Travel Trailer Tow Question?

I put one of these in our Jeep Grand Cherokee. Love it so far.

 

Lots changed their controller because of the poor performance on the older Tundras. My understanding is the software updated fixed the issue by allowing a higher voltage to apply the rear brakes. I had a 2020 Tundra before my current 2016 (long story) and never had any issues with the controller and after the 2016 received the update, it performs the same. The cost wasn’t bad and was cheaper than purchasing a new controller.

 

Is that an update that the dealer will perform as a free service? Or is it something you have to request and pay for? Just curious.

 

If your truck is out of warranty, you’re pay for it. You can actually do it yourself if you have techstream and are willing to buy a subscription for Toyota to access the software. I don’t remember what it cost me but it wasn’t outrageous.

 

I have a Schwintek and it works fine for me but that's probably only because I learned about the potential problems and fixed then as soon as I brought the camper. I do worry about the synchronous controller failing. Getting the slide back in after a failure involves having tiny hands and unbolting the two drive motors before manually pushing the slide back in. Something that can be done but not easily. One thing in my favor is my slideout is very small.

 

The system was good if it was used on small slides and it was installed correctly. User error is also a problem with owners opening the slide partially and not holding the switch for a couple of seconds after opened or closed. The motors come out of sync and gears skip. Also lubrication and cleaning the tracks regularly was required to keep it operating properly. When I bought our trailer I passed on three others because the Schwintek wasn’t installed correctly. I never had any issues but was glad it was gone after two years of ownership. It was always cross your fingers every time you opened the slide.

 

I have the Schwintek system on my small slide now. What did you do to help keep it from failing? No issues to date, but we only camped in it 5 times or so since we bought it last year.

 

Hold the switch for about two seconds after stops moving. Don’t occupy the slide when it’s in. Keep the tracks clean and lube often. There are some videos on YouTube about the key areas to lube. Also be familiar on where your slide control is and how to retract the slide from the control box. Know how to release the motor from the shaft if you have a motor failure so you can push the slide in (YouTube).

 

Adding to Ruggybuggy solutions make sure the rollers are installed underneath the slide especially the small slides. Common missing item especially during covid builds.

 

Guy that did our delivery at the RV place said you had to drill out the motors or the mounts to get it freed up to move it. I was hoping there was a better solution if it should fail.

 

This is a 2025 model Cocahmen.

 

H frame can be rivets but motor should be a 1 screw per side.

https://youtu.be/k1vAmlG9vN8?si=LMrOOIKR2Y_6JWp6

 

Delivery guy is wrong.

 

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

I'd still check next time you have your slide out, wouldn't surprise me one bit some knucklehead put a rivet in there

 

That's what he was saying.

 

^^^This^^^ Very important to keep the motors synched.

I also try not to overload the storage areas (Two big drawers inside and an outside compartment) in my slide with heavy stuff.

I have a Schwinteck slide in my Lance and no operational issues so far, 8 years and counting. *knock wood*

Last year I did remove the bottom two self tappers on each side of the frame, drill out from #10 to 1/4" and though bolt/nut the frame with a flat bar on the inside spanning the holes.

A known problem of slide frame separation on some of the older Lances. The through bolting is now done from the factory.

 

If I trusted any trailer manufacturer to install the Schwintek in properly it would be Lance. Their quality is steps above the typical manufacturer.

 

I believe this video is where I learned about the improperly routed motor wires.

https://youtu.be/cxEYSstvICI?si=6slXeoRbLHaKUQaf

 

It definitely is... Lance does factory tours and videos showing construction, how everything is CNC'd, sandwiched, laminated, framed, etc.

If you look at videos from some of the normal Elkhart, IN factories they brag about how many units they can roll off the line in a day... Ummm, that's not necessarily a good thing guys.

I did a ton of research and wanted to buy our third RV first. That Lance quality is why we DRASTICALLY upped our budget to get something that wouldn't be a rolling nightmare rattling apart, and so far it has been worth the money.

 

Lance is owned by the REV group. In my opinion the Lance brand is much better quality designed and built compared to the Berkshire Hathaway owned companies. One reason I bought the Gulfstream was because the company is still privately owned by the Shea family. That and it was the one my Wife wanted

 

Yeah, mine was made before the REV buyout.

They had some growing pains and QC issues right after the REV group acquired them, and put out some units that didn't live up to the usual Lance standards.
I felt bad for some of the people who bought RV's based on the Lance reputation and were having a bunch of problems.

My understanding is that most of those problems have been sorted out now.

 

Same thing happened with Grand Design. Privately owned and the quality was good then Winnebago bought them out and the quality went south. The quality has improved over the years but it’s not where it was before the takeover.

 

WOW - that REV company makes All types of vehicles including Emergency - interesting what they know and Could/Do incorporate into RVs.

https://revgroup.com/

 

I used to think the Grand Design was a good brand but that opinion has changed recently after speaking with some owners. Although in GDs defense many of the problems are with the commonly used furnaces, fridges, water heater etc. One poor fellow bought a new GD 5er in May and is having furnace problems. According to him the furnace is a new design and parts aren't available for it yet. Having a furnace that can't be fixed in a realistic timeframe is unacceptable.

 

Having a new furnace that needs to be fixed is equally unacceptable to me. I’ve had to replace the sail switch on my 2-3 year old furnace in our last camper after cleaning it didn’t help. It’s the world’s simplest part. A momentary switch that’s activated by air flow. How the heck does it go bad so fast? And why bury it so far behind the unit that you have to remove the whole unit to replace it? Yeesh.

 

That seems to be a common failure. So much that I plan to get a spare just in case. Although we don't depend on our furnace often, there are times I need it since we never leave our electric heaters on when not in the camper.
Regular inspections and clearing of cobwebs isn't a bad idea for the fridge, furnace and water heater. Although with the junk switches in these things are going to fail regardless.

 

If it was down to freezing to death due to a failed sail switch, I would just hook the two wires together and have heat until a new switch could be sourced. I've never had a fan failure, and that's all the sail switch does is check for fan airflow before igniting the burner. These Suburban furnaces are pretty cheaply built all together. Are there any good "upgrade" appliances that people have swapped in?

 

All of ^ is why my wife and I got sucked into a 4+mo vortex of research. We finally had to say screw it, made our decision based on the features which support our family best, and now just have to hope that I won't be tearing into a brand new unit for repairs this year.

 

New units tend to need the most repairs. Used ones have already had there first year of use problems identified and repaired. Pays to be handy these days. I've already fixed several things on our brand new 2025 Coachmen. Overall it's well built, but there were some "decorative" panels where you really needed a structural one. Put my knee through one next to the bed. Replaced with real wood. Replaced all of the cheap overhead lighting.