Dear Dave,
Our trailer has a cable-driven slideout. Is there any maintenance I should be doing on the system? I can’t see where lubricating the cables would work. —William, Heartland Mallard M301
Dear William,
Most likely you have a BAL Accu-Slide that has a motor above the headboard and a cable system that pulls the room in and out. You are correct—lubricating the cables will not do much of anything, but there is some recommended maintenance of the slide room.
Inspection
Periodically check the cables for any kinks, fraying areas, pinches, or sagging. When the room is seated full out, the OUTSIDE cables should be slack enough to move the cable approximately 1/2” up or down (1” total movement) by hand. The holding power is actually on the INSIDE cables pulling the standoff brackets tight against the frame. When the room is seated full in, the INSIDE cables should be slack enough to move the cable approximately 1/2” up or down (1” total movement) by hand. The holding power is now on the OUTSIDE cables pulling the standoff brackets tight against the frame.
The chains work the same way as the cables: When the room is full in or out, half of the chain on each side of the motor will be slightly slack and half of each chain will be tight.
What you should see on a properly adjusted slide room:
- When room is out, all inside standoff brackets and inside seal will be tight against the frame. Outside cables will be slack enough to move (1” total) by hand. One half of each chain will be tight, one half of each chain will be slightly slack.
- When room is in, all outside standoff brackets and seal will be tight against the frame. Inside cables will be slack enough to move (1” total) by hand. One half of each chain will be tight, one half of each chain will be slightly slack.
- Room will run smooth, quiet and track straight during movement.
Inspect all seals around the room for tears or seal pulling away, and repair or replace. Inspect the rollers underneath and periodically spray CRC Silicone on each end. If the rollers are broken or misaligned, repair or replace. The weight of the room must rest on the rollers.
Run the room in and out listening for squeaks, grinding, or any unusual popping noises. This could be misalignment, cables too tight, or the pulleys need to be lubricated, which should be done a couple times each year depending on amount of operation. Use CRC Silicone on the corners. Also, verify the room opens and closes completely. If not, the room is out of adjustment.
General maintenance
As with any slide room system, you should periodically apply a conditioner on the rubber gaskets around the perimeter. Some recommended products are 303 Protectant, or ProtectAll Slide Lubrication. This will keep them from drying out and help seal better.
One of the most important maintenance items, in my opinion, is to make sure the roof of the room is clean before retracting. If you do not have an awning cover over the room, you will need to visually inspect and clean it off so sticks, acorns, and other debris does not get pulled in and tear the rubber gasket. I know some owners that use a ladder and leaf blower, while others use a slide out sweep attachment available on Amazon.
One last tip: Use a cell phone and selfie stick to visually inspect the top, which you can do from the ground. If it is clean, you don’t have to pull out the ladder.
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Why does RV’s slide ‘pop’ and the cable keep breaking?
Dear Dave,
What causes the main slide to pop as it starts going out? This only happens after moving and the first time the slide is driven out. After the initial drive-out, it does not occur. After a few setups, the top front cable will break. The cable has been replaced numerous times with the same result. This problem has occurred since the trailer was new. Thank you for an answer. —Ralph, 2017 Keystone Outback RL326
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR DAVE?
We have a popular forum for Ask Dave. Please be as brief as possible. Attach a photo or two if it might help Dave with his response. Click to visit Dave’s forum. Or send your inquiries to him using the form below.
##RVDT2166
From my personal experience I believe the top outside cable needs to be slightly looser than the bottom one *
Also all cable slide rooms may not have rollers under the floor.
*This is only for slide rooms with a drop level floor
We owned a 5th wheel with all 3 slides being cable driven. Never again, nothing but problems. Besides mechanical failures, the nuts holding the cables in place kept falling off. We replaced then with locking nuts, with plastic inserts, and that stopped one problem. But remember wire cables do stretch which means constant adjustment. And the adjustments are not easy to reach/do.
I spent a career working with cables. They are a machine with metal parts working against one another. They require lubrication.