Manual slide out crank mod - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 02-14-2012, 03:36 PM   #1
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Manual slide out crank mod

This trailer is our first with a slide out. For years, I resisted purchasing a trailer with a slide out because I was worried about failure of the mechanism. Since I have a pretty good working relationship with Mr. Murphy (of Murphy's law fame), I was convinced that the slide would break down on me at 11:45 am while I'm breaking camp in an RV park that requires a 12 noon departure. After reading quite a bit on the subject, I came to the conclusion that slides are actually quite dependable and on the rare occasion when they do fail to operate, there is a means of manually cranking the slide back in. So in October of 2010 when we went to the RV show looking for a new trailer, we looked at trailers with slides.

After purchase, during our dealer walk through, the technician covered the operation of the slide. Push a button and it goes out. Push the other side of the button and it comes in. Nifty. Okay . . . how about if the batteries are dead or the motor fails to operate? "No problem" he says, "there is a handle for manually cranking the slide in". "Oh, okay" says I, "where is the socket that the handle goes into?" Well, he looked around a bit and couldn't find it. I asked him "shouldn't it be on the other side, the side opposite the slide?" (I'm a mechanical engineer and this made sense to me). He didn't know . . . he had no clue. I told him not to worry about it, that I would find it later. After we got the trailer home, I started looking around to see if I could find where to insert the crank handle. To make a long story shorter, it seems that Dutchmen, although the socket for the manual crank was present, they forgot to cut a hole in the sheet metal siding to allow access to said socket. Here's a picture of the socket buried on the underside of the trailer.


What the? How am I supposed to get to that in an emergency? Well, I fixed the problem with a drill motor, a hole saw and a rubber grommet. The result?

Cutting the hole:


Inserting the grommet:


Viola, access to the crank:


Now if I get stuck, I have the peace of mind that I can manually crank the slide in if necessary.
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Old 02-15-2012, 01:42 AM   #2
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Re: Manual slide out crank mod

I don't know whether to call that a mod, upgrade or an installation, but you did a great job.

Thanks for posting.
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Old 05-13-2013, 04:33 PM   #3
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I have a 300BHSL and can't seem to find any information on where my slide manual crank is. Anyone have any info? Thanks.
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Old 05-15-2013, 02:51 AM   #4
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On our 284BHSL the opening is located behind the steps for the door.

Also, I can't display the pictures of the OP.

Dave.
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Old 05-15-2013, 04:30 PM   #5
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I checked my 300BHSL yesterday and couldn't find anything near the fold down steps. All I see is the metal frame, and the underbelly is covered. I don't see anything resembling a crank, hole, etc. I'll double check again when I get the chance.
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Old 08-29-2013, 07:52 PM   #6
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Hi,

I just joined the forum today, as we have a 2013 300bhsl with a broken slide motor and was searching to see if it's a common issue. Both Dutchmen and my dealer are working together to solve this - and I will try to post the solution.

I wish I could view the pictures from the original post to see if it's the same unit as mine. Our broken slide is the small kitchen slide. The drive unit is an Accu-Slide by BAL Products. There is no access to this unit when the slide is in - because it is blocked by the kitchen island. Also, no way to access the manual override on the motor witout removing cabentry.

BTW: You can remove the contents of the fridge by removing the fridge door and sliding it directly up, should this ever happen to you.
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Old 08-29-2013, 08:42 PM   #7
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When I bought my 282DBHS (Aerolite) I asked my dealer about this, he said there was no manual way to bring the slide in. After reading the manual for the slide mechanism it says to disconnect the motors and push it in manually.
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Old 08-30-2013, 01:33 PM   #8
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Here is a link on a video to manually use the slide that came on mine. It is the Lippert Schwintek slide system. After further research, I need to disconnect the motors on mine.

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Old 08-30-2013, 02:21 PM   #9
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You may have discovered this already but you can disconnect the motor wires at the controller. This releases the electric motor lock so you can push the slide in. That's the first thing you might want to try before you go into the seals and release the motor from the shaft.

You may want to try and adjust the motor stall pot also before you get into the serious stuff.
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Old 08-30-2013, 03:30 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sundancer 87 View Post
You may have discovered this already but you can disconnect the motor wires at the controller. This releases the electric motor lock so you can push the slide in. That's the first thing you might want to try before you go into the seals and release the motor from the shaft.

You may want to try and adjust the motor stall pot also before you get into the serious stuff.
Yup had read that too and it is easy to get to my controller to do that.
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Old 08-30-2013, 03:50 PM   #11
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Lucky you, I have one controller in the generator compartment that is straight forward for playing with. The other one is in the basement, mounted on the ceiling so I have to get on my back in the basement doorway to acess it. Doesn't take long to punch those buttons with the door rim digging in my back.

My big slide decided to go out top first and stop, thereby leaving the bottom open about an inch. I've been playing with the buttons but haven't gotten serious yet because I'll be sitting in this spot for a few months.

I think I'll try the trim pot for the stall to see if I can get the slide all the way in and then out again. Next, with the help of a few friends I'll disconnect the motor wires and see if we can pull the bottom out so the slide will be plumb with the top. Last case, pull the motor off the shaft and see what happens.

I do know it's important to lube the slide rollers and the rubber seal covering the rollers.
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Old 12-17-2013, 05:06 AM   #12
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My living room slide is stuck and is currently fully extended. The left side seems to work fine for 4-5 inches, but the right side closest to the bedroom seems to snag or simply stop getting power to the motor. What is the easiest way for me to retract this bad boy so I can get it to my dealer? I've heard you can disengage the motor and manually push the slide in, but where is the control board for this motor and how do I access it?

Thanks in advance!!!!
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Old 12-17-2013, 04:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sundancer 87 View Post
I do know it's important to lube the slide rollers and the rubber seal covering the rollers.
What do you use to lube the rubber seal?
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Old 12-17-2013, 04:14 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by ttramonte View Post
My living room slide is stuck
Check out this post.
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Old 12-17-2013, 05:54 PM   #15
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What do you use to lube the rubber seal?
Mostly I use a dry lube but since my slide mechanism decided to eat itself I just used WD40. I wasn't concerned with anything more than getting it shoved back inside the unit.

Even when I have used WD40 on the rollers and wipers I didn't notice any dirt accumulation or seal degradation and WD40 sure didn't eat the aluminum track.
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Old 07-21-2014, 08:35 PM   #16
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What do you use to lube the rubber seal?
I use silicone for any and all rubber seals, in the camper, TV and around the house.

It also makes a good general purpose lube for things like drawer tracks, hinges, etc.

Been using it for about 30 years now, I used to be able to get it in a liquid form, but that source is gone, so I have to settle for the arosol can now. I like the liquid better, because a 4oz bottle dould do what now takes two arosol cans.
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Old 12-23-2014, 12:42 AM   #17
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non working slide outs

Is there any way to manually push your slide outs out when motor Burns out on a voltage 3950. 2013?
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Old 12-23-2014, 06:03 PM   #18
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Just some additional information for everyone.. I know it sounds silly, but everyone should check the windows on the end of their living room slide. I was closing that big slide on a recent trip, and one side stopped suddenly. Running it out and in did nothing, it would stop in the same place. Unbeknownst to me, someone had opened the window at the end of the slide, and it was hitting the side of the trailer, while it was not visible to me standing there watching the slide move. After 10 mins. or so, and looking closely at the slide in the UP direction, the problem became apparent. LOL. Just some words of experience here. No damage to the trailer, but my first thought was that I had a dead slide.....not fun.
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Old 08-24-2015, 01:36 AM   #19
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We have a Komfort 2950 RE, it is a barely used 2011. We bought it secondhand about 8 months ago. It is moored on a camp ground and not being hauled about the countryside.
It has two sliders, one small and one large unit with the sofa bed and dinette. I have only used the slides once.. Two weeks ago I moved them in as the trailer was being moved back 8' feet. The battery ran down due to a power outage so when we arrived the battery was flat. I have the battery on charge now and managed after a few hours to get the small slide moved out ok but the big one just makes a clicking sound is there a way of releasing it? It's as if the gear is missing a tooth when I press the button. If I press it to come in it runs normally, but it is at the end of its run so obviously it's not going anywhere but for pressing the out button it's as if the side is just too high to engage the gear. When I moved it in originally the bottom came in and you could see it rise up a little as if on a boat ramp and it sits about an inch high under the carpet.
Any ideas how to get it to engage again in order to move the slide out?
I got lots of info with the trailer relating to the fridge, heating cooling and toilet but nothing about the slides or how to operate them without power or anything any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks in advance,

Colm nubee rv'er
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Old 07-12-2017, 06:39 PM   #20
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We have a a Dutchmen kodiak 300 BHSL
The large slide on one side is stuck . Where does one find the manual crank?? Or how does one disengage the motor? Please help
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