Community Forums

William Schnieber · 05-27-2008, 06:26 PM

With the exception of minor arts and crafts repairs it was almost an uneventful holiday weekend until...50 mile from home..BOOM,minor smoke; you guessed it, the hydraulic lines blew below the closet slide (05-34'), above the radiator FOR THE FOURTH TIME!! Three other times someone else has said it's all fixed, I'm a firm believer in "if you want it done right, do it yourself". With that said my quest begins. I've pulled the grill off, the hoses were laying on top of the radiator, so I'm thinking maybe a heat blanket or maybe wrapping them with header exhaust wrap thats used for hot rods. But I need to repair the hoses that come from the little valve or is it a regulator, that go into the slide. There was also what appears to be about an extra six feet of hose that should have gone up into the slide. The gray hose that feeds that valve is also cracking but hasn't burst yet, it looks like a main feed. I'm sure someone has gone through this besides me, so I'm looking for input on redesigning, rerouting, and repairing. Incidently I drove the remainder of our trip with the slide 6" out going down the freeway very carefully, made it home safe with no further damage, released the preasure from the hoses and was able to push the slide back in and secure it just in case this gets over my head. I've tackled worse, I can handle this. (maybe-hehehe)

William Schnieber · 05-27-2008, 06:26 PM

With the exception of minor arts and crafts repairs it was almost an uneventful holiday weekend until...50 mile from home..BOOM,minor smoke; you guessed it, the hydraulic lines blew below the closet slide (05-34'), above the radiator FOR THE FOURTH TIME!! Three other times someone else has said it's all fixed, I'm a firm believer in "if you want it done right, do it yourself". With that said my quest begins. I've pulled the grill off, the hoses were laying on top of the radiator, so I'm thinking maybe a heat blanket or maybe wrapping them with header exhaust wrap thats used for hot rods. But I need to repair the hoses that come from the little valve or is it a regulator, that go into the slide. There was also what appears to be about an extra six feet of hose that should have gone up into the slide. The gray hose that feeds that valve is also cracking but hasn't burst yet, it looks like a main feed. I'm sure someone has gone through this besides me, so I'm looking for input on redesigning, rerouting, and repairing. Incidently I drove the remainder of our trip with the slide 6" out going down the freeway very carefully, made it home safe with no further damage, released the preasure from the hoses and was able to push the slide back in and secure it just in case this gets over my head. I've tackled worse, I can handle this. (maybe-hehehe)

OldForester · 05-27-2008, 08:19 PM

Well, I thought we were the poster child for Alpine wardrobe slide hydraulic problems. We are on our 4th set, and we have been in a series of threads on this subject in this forum. We also posted pictures in the photo section on this and our solutions.

Common perception was that the hoses failed due to the heat. Our third set failed after 7 days of extend/retract twice a day while the coach was parked in Palm Springs in the winter and the engine was never started. Hoses did not have a chance to get above 75 degrees F. The HWH technician and I concluded radiator heat was not the problem.

We re-routed the hoses away from the radiator, near the grill, attached to bedroom slide floor, covered the fittings with heat insulated wrap from WRV, and still had the problem.

Final set of hoses sent by HWH had different fittings. They did not have an anodized-type coating. They have been on the coach for 15 months and many extensions/retractions and so far have held up well. Hoses were re-routed again by WRV last September across the front of the engine compartment, under the bed, away from the radiator. Our HWH technician's view and mine, is that when you get new hoses with good fittings, that's the main event. HWH tech told me the hoses should take 250 degrees of heat with no problem, and the radiator doesn't get there if it's working right.

So, I would insist on getting newest design hoses and fittings from HWH, and if you're really into DIY, you might want to look into getting some braided hoses made by a local hydraulic shop that does airplane or other braided-type hoses that may not blister as easily near the fittings or in the line. I would still route them either right under the grill and up against the floor of the slide where they can get cool air and as far above the radiator as possible (where we finally did it before WRV put them across the front of the engine compartment), even though ours failed when cool. My theory is no use giving them any more heat than necessary, even though I believe the fittings are the key.

Also, when you change the hoses you will probably need to synchronize the cylinders on the slide. We did that by removing the cylinders from the scissor rams on the slide and retracting/extending them a few times once we put on the new hoses. This caused them to naturally synchronize. If they're not syncrhonized the slide won't go in evenly. We had to remove the shower glass on our '06 36MDDS to do that.

If you need any more input, PM me with your phone number and I'll be glad to call you.

Renipladlo · 05-28-2008, 05:56 AM

Hello, and thank you for the input. Do you know if HWH or WRV fixed this issue in later models? If not, what exactly should I be looking for to stop this prior to it happening to me. Coach we have is 2007 APEX, but just purchased it last month new.

hrhuggie · 05-28-2008, 07:42 AM

Since your Apex is new and still under HWH warranty, HWH is your natural resource. I had discussed this issue with our local and favorite repair facility (Acacia RV in Colton) since I have a couple of issues that are now out of warranty with HWH. Greg had told me that "when you have to start paying for hoses, let me know and I will have them replaced with Gates hoses. I have never had a problem with them and the HWH hoses are notorius for problems"

OldForester · 05-28-2008, 08:13 AM

Renipladlo,

In our coach WRV paid for two of the repairs and HWH paid for two of the repairs, including a subsequent slide solenoid replacement. Since WRV is out of business, and HWH has a warranty on their systems, I would look for and HWH technician to do the work.

DAN&DONNA T · 05-28-2008, 10:25 AM

In 2005 we were shopping for a M.H. to replace our 1995 34' Dynasty.One feature we did not want was slides.Never had them,did not want them. Impossible .We didn't only have to have slides we bought this 2005 Alpine for its quality and family owned company.Not only did the Alpine so did WRV. Our 2005 34'Alpine is on its forth set of hyd. hose lines.My question is will the hoses fail if the slides are not used.I belive the jacks and the slides share the same hyd. system and I don't know what effect this could have on the slides? Dan wd8mdf@aol.com

William Schnieber · 05-28-2008, 03:40 PM

We were not using our slides while we were driving down the road (not reccomended)

.And thats when they burst this time. Slides are a great feature if designed properly.

ClarkBowen · 05-28-2008, 04:58 PM

No, the later years do not have the problem fixed. We have a 2007 36' FDTS and we are traveling home with our bedroom slide sticking out 10" on the rear because the famous hydraulics went. I spent over a day on the phone with HWH working out a solution to get our LR slide in (we were in a town of 120 people in Southern Utah) and they implied that they think the problem is WRV's because of improper hose routing. Judging from the comments in this thread it may really be an HWH warranty issue.
Guess we will find out when we take it to Uhlmanns.

Clark

bigfish · 05-28-2008, 05:08 PM

Have not seen any reports of 40 footers having this problem. I think someone indicated that WRV used a standard length hose for all coach lengths and the shorter coaches had excess lengths of hose coiled up. The hoses on my 40' coach are PARKER HANNIFIN PARFLEX PDH-2, Rated 6000 PSI max working pressure, -40 TO +212 DEG F Temperature Range. Parker indicates the use of series 58 crimp fittings for this hose. They also spec 1/2" as a minimum bend radius. I would be interested in what HWH is now supplying to replace the failed hoses along with the model/series fitting they are using.
BTF

EngineerMike · 05-28-2008, 05:27 PM

1) standard hoses is correct; WRV didn't want to carry multiple parts in inventory.
2) at the Freeport, OR gearhead session prior to FMCA last year, there was a two-way finger pointing session between the HWH guy and WRV as to whose failure this is. Each was somewhat adamant that the other outfit needed to fix their stuff.

rmmpe · 05-29-2008, 02:31 AM

A few things:
1. I'd bet good money the minimum bend radius is 12", NOT 1/2".
2. If I had to replace hoses I'd visit an Aerospace hose shop and have them make them to size using a high pressure type having braided stainless steel sheathing.
3. I'd not use Aluminum fittings (if they're Anodized, they're Aluminum). If possible, use 303, 304 or 316 grade Stainless Steel fittings.

Dave & Colleen · 05-29-2008, 03:31 PM

Bob
I cannot begin to say how much I agree with you. In over thirty years of using Aeroquip/Easton hoses, I never had one fail. The nicest thing is once you purchase the S.S end fittings they are re used and reused for a 100 life times. Coach operations (3,000 PSI) conditions make the coach world a cake walk for the real heavier hoses. The Teflon lined with S.S braided hose are good but the multi layered jackets are better for this application. Reference the aeroquip guide.
Dave

rmmpe · 05-30-2008, 02:18 AM

Absolutely, Dave. Absolutely.

People must realize that when any manufacturer builds a product, they will reduce their OEM costs as much as possible. Generally, in the case of hoses, rather than buy 5 hoses of differing lengths, they'll by 5 hoses of the same length to maximize "Economy of scale". They'll also buy "Good enough" rather than "Best for the job".

Also, rather than buy longer hoses that must be coiled or bent in a large radius to make a corner, buy a properly sized hose with offset fittings (45 and 90 degree). That will keep the flex to a minimum and avoid the hose being pinched by a moving member.

A good hose house will do the proper job and although the cost of the "Best" hose may be a little more than that of the "Good enough" hose, it'll be a one-time deal.

There are many things being sent around the Net under the classification "I've learned this to be true". Like you, having many years in the fluid power industry, "I have learned this to be true".

Think Aerospace!