2021 GD 231RK SlideOut Electrical Failure

[RichOKOKOK]

Getting ready for my first trip found this mess. I sent two mobile techs the picture and one wanted a part number for the GD sprung spring. I called GD twice with one 30 minute hold and finally got a technical person to look at my pictures. He said part fluky (a technical term) accident and part poor installation (workmanship) as the 120 wire( to wall outlet in the slide ) must have caught on the "bell" and pulled everything loose). He said spring from a home improvement store would work as a replacement. I got him to ship me a replacement part in case a screen door spring wouldn't work. luckily the next morning a second Mobil repair I had used before called and could send a tech that afternoon and I agreed and ran to home depot and picked up two springs. later I met the tech at storage and he said he could fix it right with a Lippert Quick Draw Sling that they use to rehang wiring under slideouts but he had to order the part, Or he could wire it all back up good enough to get me on the road fo California, but to ocasionally check it and get a mobile tech to get the Lippert Sling and fix it right. He wired it back together and secured it with P clamps and we ran the slide in and out and I accepted it.
I would recommend everybody check the wiring under their slideout halfway out and look for loose and/or stretched wires. And where your wires could snag when extending the slide. The sprung spring jumped right out at me. The 12V wiring was to my 12V refrigerator in the slide and a ceiling light over the dinette and the 120 was discussed above.
This engineer says bad design and poor workmanship :-(

[Jlawles2]

GDRV-Megan I'm not a fan of the GD springs. Thinking of changing mine out to the plastic wire supports. I think this is what he is referring to and what I am considering. https://store.lci1.com/flex-guard-si...e-1346271.html

Maybe one of the GD team can pass this along as when my slide closes, the wiring is not in the protective channel and subject to debris from tires.

[Canyonlight]

GDRV-Megan I'm not a fan of the GD springs. Thinking of changing mine out to the plastic wire supports. I think this is what he is referring to and what I am considering. https://store.lci1.com/flex-guard-si...e-1346271.html

Maybe one of the GD team can pass this along as when my slide closes, the wiring is not in the protective channel and subject to debris from tires.

Joseph - our 2014 303 has the wiring/propane supports in the link you shared. I suspect Rob Cate&Rob has the same on his 2015 303.

We have the larger ones in your link on the rear of both the Fridge and Table slides. The one in the front of the fridge slide is smaller to support only the propane hose

Are you saying that your 303 uses springs in some/all these locations or ?

Dan

[Cate&Rob]

Ironically . . . Grand Design went from the plastic LCI folding supports to the metal springs because most of the plastic ones broke the folded plastic "hinge" at the outer end. I fixed all three of mine with stainless steel hinges (I know . . . the washers are rather over sized, but it was what I had on hand at the time ) and these have been working fine for years.

Rob

[TedS]

I, too, repaired a broken cable support with a hinge. The problem is that there was not enough space for the support to bend when the slide was closed. The space was less than the minimum bend for the plastic cable carrier. The hinge provided for a smaller, sharper bend radius eliminating the cause of carrier failure. Something to consider if you use the plastic cable carrier.

[Canyonlight]

Yes, one our original ones (as I recall the small propane hose one) broke as well. I simply used zip ties drilling a couple holes and it worked well. When GDRV replaced our walls, they replaced all three. The new versions are performing and holding up just like new. They seem heavier built and/or possibly the plastic is a better quality for this type of use.

RichOKOKOK - apologies for taking your thread off target abit.

Dan

[Jlawles2]

Cate&Rob TedS Canyonlight Our first camper used the flex plastic strip and it failed at the thin deformation hinge, it got upgraded with a stainless hinge as Rob did.

I don't know who thought of the screen door spring, but they need to go out into the inspection yard and look under a camper after the slides have gone in and out a few dozen times. The spring does great up until it reaches coil bind (complete relaxation) then gets crippled (technical term here) as the slide continues to retract forcing the spring to become a hinge at any unknown point in its length. After that, the wiring pulls the spring down and out of the channel where it gets pinched by the sidewall.

Maybe one of the moderators can bounce this up to the design teams to get out of the chair and go LOOK at what they have created.

On our 1st 5er, the plastic support was pipe hinged on both ends not deformation hinged until the axle came apart and destroyed the pipe anchor point and the formed end of the strap.