HWH Hydraulics - Lessons learned

[RVsteve]

Here are a few lessons learned from a recent living room slide failure.

1. Never let this happen on the weekend, or 200 miles from civilization. There is no one available to help. (Why are RV service shops closed on the weekend?)

2. Make sure the hydraulics manual supplied with the coach actually matches the unit on your coach. It is very frustrating when trying to get phone help, if these two don't match. It can be destructive, too, when following the manual's instructions.

3. Make sure when you call HWH for help that you inform them that you are stuck and cannot move with the slide extended. They are supposed to put you higher in the queque.

4. Carry an extra solenoid, and a Stubby nut driver with a 1/4 inch socket to relieve solenoid pressure. Don't rely on the nut drive built into filler cap. They are plastic and tend to strip.

5. It is best to have TWO rachet wrenches and TWO appropriate sockets to use when manually closing the slide. It is a slow process, and took two of us 30 minutes to close the slide.

6. Check the fluid level AFTER all slides are closed. Don't fill when the slides/jacks are open/extended.

7. When you take the coach in for repair, ask the mechanic to first call HWH for diagnostic help. At $120 p/h, you don't want these guys guessing. HWH is very busy and a little slow to respond, but worth the wait. In my case a simple diagnostic procedure determined the "shuttle valve" had failed...a $60 part.

8. If you have a BR slide without manual retraction screws, be prepared to ask for help to push it in. It took 3 large men with a lot of effort to close my bedroom slide. Don't believe what the manual says.

9. Finally, after the fact, HWH told me that it possible to remove the return tube, cap off the two fittings, and the slides will work. I need to ask more about this.

RV Steve
2006 Winnebago Adventurer 34V
Workhorse Chassis - Vortec 8.1

[RustyJC]

Duplicate thread to one in MH - General Discussions and not applicable to slide-in truck campers.

Rusty