Overide landing gear and slide outs

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

I have a 2015 Voltage 3305 toy hauler. I bought it new over a year ago and it's my first RV. We live in it full time and man have I been learning about RV's this past year.
I have been trying to find the access to over ride the electric slide outs and the front landing gear just in case I have to use the crank
handle in case of a electrical failure. I found out I was supposed to
get a crank handle with the RV but didn't so I bought one and so far I have only been able to find the landing gear over ride shaft BUT
the shaft appears in the drivers side propane tank compartment and
there's NO ROOM in there to use the crank handle.... I watched a video by Keystone and in the vid, they had an access hole in the side of the 5th wheel???? Do I need to cut a 3/4" hole in my RV ??
While were on the subject of MANUAL OVERIDE where are the access points for my 3 slide outs. I'm on the road and no where
near the dealer I bought this RV from so I thought I'd run this by
the forum here.
-Mike

[thompwil]

I made a crank for the landing gear out of an extra 14mm deep socket that I use with a universal and speed wrench. I cut the slots with an angle grinder. A ratchet works well too with an extension. (pics) A friend of mine made the mistake of complaining to Camping World about this and they sawed a 3" hole in his Voltage and left it exposed like that. He was quite angry.

The slides are another issue I'm afraid. As far as I know the procedure for running them manually involves disconnecting the motor couplings. Doesn't sound easy.

BT

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by thompwil

I made a crank for the landing gear out of an extra 14mm deep socket that I use with a universal and speed wrench. I cut the slots with an angle grinder. A ratchet works well too with an extension. (pics) A friend of mine made the mistake of complaining to Camping World about this and they sawed a 3" hole in his Voltage and left it exposed like that. He was quite angry.

The slides are another issue I'm afraid. As far as I know the procedure for running them manually involves disconnecting the motor couplings. Doesn't sound easy.

BT

Thanks much for the reply.
I have rubber grommets that
have an ID of 3/4" and I was
considering a hole saw but I
hate to cut on the RV. Your
tool looks like a better option.
Thanks again
Mike

[Fanboy]

2015, do you have cables?

This may help

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BwYkHRXfG5A

Also at about the 4 min mark. Shows what tool the first is talking about

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ETwE3SrCM

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by Fanboy

2015, do you have cables?

This may help

Also at about the 4 min mark. Shows what tool the first is talking about

Yep, I have the cable slides and I found the flexable tool in one of the kitchen drawers after I took possession of the Voltage but at that time I had no idea
what it was for. They show an access hole in the video and I wish mine came with one but it didn't. It looks like access to my slides is mostly under the RV and it appears that I have to cut open the belly cover to find it?
It seems to me that Dutchmen could have put removable covers or access
holes to allow use of the manual crank that I had to buy myself since I didn't
get one. ( Bought my new Voltage in Elko Nevada Jan 2015)
Thanks for the reply
and the video.
-Mike

[thompwil]

You have cable slides? My 2015 3305 has the Schwinteck slides. Oh well...

[Fanboy]

I'd check on top of your slides first. I know the raptors were built on top. At least I know of one with one slide on top that had to be done manually

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by thompwil

I made a crank for the landing gear out of an extra 14mm deep socket that I use with a universal and speed wrench. I cut the slots with an angle grinder. A ratchet works well too with an extension. (pics) A friend of mine made the mistake of complaining to Camping World about this and they sawed a 3" hole in his Voltage and left it exposed like that. He was quite angry.

The slides are another issue I'm afraid. As far as I know the procedure for running them manually involves disconnecting the motor couplings. Doesn't sound easy.

BT

That's cute, I made the exact same deal for my spare tire carrier, when I built my new battery rack. I can't get straight on it from the top.

I have Battery Rack V2.1 coming soon, so there will have to be a V2.1 speed handle/socket coming too. Maybe electric!

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by Fanboy

I'd check on top of your slides first. I know the raptors were built on top. At least I know of one with one slide on top that had to be done manually

Thanks, I'll take a look up top.
so far they work fine but it'd
be good to know where some
of these things are just in case

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by thompwil

You have cable slides? My 2015 3305 has the Schwinteck slides. Oh well...

Not sure what schenteck is but mine have
a cable on the top and bottom on each side
of the slide. I just bought my 3305 off the
lot so no doubt there were options I didn't
get?

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Ok, I looked at the top of my 3 slides on the inside of the RV
and found chains and cables on the two heavier slides and a
electric motor on the top of the kitchen slide. I guess the other
2 slide motors access must be outside under the RV?
Looks like the chains and cables need some lube and cleaning
too.
Thanks ya'll for the replies and info
-Mike

[thompwil]

Originally Posted by Mike_Voltage_3305

Not sure what schenteck is but mine have
a cable on the top and bottom on each side
of the slide. I just bought my 3305 off the
lot so no doubt there were options I didn't
get?

They use whatever slide mechanism they want, I don't think there was any choice in the matter. You may have done OK on that one though. I've heard of several problems with the Schwinteck mechanisms. So far ours have been fine though.

We've had our 3305 a year this past November, had a multitude of problems, but things are settling down to where we can use it without any major issues now. Like most folks, I fixed many problems myself when they didn't require expensive parts. Some problems I gave the service techs at Camping World a couple of tries before fixing myself too, like the air conditioners, the interior slide trim falling off, etc. Then there was that suspension problem that cost me a few bucks to fix. We should be in good shape now. It seems that it's a roll of the dice, some folks have no problems and some have many. Hopefully you've had few. We love the floor plan and functionality of the space. Happy Travels.

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by thompwil

They use whatever slide mechanism they want, I don't think there was any choice in the matter. You may have done OK on that one though. I've heard of several problems with the Schwinteck mechanisms. So far ours have been fine though.

We've had our 3305 a year this past November, had a multitude of problems, but things are settling down to where we can use it without any major issues now. Like most folks, I fixed many problems myself when they didn't require expensive parts. Some problems I gave the service techs at Camping World a couple of tries before fixing myself too, like the air conditioners, the interior slide trim falling off, etc. Then there was that suspension problem that cost me a few bucks to fix. We should be in good shape now. It seems that it's a roll of the dice, some folks have no problems and some have many. Hopefully you've had few. We love the floor plan and functionality of the space. Happy Travels.

You mentioned a suspension problem?
I just replaced 2 of my 5th wheels tires with
probably less than 13K miles on the RV.
One of the tires was worn so bad on the outside
edge that the steel belt fibers were showing.
I've heard opinions varying from bent axles,
over loaded, under inflated, etc.
I'd be interested in anything you care to share
re your experiences with suspension problems

[3wheeler]

Lippert makes a system called correct-track for suspension alignment. You might want to research it.

[thompwil]

Originally Posted by Mike_Voltage_3305

You mentioned a suspension problem?
I just replaced 2 of my 5th wheels tires with
probably less than 13K miles on the RV.
One of the tires was worn so bad on the outside
edge that the steel belt fibers were showing.
I've heard opinions varying from bent axles,
over loaded, under inflated, etc.
I'd be interested in anything you care to share
re your experiences with suspension problems

My tires ground off the outside edge on the curb side in a little better than 2,500 miles. Here's the post with pictures. http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...lure-4072.html
What I didn't mention in that post is that I believe the suspension was incorrectly installed by the folks at Keystone. Every outer spring bracket is bent inward, and the bolt lengths were not correct. There were longer and shorter bolts in the shackles. I believe the longer bolts should have been used to mount the equalizers to the frame brackets. I suspect the equalizers were bolted tightly and not moving in the mount causing the damage to the springs. I still have an attorney drooling over the possibility of a class action suit, but since they agreed to repair it, I legally had to allow them to attempt to make it right, and the evidence is now gone in my case. It cost me an additional $900.00 to finally get everything fixed right. The equalizers do move, I checked by running it up onto some blocks. Unfortunately I didn't think to do that before taking it to the dealer for the repair. I'm still not absolutely sure all is well. The equalizers are still tight in the brackets and show metal to metal wear on both sides of the device. We just got back from a trip of 2,300 miles or so and the tires & springs still look good, so I'm rolling with it. I plan to install a wet bolt kit this fall and will go over it again myself at that time. Anyways, that's what happened to us and my take on it at this point. I'm still open to suggestions and input too...

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by Mike_Voltage_3305

You mentioned a suspension problem?
I just replaced 2 of my 5th wheels tires with
probably less than 13K miles on the RV.
One of the tires was worn so bad on the outside
edge that the steel belt fibers were showing.
I've heard opinions varying from bent axles,
over loaded, under inflated, etc.
I'd be interested in anything you care to share
re your experiences with suspension problems

Yes, 99.99% it's axles. The term "bent", in reality is a misalignment of one or both axles.
The common fix is to take the trailer to a heavy duty alignment shop and have the axle bent back into alignment.

You got twice the miles out of your tires, mine were shredded in 5K.

[thompwil]

Originally Posted by hddecker

Yes, 99.99% it's axles. The term "bent", in reality is a misalignment of one or both axles.
The common fix is to take the trailer to a heavy duty alignment shop and have the axle bent back into alignment.

You got twice the miles out of your tires, mine were shredded in 5K.

The shop that did my springs and alignment, after the dealer attempted to fix it, specializes in big rigs and RVs. My alignment was so near perfect that they didn't need to do any bending of the axles at all. The chassis measurements were perfect too, dealer did them, shop did them, and I did them. Therefor, at least in my case, the cause of the tires shredding is something else. One thought I've been pondering is since the equalizers appeared to have been locked into place in the chassis mounts, could one of them have been stuck in a "non zero" position from a speed bump or pot hole while going down the highway? That would temporarily throw out the alignment until it moved back to the zero or center position. Just theorizing since nobody actually found the root cause of the problem, or at least they aren't talking if they did. If the equalizers were not moving, a speed bump at a slow speed would also cause excessive weight on one axle while traversing it. Again just theorizing. I would feel much better about the whole thing if I knew for certain what caused this. I have my suspicions, but lack enough data/evidence to definitively say for sure.

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by 3wheeler

Lippert makes a system called correct-track for suspension alignment. You might want to research it.

I'll look into that.... Thanks

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by thompwil

The shop that did my springs and alignment, after the dealer attempted to fix it, specializes in big rigs and RVs. My alignment was so near perfect that they didn't need to do any bending of the axles at all. The chassis measurements were perfect too, dealer did them, shop did them, and I did them. Therefor, at least in my case, the cause of the tires shredding is something else. One thought I've been pondering is since the equalizers appeared to have been locked into place in the chassis mounts, could one of them have been stuck in a "non zero" position from a speed bump or pot hole while going down the highway? That would temporarily throw out the alignment until it moved back to the zero or center position. Just theorizing since nobody actually found the root cause of the problem, or at least they aren't talking if they did. If the equalizers were not moving, a speed bump at a slow speed would also cause excessive weight on one axle while traversing it. Again just theorizing. I would feel much better about the whole thing if I knew for certain what caused this. I have my suspicions, but lack enough data/evidence to definitively say for sure.

Interesting. Thanks for the information.
Mike

[Mike_Voltage_3305]

Originally Posted by thompwil

You have cable slides? My 2015 3305 has the Schwinteck slides. Oh well...

What air pressure do you run in your tires.
Mine came with nitrofill and the dealer told me
you don't have to check the pressure because
nitrogen doesn't change BUT after I had tire
wear problems I discovered the my tires were
under inflated, at least they were according to
the 80 psi cold recomendation on the tire??
Just curious what you are running ( PSI )
in your tires since we both have the same rig?