retracting bedroom slide manually?

[Samuel Sperbeck]

Can our electrically operated bedroom slide be retracted manually if need be? It operates fine now but I want to have the proper tools along if it can be retracted manually. We struggled to raise the bed platform to clean under there with the mattress in place and if the prop we used had failed I would have been seriously injured. We won't raise the platform again without removing the mattress.

Any advice will be welcome, thanks Sam

[LaMonte Monnell]

Samuel, Many of us have added under bed gas struts so we can raise the bed up by ourselves. I have a 2001 Contessa and we got tired of struggling to raise the bed. Now I can do it myself and put a 2x4 under for a safety support when I open the engine hatch. Makes life a little easier.

[Gerald Farris]

Samuel,
There is a 6 sided nut that is welded to the cross shaft that is driven by the slide motor on most coaches. I think that it is about a 1 1/8 inch nut, but I am not sure. The slide can be manually retracted by turning this nut with a wrench after you disconnect the motor brake. However, it is usually easier to just fix the problem with the slide than operating it manually.

Gerald   

[Samuel Sperbeck]

Thanks, La monte and Gerald.

La Monte, I don't think I will add struts under the bed because the only time I can foresee getting under there again is to manually retract or repair the slide. Our bed sits crosswise, with the closet across the rear, so it is not over the engine. If your bed is over the engine I see why you need access.

Gerald, It may be easier to repair the slide than manually retract it, if no parts are needed or if parts are locally available. I have both the electrical and mechanical capability to diagnose and repair a problem. But if parts are needed, and unavailable, I still want an alternative to make the coach drivable. Thanks for your advice. The participants on this forum are a great resource, Sam