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Slides have been around on RVs for a while now, and while they can offer you more space and comfort in your camper, they are also prone to wear like any other aspect of your RV, so knowing how to adjust and level them can be pretty helpful.
With uneven slides comes more problems that could affect other areas of your camper, such as appliances not running optimally and fixtures that rely on gravity to work. To avoid this, you can check and adjust your slides below.
How To Tell If My Slides Need Adjusting
Slideouts are complex features on an RV as they have electrical and hydraulic systems that can differ depending on the slide you have, so it might be a good idea to identify the type you have; so if you need to fix any parts, you can refer back to this.
One of the main reasons to check your slides is so you can see if it’s just these that aren’t level or the RV itself, so before checking, make sure you level out your camper so any support beams, jacks, and stilts can be used, but aren’t necessary for some types.
If your slides are leaning or look off-center, these can easily be adjusted, but before you do this, make sure your RV is on solid ground.
First, Check Over Your Slides
The first thing you can do is remove any items in the slide, which can be a problem in itself as this can damage the mechanism and the seals around it, so you can do this as you move it in and out.
Make sure that you also check the steel bars, tracks, and mechanism to see if there are any signs of wear and damage, as there is a good chance that, over time, these can occur, and some users might not check these until a serious fault happens.
How To Adust And Level Slides
If you’ve done this and you still find it doesn’t retract evenly or you see some fraying of the seals around it, you will need to adjust your slide manually, and another reason for this is if you go outside and see that one side of your slide sticks out more than the other.
If this sounds like your problem, you can open the side and go under it, where you’ll find an active and passive side, and at the end, you’ll find a bolt that is fastened into place with nylon locking and jam nuts.
You can loosen the jam nut that is on the bolt that comes out of the stop can, and you can adjust it as you move the slide back in again, and the locking nut should catch onto the bracket, which should make the slide level and move in an out evenly.
If Your Sliders Are Still Uneven
If you have done this and you still have issues, the first thing you can do is go back and check the slideout mechanism that we covered above, and if you find the parts are worn or stuck, you can use some WD-40 to lubricate the system.
Suppose you’re having a problem with the slider coming out. In that case, you can check the slideout button and see if electricity is going to the slide mechanism, and a blown fuse or tripped breaker could cause this, so you can test if electricity is running to them.
If this is all working fine, this is a sign of an underlying problem with the mechanism itself, so if you hear clicking when pressing the slideout button, it’s a sign that something is wrong with the track, which you should keep clear of any debris and dirt that can get inside.
What If I Need To Make Other Adjustments?
Your slide might be level on the sides, but if the vertical or height of it is off, this may need to be rebuilt from scratch, as there isn’t an optimal way to adjust this without taking it out, so you should contact the manufacturer for this and avoid trying to fix it yourself.
How To Maintain Your Sliders
One thing you can do is use slideout supports or a jack that can support the weight of that part of the RV, so these are useful if you use a lot of heavy furniture or use it to store items while it’s moved out or you could use lighter furniture when using your sliders.
If you are going on long trips with your RV, it won’t hurt to check your sliders and the mechanism each time you stop, as a lot of vibration and uneven road conditions could potentially knock the slider off its tracks, which is a common problem with most types of sliders.
Be sure to check the seal around your sliders to ensure that they remain waterproof, as fixing these can be difficult as they may require the entire section to be taken out, as things like sealant and adhesives may not be enough to cover these.
What If I Need To Reset My Slideout?
You can do this by locating the slide controls so you can get to the wiring that needs to be looked at, and once you find the panel, it may give you the instructions on how to reset it, and if this doesn’t work, there may be an electrical shortage from a wire in the panel.
The Bottom Line
Before you do any major work, it’s always a good idea to look at the manual as this may give you some tips on maintaining and spotting common problems.
This can save you time looking around, which could be a source of more confusion, and the last thing you want is to have any unexpected issues, which can put a dampener on things.
Discover How To Use The Power of Authority Marketing To Make You Money While You Adventure!
No Experience, Existing Product Or Technical Skills Are Required
DO YOU BELIEVE ADVENTURES ARE WORTH CHASING?