Wall separating from floor

[CaptDerek]

Help! 2019 Reflection 295BHTS TT

Strap in it's gonna be a long ride! Let's start at the beginning. Of course it went out of structural warranty this last September.

Started having problems with schwintek slide it would come in almost all the way then the end near the kitchen would stop and the other end would keep coming in until if would bind up. This didn't happen all the time, had a tech out he recommended holding the button down to "synch" the motors when bringing the slide in and out. Didn't have a problem for awhile then it happened again, after running it in and out a few times it finally came in correctly. Stopped and went to open the slide to get into the bunk room and nothing. Got into a repair facility and they found that the motor was bad as well as the controller and the the wire to the rear motor was pinched under one of the legs of the shower pan and had shorted out. Everything replaced and got back on the road. Few days later it did the binding up thing again. Then didn't have a problem with it for a few weeks. Until it did it again this time I noticed the main trailer wall flexing as the slide came in and out and the front corner of the slide floor dug into and ripped a hole in the flooring. Once I got the slide to come back in I saw that the main trailer wall just in front of the slide was separated from the floor, the wall being pulled out 1- 1 1/2 inchs where I could see daylight. The rear corner of the slide tore a hole in the floor this time. Had to put the slide back out and heard a pop, the main trailer was at the other end of the slide separated (towards the back). The floor in the slide seem to raise up about 2 inches as it comes in and drops back down when it goes out. I don't believe it has anything to do with it but the metal frame in the outside of the trailer wall has popped a couple of screw heads, I have replaced those screws as I see them.

Things I've done:

*Looked under slide on the outside nothing hanging down, broken, ECT that I could see. There may be a slight sag in the floor of the slide but I can't really tell.
*Lifted up the slide transition carpet and looked to see if anything was stuck or broken there and there was nothing I could tell was broken or out of place.
*Tracks are clean and have never been greased or anything done to them.
*Slide seals sprayed multiple times a year.
*Trailer is normally plugged in when running the slide and has been plugged in every time it's messed up and since the wall thing started.
*Trailer is always leveled or on a level surface before opening or closing the slide.


I have a local tech coming out to look at it to hopefully help me figure out if there is something wrong with the slide or if it's the motors, track, ECT. In another group it was suggested pulling off the skirting and screwing the wall back to the floor from the bottom up with longer sturdier screws, I haven't done this yet, waiting on the tech.

Anyone else have a problem like this or have any suggestions on what could be causing these things and/or ways to fix them?

Thank you ahead of time for any help.

When I called to see if Grand Design could tell me where the slide controller was they were confused and said there info said it should be a through frame slide and not a schwintek ��. It most definitely is a schwintek slide so, either their build sheet is off or my trailer got a different slide then others.

I'm at a loss I get the basics of how the slides work but not all the little details. (About to go do some of the online Lippert Crouse's to see if that'll help). 2019 was the last year they made this model and I haven't seen many around, so can't go see how another's looks as far as any sag in the slide floor ECT.

This is our perfect trailer out of frustration when the wall separated I started looking at new trailers and there aren't any that really compare. (Not to mention the money I already have in upgrades on this one...) Really hope we are able to figure this out and get it fixed and back to working order. I love Grand Design and their customer service!

 

[NB Canada]

Doesn’t look like you have a Schwintek

 

[CaptDerek]

Doesn’t look like you have a Schwintek

No definitely have a schwintek! It's not the slide mechanism that Grand Design says should be in the unit. There build sheet isn't correct or my trailer isn't. Also say I have only one grey tank but there are two.

 

[Camper0414]

Please - Please keep us posted! Our slide does a similar thing with added fun! It either goes out crooked or goes out about 2 inches stops and can go back in sometimes that will happen 3 or 4 times then work fine. If it does not work fine we have to hit the override button for it to work. Other times it works fine!
BIG ISSUE! Grand Design came to or house picked up the 5th wheel and brought it back to the factory. They could not figure out why it’s happening. So we have it back with it still doing the exact same thing!

 

[Najataagihe]

I am not familiar with either of these trailers, but there are a couple of unusual things that can jam a slide-out.

On my 2600RB, it was, first, a wire that escaped from the slide seal and got jammed in the track mechanism.

The second problem was the rubber “wipe seal” at the bottom of the trailer wall got its corner caught in the track.

You wouldn’t think something so tiny would cause such big problems!

 

[Chaps2018]

First--The slide box must be able to move freely in order for the schwintek mechanism to work properly.

You said the slide was digging into the floor. Are the rollers in place to support the slide (look outside under slide box)? Rollers should no more than 6" from the walls and every 2-3' in-between.

It sounds as if the slide floor is leaning into the camper and digging into the floor--it should be supported so that does not happen(is the slide wall parallel to the trailer wall outside?).

Are there any obstructions impeding the slide box movement? The fact that it is pushing the wall out is an indicator that the slide box is being stopped by something (an obstruction under the slide box on top of the room carpet perhaps or box misalignment).

All these other things (wall moving, misalignment when closing, constant resyncing needed) are all symptoms of the slide box not being able to move freely.

Also, look at the following:
-slide box corners "Square"?
-Slide box center in the opening?

As to the question of "why now is it failing" -- the slide mechanism and frame can take some abuse(mis alignment, obstruction, etc) for a limited time then it will start to fail...ie, motors, tracks, rivets/screws pull out of the slide or column in the wall, etc.