The larger one in front expands the kitchen, while the one in back slides the bed out. The two on the passenger side expand the living room and the wardrobe in the bedroom. The wardrobe slide became a problem in North Platte back in July. It decided to not slide out.
The slide is run through a series of pulleys powered by a small electric motor. Some slides are run using hydraulics. Luckily, our slide decided to break while it was contracted, so we could still drive down the road and not have to manually put it back using a drill. The slide on the opposite side still slid out enough to still get our underwear from the wardrobe. We may be broken, but we refuse to be dirty!
So we pulled down some decorative trim pieces and started to inspect the system. The problem was quickly identified. The copper drive shaft between the motor and the gearbox was severed:
Through a search of the Forest River forums, I found that this is a common problem. The 1/8" drive shafts tend to break down. The resolution is to either replace the 1/8" drive shaft or move to the 3/16" drive shaft, which requires replacing the motor/gearbox combination. For the frugal among us, the choice is between an $8 part or several hundred dollars. So I ordered 2 of the $8 parts.
The installation was a bit more difficult than I had hoped. I was hoping I would be able to just reinsert it as easy as I pulled out the old one. Nope. The chains had to be loosened and the gearbox had to be disconnected and rotated so that the drive shaft could be installed. There might have been a few choice words spoken as that was accomplished. But finally, the job was accomplished:
And now I am a Happy BOY!
Total cost: $16, 4 hours of my time. I am not included the cost of Lisa and I worrying about how to get this completed.
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