Main slide problems

[bennixon]

I own a 2012 Heartland Cyclone 3800 HD. My main slide goes in and out however its a rough operation. It also sags in the middle when it in the out position. I noticed this by my wiper blade located on the top.
I'm considering rollers for better operation and support. Problem is i have searched and searched for what type slide I have with no luck. Does anyone have any ideas on how i can correct this?

 

[danemayer]

Hi bennixon,

Could you describe what you mean by "rough operation" and also, what's sags in the middle? Top of the slide? Floor?

 

[bennixon]

It isn't smooth like the other side. It tilts back and usually trips the overloads several times before it come completely in. The sag is visible from outside at the top center, i noticed when changing my outside seals that the wiper seal doesn't touch in the center

 

[danemayer]

It isn't smooth like the other side. It tilts back and usually trips the overloads several times before it come completely in. The sag is visible from outside at the top center, i noticed when changing my outside seals that the wiper seal doesn't touch in the center

For the start/stop/breaker trip, see our Hydraulic Slideout Starts and Stops guide. It details why this happens and how to correct it.

Our doorside living room slide drops down into position as it reaches full extension and has to lift up when I start to retract it. There are no rollers on that side. If that's what the tilt is, it's normal.

For the top of the slide room, I'd suggest checking with a long carpenter's level or other edge you know to be straight. Also press in several locations to see if there are any soft spots. It's possible you may have water intrusion causing damage to the wood. If so, the first thing to do is reseal/caulk everything to prevent further damage.

 

[bennixon]

Thank you that answers my question. In the center under the slide there are 3 welded braces. The one in the middle is bent beyond repair. My gut feeling is the previous owner had a blow out and damaged it.
On you tube I seen a video on installing exterior Bal rollers. bolts to the outer frame. Seems that may be an option. I love the Heartland brand but finding information is tough. Good to know that slide has no rollers
so i can rule a bad roller out

 

[danemayer]

I love the Heartland brand but finding information is tough.

As you've already seen, we have quite a few owner-written user guides that supplement the Heartland Trailer Manual.

We also have a few Troubleshooting Guides here.

And there's huge collection of manufacturer manuals covering subsystems and appliances. Here.

If you didn't get the Heartland manual, you can download from here. They are pretty generic.

You can also get to all of these by clicking on TOOLS near top of page.

And this forum has a treasure trove of answers to just about every question you might imagine. You can browse the FORUM by subject area, or use the ADVANCED SEARCH at the top right of the page.

And as you already, know, if you can't find an answer, you can create a new thread to ask for help. Answers usually come pretty quickly.

 

[wdk450]

Thank you that answers my question. In the center under the slide there are 3 welded braces. The one in the middle is bent beyond repair. My gut feeling is the previous owner had a blow out and damaged it.
On you tube I seen a video on installing exterior Bal rollers. bolts to the outer frame. Seems that may be an option. I love the Heartland brand but finding information is tough. Good to know that slide has no rollers
so i can rule a bad roller out

Is your slideout hydraulically powered? If so it is probably a Lippert system. There are manuals in the forum library. Take pictures of the damaged parts. Lippert has given technical advice over the phone.

You might want to look up an RV Collision Repair center to give you an opinion/bid on fixing those braces and doing whatever needs to be done to get your slide to work right. Those places do structural steel fixes along with the fiberglass repairs you think of them for.