Most RV's come with slide-outs to provide more room and maximize comfort in your home away from home. Being a mechanical component, all should know that they can also be subject to mechanical failures. Sometimes a slide motor can fail leading to a non-functional slide. Here are some steps that you can take to get the slide in manually.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Manually Retracting Your Below Floor Mount RV Slide Out
  • Step 1: Identifying Your Slide
  • Step 2: Check for battery voltage and ensure you have a good 12 volts from the battery or charging system.
  • Step 3: Releasing the brake on the motor
  • Step 4: Retracting the slide
  • Step 5: Engaging the brake on the motor

Manually Retracting Your Below Floor Mount RV Slide Out

Step 1: Identifying Your Slide

• A below floor mount slide is generally found on motorhomes and is identified by the multiple gear tracks found below the slide out leading into the unit just above the compartments.   
• If you follow the tracks, they will lead to a motor beneath the main floor.
• Depending on the size of the slide you may have multiple motors.  So make sure you search the entire length of the slide.

Step 2: Check for battery voltage and ensure you have a good 12 volts from the battery or charging system.

• The slide-out will get power from your battery but will have a blade fuse or a resettable 12-volt breaker.
• Blade fuses will be located near the breaker panel and a resettable 12-volt breaker will be located near the front tongue of the trailer or in a 5th wheel in the front storage compartment.  The location on a motorhome will vary but is usually located near 12-volt disconnect center. You can also pull the slide-out switch and check for 12 volts there if the breaker cannot be located.

Step 3: Releasing the brake on the motor

• You will notice a tag on the rubber boot of the motor that says, “Motor Brake” as well as “Engage”. 
• Without removing the boot, you should feel 2 tabs, one that feels solid and one that feels slightly flexible.  Push the flexible tab in, towards the motor and slide the solid tab up in the direction of the flexible tab as the label shows on the boot.  This should align the 2 tabs with one another, and you will hear a click once they do. 
• You have now released the brake on the motor.   If multiple motors, perform the same steps on each.

Step 4: Retracting the slide

• There is a square tube that runs horizontally connecting the motors to the tracks.  You can put a crescent wrench on this bar and begin to turn it to retract the slide out.

• You will then operate the drill and begin to pull your slide in until it has been fully retracted.

Step 5: Engaging the brake on the motor

• You must now move the solid tab in the direction indicated on the sticker to engage the brake on the motor.  You will hear a click and the tabs will separate back to the positions they were before the previous “release” step.
• You can verify the brake is engaged by trying to turn the square tubing and ensuring the slide does not move in either direction.

 For a better understanding of how to manually retract your RV Slide check out this video:

This content is not a legal standard or regulation and does not create any new legal obligation.  It is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to assist and educate consumers in the use and enjoyment of their recreational vehicles.  Great American RV Superstores does not hereby make any warranty, express or implied, and does not assume any liability with respect to the use of, or damages resulting from the use of any information, method or process included in this content.