Loose Bolts Under Slides

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Took our first trip in our 3670 and after arriving did a walk around and discovered a nut almost off a bolt under the entertainment slide. After further inspection discovered all the same bolts under all the other slides were also loose. It was the bolts at the end of the slide arms, (2 bolts on each arm). Not a problem to tighten the bolts, but something like this should not have left the factory like this.:( So everyone might want to check under their slides for loose hardware.:eek:
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
I don't know beans about the slide outs but I do know that mine are the same way. If you are referring to the "lock nuts" that are about an inch and a half from being tight, I think they are supposed to be that way. I believe it has something to do with the operation of the slide out. You may want to check with someone who knows more about the slide operation before tightening those specific bolts. Just my nickel. My slides work fine. I think I'll take a walk around the park and look at others slides and see if there are any that look the same. Ya never know.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
bsummit,

Thanks for advising on that loose hardware. I have informed the factory and QA is letting their people know about it right now.
 

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Ray, Jim, It is not the lock nuts that Ray is talking about. I wondered about those to and I think your right about having something to do with the operation of the slide. The one's I was talking about are right above that. They are thru a square tube and plate at the outside end of the slide. It's the tube that the gear teeth are on. I hope that explains it better. Thanks

Bill
 

htneighbors

Unbelievably Blessed!
I, too, noticed the lock nuts being loose on my Cyclone slides. 5 were not tightened up, 1 was. I mentioned it to the PDI guy and he said I could go ahead and tighten them, that it shouldn't matter either way. He wasn't too concerned, but he's not the one living in it, either! I'll post a photo of the ones I'm talking about when I get back to the Cyclone.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Hay
Are you guys talking about somethinglike this?
I found this on both of my living room slides, 3400RE.

I am going to the dealer on Monday and ask them if this should be tightened or if it is left loose for some reason.

Any comments..
 

Attachments

  • Slide bolts.jpg
    Slide bolts.jpg
    20.9 KB · Views: 113

jbeletti

Well-known member
Bob,

I'd say leave those as-is. I believe those are the stop positions for the slide room. Adjust those and you could be in for a surprise. Others who actually know how to do slide adjustments can weigh in on this. I have never adjusted them myself.
 

DennisZ

Well-known member
TxBobcat

The nuts you are looking at on the hydraulic ram are supposed to be adjusted just like they are, the reason for the gap is so that they contact in only one spot, either extending or retracting. If the slide needed to go in or out further or nearer, you would adjust these, they are just fine as they are as long as your slides operate correctly.

Dennis
 

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Hay
Are you guys talking about somethinglike this?
I found this on both of my living room slides, 3400RE.

I am going to the dealer on Monday and ask them if this should be tightened or if it is left loose for some reason.

Any comments..
I'm glad you posted this pic. the two bolts I'm talking about are right above that locknut. The two that are up and down. They were all loose on all slides except for the bedroom of course.
Sorry to cause so much confusion.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Thanks, I am glad the picture helped you. I also learned something by posting it. That is what we are all out here to do.
 

DennisZ

Well-known member
Bsummit
Those bolts need to be tightened, they control the in/out positioning of the front and rear edges of the slideout. If they are loose, the slideout can "drift" and not seal properly with regard to the squareness of the opening. I would get it to the dealer for proper adjustment.

Dennis
 

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Thanks Dennis for the info. Right now all the slides are sealed off good. I guess I caught it just in time. Only one of the nuts was finger tight but the rest of them took two or three turns to tighten.
Bill
 

leftyf

SSG Stumpy-VA Terrorist
Cool. Glad you got it fixed. I'll check mine when it gets here. Ya just never know.
 

htneighbors

Unbelievably Blessed!
Loose Nuts

Here's a shot of one of the arm under one of my slides. The nut I was talking about not being snug - is the locknut on the adjustment bolt on the left. 5 of the 6 on my rig were loose.
 

Attachments

  • HT 379.jpg
    HT 379.jpg
    87.1 KB · Views: 68

bsummit

Arkansas Chapter Leader-Retired
Here's a shot of one of the arm under one of my slides. The nut I was talking about not being snug - is the locknut on the adjustment bolt on the left. 5 of the 6 on my rig were loose.

Hey I didn't check those. Thanks for the pic, I have to check them tomorrow and while I'm at it check everything under there.

Bill
 

Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
Hay
Are you guys talking about somethinglike this?
I found this on both of my living room slides, 3400RE.

I am going to the dealer on Monday and ask them if this should be tightened or if it is left loose for some reason.

Any comments..

Do not adjust the adjustment nuts on the end of the slider ram unless the slide doesn't close or open completely. The spacing between the adjustment nuts will allow the ram to retract and extend fully without forcing the slide to close or open more than necessary to seal properly. The two vertical bolts and nuts thru the square should be tight, each slide has two of the arms, one arm is slotted to adjust slide in or out to allow for proper closing/opening on both ends of the slide.

Caution.............improper adjusting can damage the slide and hydraulic system.

Forrest
 

flht01

Member
Do not adjust the adjustment nuts on the end of the slider ram unless the slide doesn't close or open completely. The spacing between the adjustment nuts will allow the ram to retract and extend fully without forcing the slide to close or open more than necessary to seal properly. The two vertical bolts and nuts thru the square should be tight, each slide has two of the arms, one arm is slotted to adjust slide in or out to allow for proper closing/opening on both ends of the slide.

Caution.............improper adjusting can damage the slide and hydraulic system.

Forrest

Are you guys talking about something like this?
I found this on both of my living room slides, 3400RE.

I am going to the dealer on Monday and ask them if this should be tightened or if it is left loose for some reason.

Any comments..
Attached Thumbnails//heartlandowners.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2122&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1206743405

..

I just took delivery on a 2009 3580RL that had loose bolts on the slide's adjusting brackets (the ones that bolt to the rack and pinion). It also needed adjustments on the hyd ram after tightening them. The dealer adjusted the outer nut (to help seal the top of the room while in the travel position) and in the process took all the slack out of the other two nuts.

I have real concerns that this will put too much pressure on the system when putting the slides out, esppecially after reading Forrest's post. Does the hyd pump depend on the cylinder hitting the end of it's stroke before going to bypass? It would help explain the "gap" between the outer nut and inner two jam nuts.

Any advice on how to accurately reset the "gap" between the adjusting nuts until I can get it back to the dealer?

Thanks in advance.
 
Top