slides - Montana Owners Club

gitrdun · 12-14-2009, 03:42 AM

My slides were creeping out slowly over a period of a day. I done the recycling 3 times then it stopped. Now when I pull my slide in the bedroom and kitchen slide come in perfect but when the main slide comes in it stops about half way. I wait a few seconds then push the button then it retracts the rest of the way, sounds like a loss of power but I do not know. Any help would be welcome.

exav8tr · 12-14-2009, 04:15 AM

Without knowing the year of your unit, could it be the resettable inline breaker that is causing this problem. They get hot, quit, then reset again. Might try touching that thing when it stops to see if it is getting hot and maybe think about going to a slightly larger amp breaker. Maybe someone else has an idea that will post shortly....

gitrdun · 12-14-2009, 04:18 AM

It is an 06 2980, sounds like you might be right. Would that be located close to the pump?

Art-n-Marge · 12-14-2009, 04:35 AM

The breakers are below the pump. You'll find two of them. One is for the landing gear and the other is for the slideout motor.

This has been a topic of discussion recently and many of us have communicated a solution that mostly solves the problem. I'll explain.

There are several things to consider. First make sure the trailer is level side-to-side, then front-to-back AND that the rear stabilizers are down. THEN extend the slides (this is the documented procedure). I used to extend the slides first, then drop the stabilizers and think that has caused the problem for me because I think the stabilizers help keep the trailer steady while the slides extend. Not doing this may have caused my slides to be slightly out of adjustment as they move. Time will tell as I extend/retract the slides because I will now be using the stabilizers correctly and I have installed the fix from Lippert.

Here is the picture of what I did:

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/u...855-shrunk.jpg

This shows the single slideout autoresetting circuit breaker replaced with two 50 amp cbs in parallel (now up to 100 amps) to improve slide performance. Please note this dual cb setup is only for the slideout motor. Do not change the landing gear. This solution was provided by other MOC members who got it from Lippert.

Also note that in my solution the topmost wire goes to the battery and the bottom goes to the motor. Others have done it with the battery lead on the top and motor lead on the bottom. The cbs MUST be installed with the BAT to battery and AUX to the motor. Please don't let my picture throw you off (I really should fix my installation to lessen confusion).

gitrdun · 12-14-2009, 04:39 AM

Thanks, I can handle that. That is exactly the way I put out my slides. Mine is parked by my house, so it is perfectly level.

Emmel · 12-14-2009, 04:45 AM

If you decide to replace the inline fuses, be careful of going higher on amps than what the wires are rated for. If a line has a 40amp fuse, I'd stay with a 40amp breaker, less chance of starting fires that way. Having 100amp capacity could cause more problems than just kicking out a 40amp fuse.
This was discussed about two years ago after a member had a meltdown of the wireing.

Tom S. · 12-14-2009, 06:48 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Emmel

If you decide to replace the inline fuses, be careful of going higher on amps than what the wires are rated for. If a line has a 40amp fuse, I'd stay with a 40amp breaker, less chance of starting fires that way. Having 100amp capacity could cause more problems than just kicking out a 40amp fuse.
This was discussed about two years ago after a member had a meltdown of the wireing.

That makes sense under normal circumstances, but Lippert themselves have propsed the 100 amp fix.

The easiest/cheapest way to fix is as Art suggested, putting two breakers in parallel. Two 40's will work just fine and are easy to find than 50's (let alone a 100 amp) at nearly any auto parts store. Just make sure they are auto-reset.

Art-n-Marge · 12-14-2009, 07:25 AM

btw - after making the dual cb fix and making sure the stabilizers are down there is no more stopping in my case. I also notice the slides extend and retract much smoother now. The big mistake for me was listening to the PDI tech who said it's okay to move the slides with the stabilizers up. I should have read the book or maybe I just misunderstood his instructions.

But if you are having the stabilizers down and the slides have been working fine and then one (especially the big one) starts to stop and start, there could be some maintenance needed or possibly even an adjustment. Adding the dual cbs will help, but they might also mask something worse.

Will 6 gauge wire handle 100 amps? or 80 amps? I know the motor will but not sure of the wires.

TLightning · 12-14-2009, 09:36 AM

I agree the unit should be level, but I don't think the stabilizers have anything to do with the operation of the slide outs. They do not carry any weight and don't support any real weight, all they do is keep the rig from wiggling. If the slides are properly lubricated and do not bind at all (which they shouldn't with a level trailer), they should go in and out smoothly. Both manuals state the trailer should be level but do not mention the stabilizers.

I run my slides both in and out sometimes with the stabilizers up and sometimes with them down...never had a problem.

capn chris · 12-15-2009, 03:27 AM

I just replaced my 50A auto-reset breaker (bought two so I'd have a spare) and haven't had a problem since. Costs

**Rondo** · 12-15-2009, 03:38 PM

Chris-- You're no fun at all! I love to get that little tingle

and love to watch others when they get that same tingle!

As long as I don't get a pacemaker I'll be fine!!

dieselguy · 12-16-2009, 04:49 AM

I'm with TLightning ... I don't believe the stabilizers need to be put down first. In over 18 years of owning some sort of a TT or fiver with slides I level it up, pull the truck away, put out the slides, then drop the rear stabilizers with no problems. Each unit has different alignments and clearances depending on what crew put it together. Misalignments, less clearance, and absence of lubrication requires more force to move the slides ... some to the point of tripping the factory breaker. Once a breaker tripps and continues to trip periodically, it weakens and needs less amperage to cause it to trip.

exav8tr · 12-16-2009, 02:05 PM

We had to think about this and our routine is to level, put out stabilizers, adjust our JT strongarm supports, then out come the slides, however, when departing, I usually raise the rear stab BEFORE the slides go in. Go figure, no problems with slide motors or CB's or fuses or whatever else they involve...I will probably change and bring slides in before I pull up the stabs, not sure why, but it sounds good. Then again, maybe not.

ehmcfarl · 12-16-2009, 04:56 PM

My 2008 3400RL has just started doing the same thing as gitrdun is describing. When I put my slides out, or pull them back in, I normally start with the bedroom slide, then the kitchen slide, then the entertainment slide, and lastly the large sofa/dinette slide, all without ever stopping to let the pump/motor/cb cool off. When the problem occurs and the pump stops it is usually on the large sofa/dinette slide. I wait maybe 15 seconds and it will then finish the job of extracting/retracting the large slide. I have lubed the slides and cannot see any place where they might be binding. Just a question, when you install the two 40 or 50 amp cb's in parallel, it really doesn't give you 80 or 100 amp service does it? It just spreads the motor load and heat generated by the load over two breakers to dissipate the heat instead of one dosen't it? Or, am I all wet?

Tom S. · 12-16-2009, 10:48 PM

Using two breakers in parallel (side by side) does increase the amperage available to the motor. In theory it doubles it by the value of breakers used, which is to say if you used two 40 amp breakers, you could get 80 amps before tripping the breakers. I say in theory because there are variables. If one breaker is slightly weaker than the other, it might trip a little sooner putting the load on the remaining breaker and kicking it out as well. Still, it will double the rating or at least come close to it. The limiting factor then becomes the wire and how much load it is capable of carrying. 6 gauge wire is rated at 101 amps.

kbabb72 · 06-09-2012, 08:15 AM

We have a 2006 2955...the setup doesn't look like the pics you showed...but the wires did get hot. What do we do now? The slides are not working well,either. Must be common?

stiles watson · 06-09-2012, 01:14 PM

About three years into this rig, it started some of the same issues with slides coming in in a herky-jerky manner. It all stopped when Lippert increased the capacity of my hydraulic system to accommodate the Level-Up system as well as the slides.

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