07-25-2015, 04:22 PM
Recently, one of the hoses to the rear slide developed a leak. The leak caused the air bag to fail. The air bag was replaced in a different thread. My first thought was to crimp a new end on the leaking hose. Research suggested this would not be a long term fix. In fact when I got the hoses out, I discovered the leaking end had already been refitted once with a new fitting.
As I dove into the hose replacement, I tried to gain access to the hose fittings via the bedroom. After taking the bed apart, both potties out, removing the windshield, radiator, transmission, and the generator it was clear that would not work. The first two calls to the mothership assured me there was access through the bedroom. The bedroom support mechanism is an aluminum structure that is affixed to the slide out. Under the support structure, the hydraulic cylinder is COMPLETELY enclosed in a square steel tube. The hoses exit from the square steel tube on the bottom and then through the bedroom floor into the wheelwell. There is about 3/8 inch between the bottom of the steel tube and the floor. I could only see the hoses using a flashlight and a mirror.
I was stuck.
I lay awake thinking about using a grinder and cutting holes in both the aluminum and steel tubes. I still didn't know how I would get the hoses through the opening.
I called again and spoke to a tech who explained it all. Access is neither through the bedroom nor the bottom of the coach. You disconnect the cylinder from the steel square tube via two bolts under the bed, disconnect via one bolt on the bottom of the slide out, contract the cylinder, disconnect the hoses, and pull it out the channel from outside. I learned later all of this is explained on the HWH site http://www.hwhcorp.com/ml19524.pdf
Before you get started deflate the seal, and looking in the channel you will see a piece of foam surrounding the ram. At the bottom of that foam is a 3/8 nut. Remove it, grab the black plastic base and slide it out. You don't have to tear it into ten pieces to remove it. He says, after the fact.
I felt like a doofus, having been on the site for days but not finding this page.
Let me add a couple of things that would have made this gone smoother. First. Getting the hoses down the square tube, turning 90 degrees and exiting through the wheel well is not fun. I had tied rope to the old hoses before I pulled out the cylinder. If I were doing this again, I would thread some cable or rope through a 1/4 JIS flare coupling, screw one each to each old hose and pull out with the cylinder. Th purpose of using the flare is that the rope or cable will be right in the center of the hose end, and it's tapered.
I had rope but even with tying and taping it die not want to turn the angle with the fitting.
Second, the hoses are 1/8 Parker 540N. You won't find 1/8 hyd hose in smaller towns. I took a chance and had 1/4 hoses made at Napa. The hose will go through the hole OK, BUT the 1/4 hose ends are far larger than the the 1/8 ones. It was a real bear.
In hindsight, using 1/8 hose, and using the flare coupling would have made this a easier job.
As I dove into the hose replacement, I tried to gain access to the hose fittings via the bedroom. After taking the bed apart, both potties out, removing the windshield, radiator, transmission, and the generator it was clear that would not work. The first two calls to the mothership assured me there was access through the bedroom. The bedroom support mechanism is an aluminum structure that is affixed to the slide out. Under the support structure, the hydraulic cylinder is COMPLETELY enclosed in a square steel tube. The hoses exit from the square steel tube on the bottom and then through the bedroom floor into the wheelwell. There is about 3/8 inch between the bottom of the steel tube and the floor. I could only see the hoses using a flashlight and a mirror.
I was stuck.
I lay awake thinking about using a grinder and cutting holes in both the aluminum and steel tubes. I still didn't know how I would get the hoses through the opening.
I called again and spoke to a tech who explained it all. Access is neither through the bedroom nor the bottom of the coach. You disconnect the cylinder from the steel square tube via two bolts under the bed, disconnect via one bolt on the bottom of the slide out, contract the cylinder, disconnect the hoses, and pull it out the channel from outside. I learned later all of this is explained on the HWH site http://www.hwhcorp.com/ml19524.pdf
Before you get started deflate the seal, and looking in the channel you will see a piece of foam surrounding the ram. At the bottom of that foam is a 3/8 nut. Remove it, grab the black plastic base and slide it out. You don't have to tear it into ten pieces to remove it. He says, after the fact.
I felt like a doofus, having been on the site for days but not finding this page.
Let me add a couple of things that would have made this gone smoother. First. Getting the hoses down the square tube, turning 90 degrees and exiting through the wheel well is not fun. I had tied rope to the old hoses before I pulled out the cylinder. If I were doing this again, I would thread some cable or rope through a 1/4 JIS flare coupling, screw one each to each old hose and pull out with the cylinder. Th purpose of using the flare is that the rope or cable will be right in the center of the hose end, and it's tapered.
I had rope but even with tying and taping it die not want to turn the angle with the fitting.
Second, the hoses are 1/8 Parker 540N. You won't find 1/8 hyd hose in smaller towns. I took a chance and had 1/4 hoses made at Napa. The hose will go through the hole OK, BUT the 1/4 hose ends are far larger than the the 1/8 ones. It was a real bear.
In hindsight, using 1/8 hose, and using the flare coupling would have made this a easier job.
