Yahoo Message Number: 111014 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111014)
Hi All. I posted about a month ago that our slide was starting to bind. We found the problem, a bolt sticking out of the top of the Nylon Bushing/skid that the Slide travels over. I ordered new bushings from CC/Winnebago in Oregon and searched around until I found someone that would fix it. I made an appointment at
Jim's Truck & Trailer Coachwerks, Winona, MN. They wanted pictures / videos and we discussed at length how we would do it. Short story was I called this morning and they said, "don't come". I think they like insurance work and bill themselves as experts, but when pushed about their understanding of coach slides, they quickly bailed. This is fine, better that I find out before they to a poor job. That said, I'm still looking for someone in the upper midwest, Wisconsin, Minnesota or North Dakota that would have some expertise, or better, has anyone ever worked on their slides and can offer some advice? I called Winnebago in Forest City and they confirmed that YES they did buy Country Coach, but NO they do not do any work on them. I'm told that I need to extend the slide out most of the way, to uncover the skid and then JACK up the slide in order to get it off the skid and then its an easy bolt/unbolt process to replace the nylon skid, so I'm considering doing it myself.
Questions:
- Does anyone know the best/easiest/safest way to jack up the slide. I"m assuming front and rear at the corner, close to the coach using a Jack and Pipe 4X4 or ? I thought of using a forklift but its sometimes tough to get a slow smooth lift.
- Anything to be careful of or worry about?
(http://cid:182E9E48-EDEA-4950-BDEC-BCDE4BB7F8F0)
Jim and Jona Seifert
jim.jona.seifert@... (jim.jona.seifert@...) 2007 Country Coach Intrigue Ovation 530 42' Coach #12150
525 Cat C13 Allison 6spd
Toads: 2014 Ford F150 / 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser w/ REMCO DS Disconnect.
Airforce 1 Brake system
Blue Ox Aventa II Towbar
Yahoo Message Number: 111016 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111016)
Hi Jim and Jona,
We have had suggested to us ABC Bus in Faribault, MN, for this kind of work. We have never had to use them, but perhaps you'd like to call them and see what they say.
Wishing you success!!!
Mary and Mike Frederick
06 Inspire 51784
Welch, MN
Yahoo Message Number: 111018 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111018)
Call me for the fix Brian 949-677-2221
Yahoo Message Number: 111032 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111032)
Have you tried HWH in Moscow, IA?
Not all who wander are lost!
Ron
Yahoo Message Number: 111036 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111036)
I did. Since hwh didn't build the slide. Only the hydraulics they won't fix it. A friend actually is a design engineering
Yahoo Message Number: 111794 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111794)
I was able replace the slide skid myself by jacking up the slide from the outside. The hardest part was determining how far out the slide needed to be in order to access the bolts and how high to jack up the slide in order to remove the Nylon/Plastic block. The slide needs to be run all the way out and then back in about 1" to an 1 1/2". You need to jack the slide up about 2" maybe a little more in order to have space to remove the nylon block once you have unbolted it. The bolts are actually self tapping fine thread screws. Apparently they just shot the screws holding the nylon block down through the plywood subfloor into the steel coach frame. The downside of this is that the self tapping screws can loosen over time and back out to where the head of the screw extends out of their countersunk cavity to where the slide rails slide over the top of the screw head, catching and dragging the slide and after time, cutting a channel into the slide skid.
To jack the slide I positioned a floor jack under the slide and placed a vertical and horizontal 4x4 on top of the floor jack in a T shape along the underside of the slide at the corner of the base of the slide and the front facing wall (I was replacing the front skid). I jacked as little as possible, repeatedly checking to see if I had the clearance I needed to remove the Nylon Skid. In the end it was about 2 1/2". The slide is not made to be jacked, so the least amount you can jack it, the better. Once the skid was exposed it was relatively simple to replace the block. I have the block currently replaced with a new one but one of the screw holes is stripped (probably during the build and probably contributed to the problem). I have ordered a very slightly larger diameter screw to see if I can tap it into the existing hole.
Why is this explanation important to a CC owner? Because (in my opinion) because of the variety of slide designs and their relatively complicated engineering, MOST RV repair places are wary of working on them and tend to over-engineer the problem. A couple of places I called cautioned that they would have to remove the slide and that it would cost thousands. This was a 1 hour fix requiring tools that any small repair shop would have. Even if you had to buy or rent a floor jack, they aren't very expensive.
Jim and Jona Seifert
jim.jona.seifert@... (jim.jona.seifert@...) 2007 Country Coach Intrigue Ovation 530 42' Coach #12150
525 Cat C13 Allison 6spd
Toads: 2014 Ford F150 / 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser w/ REMCO DS Disconnect.
Airforce 1 Brake system
Blue Ox Aventa II Towbar
Yahoo Message Number: 111795 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111795)
Excellent information Jim, thank you
Mark
Yahoo Message Number: 111796 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/111796)
Call Eric at Desert Autoplex in Mesa AZ if you want it done right 480-962-2277
Gary Glenn
ServiceMaster by A-Town / Hi-Tech
325-665-4993