NDBirdman Posted November 10, 2019 Report Share Posted November 10, 2019 Our trip mentioned earlier in another post went off great! Enjoyed the time with daughter/grand-daughter very much. Every thing went off with no problems until the 2nd to last night before making it back home to wonderful ND (where the recent wet-snow storm destroyed lots of trees, etc... grrr). We spent the last night in a motel. The long slide decided to get cantankerous. Went out ok, no indications anything was wrong. When trying to run it in... one end comes in normal, the other just sits there, causing the slide to be cocked then lock up. Took myself and the park owner and his friend a little while to figure out what was happening and finally got it in. This slide has 2 bars with gears on top to run it in and out. One side works, one does not. My wife must hold the switch and I must stand outside and push the (bad?) end of slide in. Takes a few minutes but can get it in.... it's not light.. LOL and I'm not strong as I use to be. It feels like I'm sliding it wood on wood, does not feel like I'm pushing or moving a bad drive motor? Does anyone have any experience with this type slide? Does it have 2 motors to drive it in, some sort of transmission and one motor? Camper's bottom is sealed but can be removed. Got home to teens temp so I won't be laying under this thing til spring to fix for sure. Also discovered this trip... this camper is NOT designed for cold weather so our snowbirding is canceled this year unless we find another RV (doubtful, but would be a different post if we decide which way to go). I want to fix it if it does not cost much so I can sell it this spring. If it cost too much, I'll make it a chicken coup. Do they still make parts for this old camper? 2002 was the last year of manufacture for this model. 2002 Dutchman (THOR) Fifth Ave, 32' Quote 2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packnrat Posted November 10, 2019 Report Share Posted November 10, 2019 as to replacement/ungraded parts?? but first check and see if both motors are getting any juice? broken wire, blown fuse, etc. are both motors turning? a broken safety link in the drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danandfreda Posted November 10, 2019 Report Share Posted November 10, 2019 Saw this in October. One motor with a long shaft and two gears. One gear at each end of slide. 1/4-20 bolt holds gear to shaft probably broke. Pull covering down under rv and move insulation. They fixed it in the campground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mptjelgin Posted November 10, 2019 Report Share Posted November 10, 2019 Danandfreda hit the nail on the head. There is very likely a single hydraulic jack or electric motor, and a geared shaft with a shear bolt. There are often two shear bolts, one near each end of the geared shaft. You'll need to open the belly to figure out which one (or rarely both) has sheared. A very simple repair once you've gained access to the shaft. I've had to replace a couple on my Hitchhiker. Luckily Hitchhiker made it easy to drop the plastic belly pan to get to the bolts and then re-attach it. Some trailers will require cutting the bottom open and then trying to figure out how to close it back up. Quote Mark & Teri 2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350 Mark & Teri's Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danandfreda Posted November 10, 2019 Report Share Posted November 10, 2019 The one I saw was on a drv mobile suites seemed easy to get too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDBirdman Posted November 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 Cool, thanks for the replies! I do hope it is as simple as a shear bolt. We have a couple days coming in the next couple weeks above freezing so maybe I'll drop the pans and check it out. The whole bottom is covered with sheets of sheet-metal held on by sheet metal screws. I suspect it was put on by previous (original) owners so should be easy to drop. Again, thanks for the replies!! Quote 2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mptjelgin Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 When you do the work make sure that the slide is square in the opening. What I do is extend the slide just a couple of inches and measure both sides relative to the outside wall. Get it as even as you can. Once you figure out which bolt is sheared, you will likely need someone to bump the switch to move the working side in or out a tiny bit to get the shear bolt holes lined up. Once the bolt is in run the slide in and out a couple of times to be certain that it is tracking correctly. Depending on what slack you have in the system you could end up removing the bolt and adding (or subtracting) half a turn or more to get it running squarely. It's best to do the checking and adjusting before you button the bottom back up!! Quote Mark & Teri 2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350 Mark & Teri's Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDBirdman Posted November 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 Will do, thanks for the info! Quote 2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 The likely bolt that sheared is the one at the end that is not moving. Go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and get you the white boards to make a yard sign. Cut a flap in the belly large enough to work in. Use a large crescent to rotate the square tubing to get the holes to line up. Insert the bolt and install the nut. Get nylon locknuts. I keep several on hand. Cut a piece of the yard sign material larger than your hole. Close the flap and cover with the yard sign material. Insert screws and enjoy your slide. Quote Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mptjelgin Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 8 hours ago, Ronbo said: The likely bolt that sheared is the one at the end that is not moving. On my slides the hydraulic ram is attached to one of the beams supporting the slide, with the other beam actuated through the geared shaft. So the end with the ram is always the end that moves. If either of the bolts is sheared on the connecting shaft the other end does not. So on my setup at least, the end that is not moving does not indicate which bolt is sheared. Quote Mark & Teri 2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350 Mark & Teri's Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 nd- my Carriage trailer has a zippered access panel in the bottom tarp for the big room slide motor / shaft connections etc. It is a small tooth black zipper in a black flap in a black tarp above the black axle in a dark head bonkin area under the trailer. Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanhoyle Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 We just went through this. The one thing no one has mentioned. When replacing the bolt that broke. Replace it with a GRADE 3 bolt not a hardened bolt grade 4 or higher. They are designed to be the weak link in the system. It is better to break a shear bolt than replace the motors. Quote Jeanie and John Ford F-250 super crew Americana 34/35 GS (it's a Forest River Cardinal with extras) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundancer268 Posted November 11, 2019 Report Share Posted November 11, 2019 I would not bet on every shear bolt being a grade 3, (no such grade) Grade two has no lines on the head. Grade 5 has three lines on the head and Grade 8 has six lines on the head. I am betting on grade 5 with three lines. To be sure, match the other bolts on the shaft. Quote U.S. Navy GSMC(SW) (RETIRED) 1993-11-01, 26 years service with 23 years of that active and 3 years reserve. Now retired after 20 years at local hospital in the maintenance department. 1995 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser 34' DP W/6Spd Allison. Road Master Sterling All terrain, Air Force One, towing new 2019 Jeep Cherokee Elite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 So, none of the posts above indicate the slide in question actually does have shear bolts, so be prepared to look elsewhere. That said, the post about using low grade shear bolts is correct. I have lots of equipment with shear bolts, and every one is grade 2, no head markings. While you're in there, see if you have another issue which caused the bolt to shear in the first place. Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDBirdman Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Still have not worked on yet, time so far is not my friend. Might get a little warmer this weekend but I will be in Sioux Falls Fri - Mon it appears. Dug out the owners manual, it gives no troubleshooting info but does have a diagram of the system. I'm willing to bet it is a shear bolt. The affected end of the slide is fairly easy to move in and out so there isn't any binding to have caused it. This summer we have been down some pretty rough gravel roads boon-docking, could be it just put too much stress on the bolts holding the slide gear, etc. Thanks for the replies! Quote 2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodog Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 While you are replacing the shear "BOLTS" , double check for elongated holes inn the cross shaft. ShortyO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDBirdman Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Been a little while since I posted about my problem. Have not bothered working on it because of the virus, I was in no hurry to lay on the ground and work on it, way toooo many other projects took priority. Anywayz, made my mind up this am to look at it. There was no access panels near the shear bolts but a panel in the back was big enough to get my big head and flashlight in. Yup, it was a shear bolt, missing so that was it. I cut an 8x8 square hole and was able to get to it easily. Installed a shearbolt, now she slides all the way in/out with no problem. Looked it over good, could not figure out what caused it to break. Looked over at the other side, looks original so I figure before we go far I will cut an access hole for that too. All in all, it was easy to fix so we are ready to go! Although we could easily have used the camper with the slide in, just makes it nice to have the room opened up. Now if I could get my garden put in this easy.... LOL, and the painting, need to replace 10 lower level windows.... yesh... I need to go fishing! Thank-you very much for all the info/insight on my problem. Camp on! Quote 2002 Fifth Avenue RV (RIP) 2015 Ram 3500 Mega-cab DRW(38k miles), 6.7L Cummins Diesel, A668RFE, 3.73, 14,000 GVWR, 5,630 Payload, 27,300 GCWR, 18,460 Max Trailer Weight Rating(For Sale) , living in the frigid north, ND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 12 hours ago, NDBirdman said: Installed a shearbolt, now she slides all the way in/out with no problem. Looked it over good, could not figure out what caused it to break. There are several reasons that a shear bolt will break, from normal wearing to some sort of mechanical bind. Because their purpose is to prevent something more serious from breaking it is important that the proper shear bold or pin be used. I know someone who used a hardened steel bolt to replace one that kept breaking and the result cost him more than $1000. It could be that the problem was a fluke or it may just need some type of maintenance or lubrication. I would check everything carefully to avoid it happening again soon. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mptjelgin Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 One possible cause of shear bolt breakage over time is staying on the slide switch for too long after the slide has fully extended or retracted. Our Hitchhiker has hydraulic slides, and once the slide is completely in or out you can hear the pump motor load up and begin to strain. If you stay on the switch for any time beyond that the entire system is being stressed. I've replaced a couple of shear bolts in 9 years of full-timing with the trailer and we are now a bit quicker to get off of the switch. Quote Mark & Teri 2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350 Mark & Teri's Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.