if a cable breaks while the unit is in transit can the slide extend outward?...
</snip>
I had 5 cables replaced before they got it right. Two of those cables broke while we were traveling. The other 3 cables are strong enough to extend/retract the slide by themselves. The fourth one does help to keep the movement equal in addition to sharing the load. We did have a human assist when moving the slide though it wasn't really necessary.

So to answer your specific question, NO, the slide will not extend out while traveling if one cable is broken.
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Old 01-06-2018, 06:28 PM   #7
mtlakejim
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Thanks Carl that is a relief!!! Maybe one of these days someone can provide a drawing of the cable system or walk me thru it in person. There isn't much I can't fix myself if I know the general layout/principal of operation.


I am the kind of guy that would carry a spare cable and hardware, just in case....
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Old 01-06-2018, 06:40 PM   #8
speedster100
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Its on line check out BAL cable slide system
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Old 01-06-2018, 10:02 PM   #9
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The attached PDF should answer a lot of your questions/concerns.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Montana - BAL accuslide_service-manual.pdf (1.31 MB, 123 views)
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Old 01-07-2018, 06:07 AM   #10
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Thanks Carl. That is exactly what I was looking for. And they sell a cable replacement kit!
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Old 01-07-2018, 08:36 AM   #11
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Carl, that PDF is worth its weight in gold. I printed out a copy and put it with my other how toos in the rig.

Thank you so much.
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Old 01-08-2018, 07:41 AM   #12
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I have a question. What is an electic slide (other than a country dance LOL)? I assumed all we have is hydraulic and cable/electric.
Thanks.
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Old 01-08-2018, 01:34 PM   #13
mtlakejim
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I have a question. What is an electic slide (other than a country dance LOL)? I assumed all we have is hydraulic and cable/electric.
Thanks.
Twindman,
I haven't actually seen anything other than cable or hydraulic but have heard people talking about electric and made an assumption (I know I know a dangerous thing to do) that the industry had decided to use electric actuators on some units. We use 24 volt electric actuators on some of our automation in the oilfield so I am familiar with them and they would probably work in the place of hydraulic. They have the advantage of being easier to install (no pump or high pressure hoses) and less expensive but the disadvantage of not being as powerful or reliable as hydraulics.

Considering that the industry is starting to use electric leveling jacks it isn't a very big leap to see where they might start using electric actuators on the slides. The RV industry is constantly trying to reduce the unit build cost, very often at the expensive of quality and longevity.

I have considerable experience with both hydraulics and electric actuators. My thoughts are: the hydraulics will operate reliably for several years but when they do go down, its going to be an expensive and somewhat time consuming fix. You will likely have issues with electric actuators every couple years under typical use but when there is a problem the fix will be less expensive and fairly easy....
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Old 01-08-2018, 05:21 PM   #14
Carl n Susan
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I have a question. What is an electic slide (other than a country dance LOL)? I assumed all we have is hydraulic and cable/electric.
Thanks.
The most common electric system I am aware of is the Schwintek system from (guess who) Lippert.

https://www.lci1.com/in-wall-slide-out
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Old 01-09-2018, 08:58 AM   #15
cw3jason
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The most common electric system I am aware of is the Schwintek system from (guess who) Lippert.

https://www.lci1.com/in-wall-slide-out
Yes and the in-wall slid out system can also be very problematic. both the in wall slide system and the cable systems are good systems and work well. the problem is with the install. if the Manufacture does not install it right you end up with issues. the in wall slide system must be installed perfectly true and square, any miss alignment and it will bind, strip gears and tear the floor up. I know because I had this happen in my SOB. the cable systems biggest failure is the bracket location on the slide out walls sometimes are not aligned with the pulleys causing the cable to rub in the in or out position this rubbing causes fraying and failure. had this happen on my current trailer. I relocated the bracket and replaced the cable to fix the issue. There is no bad system, just bad installs...
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