Cannot Access Slide Controller With Slides Closed

[Guest]

Jim - Bluesro's Imagine 2950 has basically the same general floor plan configuration as my Reflection 297RSTS. On my 297, If the door side slide is stuck in the "in" position, It is impossible to squeeze between the slide out and the hutch. So getting a team of people inside to push it open would be very difficult. The only option I can imagine is to remove the back window (or break in) in order to get inside the coach. And once inside, you still can't access the controller due to it's location in the island. So the pushing team would all need to crawl in too. Then some of them would have to crawl over the island to get to the other end of the slide wall. I don't think it would be feasible to try and pull the slide out.

If it were me, I'd move the controller also if I was planning on keeping the RV.

Jim

Jim,

I'm not familiar with this unit but lets say a motor has completely failed. It will still need to somehow be pushed. With the complexity of moving the controllers and not everyone being comfortable with that, I would consider an attractive panel as Brian has mentioned or if the unit is new, insist GDRV move the controllers. But some day, it may still need to be pushed.

Jim

[TucsonJim]

Jim,

I'm not familiar with this unit but lets say a motor has completely failed. It will still need to somehow be pushed. With the complexity of moving the controllers and not everyone being comfortable with that, I would consider an attractive panel as Brian has mentioned or if the unit is new, insist GDRV move the controllers. But some day, it may still need to be pushed.

Jim

At least they don't make that model anymore. The only one in the imagine line with a similar layout is the 2970. And it appears to have a Lippert through-frame slide on the door side.

Jim

[howson]

This entire thread begs the question: Why isn't there an external, manual extension/retraction crank on the Schwintek like on a thru-frame slide or an easier method to disconnect the motors? Especially when the answer already exists! I do not understand why the Winnebago motorcoach version of the Schwintek is not used in every Schwintek application (Motors are accessible under an external cover from the outside.)

Below pic was extracted from a Lippert document.

[Guest]

At least they don't make that model anymore. The only one in the imagine line with a similar layout is the 2970. And it appears to have a Lippert through-frame slide on the door side.

Jim

Jim,

Looking at this rig more closely this could pose a real issue with a slide inoperable in the full retracted position. To be able to use the override function would be desirable but when I had a seized motor, one side could be operated but the side with the bad motor had to be pushed. No escaping that.
Your window statement might actually be a reality where once inside one could crawl over the island to get to the hutch side.. It would be interesting to know how the dealer or GDRV would approach the problem of a seized motor in the fully retracted position. I'm guessing it would not be very eloquent.

Jim

[Guest]

This entire thread begs the question: Why isn't there an external, manual extension/retraction crank on the Schwintek like on a thru-frame slide or an easier method to disconnect the motors? Especially when the answer already exists! I do not understand why the Winnebago motorcoach version of the Schwintek is not used in every Schwintek application (Motors are accessible under an external cover from the outside.)

Below pic was extracted from a Lippert document.

Agree Howard,

This approach needs to be adopted on all rigs. If the outside ring can be removed in both fully retracted position, the problem of motor access is solved. Winnebago patent this idea to invert the Schwintek and use their gasket panel? If so they own GDRV.

Jim

[howson]

Agree Howard,

This approach needs to be adopted on all rigs. If the outside ring can be removed in both fully retracted position, the problem of motor access is solved. Winnebago patent this idea to invert the Schwintek and use their gasket panel? If so they own GDRV.

Jim

No idea. Not sure how Winnebago could patent a system owned by Lippert. All I know is just like too many airplane systems I worked on over the years, little thought is given to the maintainer that will have to fix what will, quote, "never break".

[Guest]

No idea. Not sure how Winnebago could patent a system owned by Lippert. All I know is just like too many airplane systems I worked on over the years, little thought is given to the maintainer that will have to fix what will, quote, "never break".

Howard,

Wondering if Winnebago as patented the outside panel and builds their units with the Shwintek inverted. So no ties to LCI.

Jim

[howson]

Howard,

Wondering if Winnebago as patented the outside panel and builds their units with the Shwintek inverted. So no ties to LCI.

Jim

No idea my friend. All I know is the Winnebago motorcoach unit is unique and from my perspective solves the access issue when it fails.

[ThePowells]

Maybe the mothership can produce a video showing how the designers attack this issue. Give them a retracted 2950RL and let theory collide with real life and see who wins.

[howson]

Maybe the mothership can produce a video showing how the designers attack this issue. Give them a retracted 2950RL and let theory collide with real life and see who wins.

They'll do the same thing the Ops guys did--call for a crew chief (maintenance) to figure it out.

[Jlawles2]

howson Being an engineer with mechanic background, I question all of the digital modeling they do for trying to figure things out. Just because a digital model says you can get to it, does not mean that the human body can contort to the shape needed to reach it. I guess the GD team thought Elasti Girl or Mister Fantastic would be there to push the buttons on the controller for you.

I saw a screen shot the other day for maintenance on an engine. Looked great, good access to the part with an impact gun. Major issue was they had the firewall turned off so they could see what to work on. And forgot access to get the tools and hands in there to do the actual work.

[Guest]

I'll have to refrain from fully commenting in what folks were thinking (or lack of) to design a rig that you cannot access with the slides in. With the slides designed like Winnebego, this would be a non-issue. And the controllers could have been mounted inside a cargo compartment that's accessible from outside the rig. For vehicles, aero with low drag has caused the compactness of engine compartments today. I've watched the techs at GM to find very creative ways of working on them.

Jim