Lippert Slide Mechanism

[cochise1949]

Thanks for the info Dennis....every time we make a major purchase, the next year or two's model has something better. I wish WBGO could retrofit the Power Gear to the .Schwinteks


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

[dengraham]

They would if they could but the Power Gear requires the hole (for the box) to be 1/2 inch larger. This would be hard to retrofit because of all the seals and molding and paint.

[two-niner]

I'm not so sure about the not retrofitting, Dennis.

A knowledgeable buyer for a used 13-15 coach without PowerGear would shy away from the purchase, thus lowering the value/resale.

A person such as you Dennis, very articulate and likeable, might be able to approach the "big shots" at Winnebago about designing a retrofit. Some small costs to the customer and the rest absorbed by Winnebago as a good will gesture.

I would nominate you Dennis as spokesman/person and second the motion but I don't have a dog in this hunt. And after all, your coach would keep it's value with a retrofit. The WIT rally is your chance to "git er done".

Kerry

[dengraham]

Hi Two-Niner,
Good to hear from you. We will miss GNR this year as we are going on the Winnebago Adventure Tours Alaska Caravan. Winnebago's official position is it the vendor's responsibility, i.e., Lippert Components Inc. They made that very clear to me with a personal phone call. I agree with what you are saying and Lippert had a full time person on site in Forest City to help monitor or fix all the problems but as you say, they are ignoring the "after warranty" effect of their actions. This post may get me another phone call but they are good at hiding under the rug. They are just blaming the vendor.
Thanks for your kind words and support. I'll keep you posted.


>> Dennis

[XBoater]

That is a very unfortunate position for Winnebago to take. These issues do not seem to have changed WBO's position about LCI as a vendor. They still use LCI components,(Power Gear, Bed lifter, jacks, etc) so no penalty there for LCI leaving owners high and dry with ongoing Schwintek issues.

It may be short sighted as in a few years current owners will be upgrading, those with issues will severely discount the Winnebago brand. It will not stop there, the lucky few without issues will also be affected in the lower resale value of a coach equipped with the inferior Schwintek slide mechanism.

They should take a lesson from Tiffin. My rotted basement floor was replaced under warranty 8 yrs after purchase. This service is a factor in making Tiffin the largest class-A manufacturer.

[dengraham]

Xboater
I agree but Winnebago would also replace the floor because they built it. Think about the bad refrigerators. It is the refrigerator company that needed to fix or replace them. In this case Lippert needs to offer a better fix. I just hope mine goes bad before my extended warranty runs out. I am hoping Lippert will have a conversion kit for a Power Gear slide.

[XBoater]

Morning Dennis,

That did come to mind as I was typing it, I commend you on picking that fact up. I don't think the refrigerators though are a good example. Winnebago only tested the hole to make sure they fit. The slide mechanism is a component of the system. Winnebago is responsible to ensure that the system was designed properly and will function during the life of the motorhome.

Tiffin stood behind a design flaw for 8 years. I my case it did not fail for 7 years. The Winnebago slide units, specifically the heaviest slide units failed immediately. Though I have no direct information, it appears the slide issues were not just the failure of the Schwintek component. There were some poorly constructed slide boxes, un-square frames, failed rollers, improperly installed rollers and the list goes on. They are dumping quite a bit of their own failed design, construction and responsibility onto a component manufacturer.

I would think an engineer would have looked a bit more skeptically at a design that is to support a box that weighs say 1000 lbs, tettering in a line of rollers using a thin aluminum rail and 4 little "gibs" as it moves in and out.

Good luck in the battle...Enjoy Alaska !!!

[dengraham]

Rich,
I appreciate your comments and your perspective. Good point about the assembly process as I have heard about the problem of the box getting out of square before it was placed into the motorhome. That is the very reason the new PowerGear works is because it is "very forgiving" if the box is not square. I understand Winnebago did put the box in to a jig when they assembled the box but I have also heard they mounted some of the cabinets before it was lifted into the motorhome. While the box may have been square when built, mounting cabinets could pull it slightly out of square when the screws were inserted. The bedroom Schwintek works like a charm but the significant weight on the big kitchen slide is a challenge. I constantly check the rollers, spray dry lubricant under the slide, and clean the gears on the side of the slide to insure a smooth "ride." It works but I am constantly afraid it is going to jump a gear. I have been reluctant to spray any lubricant onto the motor area as I cannot see it and concerned it would just attract dust and grime, although there is a video that shows you how to do it. Do you spray yours?
>> Dennis

[XBoater]

Dennis,

My folks had 2 slides in there 5th wheel that got used all the time, no issues and now in their Vegas MH. Also Tiffin uses the Schwintek system on their bedroom slides. I think it is an innovative system properly deployed.

I have not seen the new Powergear in use, how does it keep the box level during transit in and out?

I too hold my breath each time the slide moves. So far so good, it travels without any sign of binding, creaking or squeaking. I have checked the rollers to see they are level and in full contact with the slide. I am watching the strips where the box rests on the rollers too ensure full contact as well. I purchased the recommended lubricant from the LCI video and give the area a periodic blast as shown. The lube does not seem to attract any dirt, I do keep the slide portion of the rail cleaned. We have also limited the use of the kitchen slide storage to lightweight items. When moving from the Tiffin, it seemed like the DW had about 1000 lbs of pots, pans, cutlery, glasses and food. Most of it went to the pantries and over the table.

Do you know what component failed in your slide? Was it the motor, coupling, gib, rail?

[two-niner]

XBoater: The "soft floor" in the Tiffin coaches were known for over ten years, It was a latent defect which is not defendable in court.

Tiffin knew it, yet kept doing the same thing over and over. This situation with the Winnebago slide has been known now since the 2013's started selling and "breaking".
It has become a latent defect and lawyers always go after the deepest pockets.

It's hard to understand why Winnebago just don't go ahead and "bite the bullet" and stop this nonsense of blaming the vendor. Isn't anybody in charge?

Kerry

[XBoater]

Originally Posted by two-niner

XBoater: The "soft floor" in the Tiffin coaches were known for over ten years, It was a latent defect which is not defendable in court.

Tiffin knew it, yet kept doing the same thing over and over. This situation with the Winnebago slide has been known now since the 2013's started selling and "breaking".
It has become a latent defect and lawyers always go after the deepest pockets.

It's hard to understand why Winnebago just don't go ahead and "bite the bullet" and stop this nonsense of blaming the vendor. Isn't anybody in charge?

Kerry

Apparently Winnebago does not think they have the deepest pockets or is not worried about latent defects and lawyers.

[-Grumpy-]

I posted earlier today, under the topic "Slideout Disaster", a problem that I am having with my Lippert and Schwintek system. I agree that a class action is needed in order for Winnebago to fix this problem once and for all. Had I known about this problem with the slideouts, I would never have bought my 2014 Itasca Meridian 40U (brand new) 2 months ago. I am stranded hundreds of miles away from home, and now I have to wait 2+ weeks for parts to arrive at an approved Winnebago warranty repair center. This is costing me $55.00 per day waiting for the parts, then a motel for 2 days when they fix it. I cannot believe that Winnebago does not have the pull to expedite the parts from Lippert. This really sucks.

[Scarab0088]

Just FYI, no need to be stranded.

You can overide the electronics to electrically withdraw the slide, or if it is failed hardware, you can release the motor(s) to push the slide in by hand...see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGL4aILZYcY

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzqbvwCJpNU

So sorry for the struggles. Winnie was not the only maker who took LCI at their word. These Schwintek slide drives have some bugs.

Best luck

[peterson]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

I thought Winnebago was a bit more into quality rather than cheap. I guess the accounting wienies are winning there as well.

Ken

"In the old days..." changes were made to improve something. I fear that today changes are made more to make a buck. It seems that some folks are forgetting that making a buck today may cause you to not make ten bucks later.

[CBTraveler]

Last time I looked at the Winnebago corporate structure I saw a lot of VP's but not a VP of Quality.

[mccra003]

Originally Posted by peterson

"In the old days..." changes were made to improve something. I fear that today changes are made more to make a buck. It seems that some folks are forgetting that making a buck today may cause you to not make ten bucks later.

Yes, when we bought our gasser we were planning on upgrading to a DP in the future. We thought it would be a Winn but doubt that will happen anymore. Too bad for Winn and our dealer (who we really like).

[mccra003]

Originally Posted by dengraham

Rich,
I appreciate your comments and your perspective. Good point about the assembly process as I have heard about the problem of the box getting out of square before it was placed into the motorhome. That is the very reason the new PowerGear works is because it is "very forgiving" if the box is not square. I understand Winnebago did put the box in to a jig when they assembled the box but I have also heard they mounted some of the cabinets before it was lifted into the motorhome. While the box may have been square when built, mounting cabinets could pull it slightly out of square when the screws were inserted. The bedroom Schwintek works like a charm but the significant weight on the big kitchen slide is a challenge. I constantly check the rollers, spray dry lubricant under the slide, and clean the gears on the side of the slide to insure a smooth "ride." It works but I am constantly afraid it is going to jump a gear. I have been reluctant to spray any lubricant onto the motor area as I cannot see it and concerned it would just attract dust and grime, although there is a video that shows you how to do it. Do you spray yours?
>> Dennis

Hi, all. I know that most of the posts have been about the lounge area, but we have had 2 motor failures on the bedroom slide (as well as one in the lounge area). The 1st bedroom slide broke on our 1st trip. When the bedroom slide breaks it is very limiting as the bed will not recline (so, at best, 1 person can lay across it sideways) and there is very limited access to the drawers and compartments. The 2nd bedroom slide issue was on our last trip and we were fortunately able to drive to a dealer about 5 miles away as the slide had not deployed more than a few inches. They were able to overnight the motor (only) so it only took 11 days to fix. The other 2 times we needed roadside assistance as the slides were fully deployed and we had to cancel our trips to get back home. Very dangerous traveling as the 2 x 4's would pop out while traveling - for us and others.

[mccra003]

Originally Posted by -Grumpy-

I posted earlier today, under the topic "Slideout Disaster", a problem that I am having with my Lippert and Schwintek system. I agree that a class action is needed in order for Winnebago to fix this problem once and for all. Had I known about this problem with the slideouts, I would never have bought my 2014 Itasca Meridian 40U (brand new) 2 months ago. I am stranded hundreds of miles away from home, and now I have to wait 2+ weeks for parts to arrive at an approved Winnebago warranty repair center. This is costing me $55.00 per day waiting for the parts, then a motel for 2 days when they fix it. I cannot believe that Winnebago does not have the pull to expedite the parts from Lippert. This really sucks.

Sorry that this is happening to you, Grumpy. They should be able to overnight the motors (as they did on my last trip), but if they are doing more (rails, etc) it could take longer. I really hope that they are doing 'the full treatment' as with Chris KW (posts 47 & 55) as this MIGHT be a longer term fix. I wish I had known more as well, as with 3 motor replacements on 2 slides without the 'full treatment' I feel that we will have more failures imminently. I hope that you get resolution soon, and that Winn can help ALL of us out.

[XBoater]

Originally Posted by mccra003

Hi, all. I know that most of the posts have been about the lounge area, but we have had 2 motor failures on the bedroom slide (as well as one in the lounge area). The 1st bedroom slide broke on our 1st trip. When the bedroom slide breaks it is very limiting as the bed will not recline (so, at best, 1 person can lay across it sideways) and there is very limited access to the drawers and compartments. The 2nd bedroom slide issue was on our last trip and we were fortunately able to drive to a dealer about 5 miles away as the slide had not deployed more than a few inches. They were able to overnight the motor (only) so it only took 11 days to fix. The other 2 times we needed roadside assistance as the slides were fully deployed and we had to cancel our trips to get back home. Very dangerous traveling as the 2 x 4's would pop out while traveling - for us and others.

You can jump the lockout switches on the bed mechanism. Then you can use with only one slide open. Also handy when planning a quick nap, only need the bed slide open.

[tmandoug1]

So don't buy the 2015 42HD?