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New Exact Slide kit

M

M and E

Prominent Member
mboudoin said:
I am so tempted to do this as a preventative measure. They finally changed the design to include a bushing to help with stabilizing the motor assembly.

balrvproducts.com

21700292 MOTOR REPLACEMENT KIT - ORDER THROUGH AUTHORIZED SELLING DEALER BASED ON RV BRAND – BAL RV Products

Part Number: 21700292 KIT, SERVICE, G5.5 EXTENDED SHAFT AND BUSHING [...]
balrvproducts.com balrvproducts.com

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I am not an "if ain't broke don't fix it" guy, so I have little bias. I would but I enjoy that kind of work as a hobby. Our 25 340RL has been in service since July of 25, seven trips, and the fore motor has failed. Still under warranty so Alliance is taking care of it. I wasn't camping but be really unhappy (like wife saying let-it-go level unhappy) if it happened during a trip.
 
M

mboudoin

Member
I ordered the kit and will have it handy if and when it happens. Still under warranty until Oct 26, but at least I will have it in my repair box. $130 shipped is worth having a piece of mind that it can be fixed much quicker than having to wait for parts.
 
BryanValRox

BryanValRox

Elite Member
mboudoin said:
I ordered the kit and will have it handy if and when it happens. Still under warranty until Oct 26, but at least I will have it in my repair box. $130 shipped is worth having a piece of mind that it can be fixed much quicker than having to wait for parts.
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Agree, my arrived on Wednesday ! 2 motors, tooling, hardware AND the tensioning gauge for 105.00 plus shipping.

Having just replaced mine late last season, I ordered to have on hand because only the ribbed motors were released at the time. So, if/when it happens again I can install the latest fix.

As a side note, previously the motors were $200.00 each, so a complete kit for $105.00 is a great deal in my mind.
 
L

Lantley

Prominent Member
Reminds me of when I had cable slides. I traveled with a whole slew of replacement parts, motor cables, crimping tool , cable cutter.
What us RV owner's put up with .....just ridiculous.
Don't take this the wrong way this is not a criticism of cable slide owners. I went through the same routines when I had cable slides.
However now that I don't have a cable slides I do see it more as a shortcoming of cable slide systems.
The wear and constant adjustments required is a fatal flaw.
Now that I don't have cable slide I have no need for my arsenal of cable slide parts and tools. But I do get to grimace and moan when I use my Swintech slide, only when the Swintek fails I'm not able to easily fix it in the field. The only tool available to fix the Swinteck is my wallet!
Luckily my Swintek has not had an issue thus far.
 
M

mboudoin

Member
I had that on my previous GD Reflection and it was replaced within 4 months of owning due to teeth breaking. I really like this new kit and the change to include an actual bushing to add strength. Hopefully this change will reduce cable slack due to the motor assembly bending etc....
 
2 Allies

2 Allies

Prominent Member
George,
You are right, I just received my order 3 weeks ago based on BryanValRox's recommendation and now the website says to order thru a dealer. Wonder what kind of mark up will occur.
 
2 Allies

2 Allies

Prominent Member
Still not a bad price for what you are getting and how it will solve the issue. Sad that BAL did not continue to offer as their product upgrade for a faulty product they sold.
 
K

KCAlis

Well-known member
Alliance shipped me a kit, outside of warranty, that I have to pay for installation. Thanks Alliance! BAL should have eaten the entire cost!
 
M

M and E

Prominent Member
KCAlis said:
Alliance shipped me a kit, outside of warranty, that I have to pay for installation. Thanks Alliance! BAL should have eaten the entire cost!
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100% agree. BAL has acknowledged with their redesign that there was a problem; one that they caused. Unfortunately, today the concept of "doing the right thing" is some kind of an idealistic fairy tale. I know that is a broad, pessimistic, brush; but you all know what I mean.
 
B

Bozo

Prominent Member
Now this just pisses me off, I am sure oem’s screamed about not getting their cut, or markup. $100 bucks more? Never ends. RV manufacturing industry needs to be investigated for running a monopoly and broken up. Anybody have any idea on number of cycles before failure? Are these only covered under the 1 year warranty? I really miss my all hydraulic slides on my old unit.
 
L

Lantley

Prominent Member
Not that I'm one to defend the manufacturers or the industry, but my thoughts were its a fitment issue more than a money grab.
The kits are not totally universal amongst all brands and units. Not to mention factory installation errors amongst the various brands.
Forcing end users to buy through the dealerships helps ensure the right item is purchased with all the right brackets etc. vs. taking a one size fits all approach by going direct.
I imagine there are more details required to get the correct kit than the average consumer is unaware of.
I have no real knowledge of the situation, but I'm hoping there is more to it than just adding markup
 
M

M and E

Prominent Member
Bozo said:
Now this just pisses me off, I am sure oem’s screamed about not getting their cut, or markup. $100 bucks more? Never ends. RV manufacturing industry needs to be investigated for running a monopoly and broken up. Anybody have any idea on number of cycles before failure? Are these only covered under the 1 year warranty? I really miss my all hydraulic slides on my old unit.
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No rhyme or reason to frequency of use to failure, in my estimation. I'm guessing mine was maybe 50, tops 60, cycles? Others have been over a couple of years. My buddy's failed about the same time mine did. I'm not on the FB page very much but drawing from the reports there it seems like it could be first week or third year.

All that aside, covered or not, I have to believe this is a worthwhile upgrade before failure. I think others here will share my sentiment that the slide moves both directions with much more confidence and authority after the switch. I know that does not necessarily equate to lower failure rate but maybe.
 
L

Lantley

Prominent Member
I had a BAL cable system on my last RV. While I did benefit from the weight reduction the system provided.The system required regular adjustment replacement and repair of the cables.
I became fairly knowledgeable on how to repair the cables, however I don't consider that a positive.
While I kept the slides functional for 10 years I should not have had to become that familiar with the slides operation.
In the future I will avoid cable slides if possible, especially on the larger heavier slides. (deal breaker)
I feel the same about the Schwintek slides. They maybe OK for a small slide, but avoid them on a large heavy slide outs.
 
George

George

Prominent Member
In my experience so far the BAL Exact-Slide is the best option where a through-frame (electric or hydraulic) can't be used. A slide-out on the front of a fifth wheel cannot accommodate through-frame mechanisms. BAL Exact-Slide is FAR better than Lippert In-Wall (Schwintek) and much better than their SlimRack.
I agree that BAL should have continued to offer them to customers directly but I also think the $105 price was artificially low. Maybe they were acknowleging some fault for a poor design and were trying to help out. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Not complaining 😜 just my opinion. Very similar to the BAL motor; one Schwintex motor is $186 on the Lippert website. I hope no one needs a SlimRack motor!!!
 
L

Lantley

Prominent Member
George said:
In my experience so far the BAL Exact-Slide is the best option where a through-frame (electric or hydraulic) can't be used. A slide-out on the front of a fifth wheel cannot accommodate through-frame mechanisms. BAL Exact-Slide is FAR better than Lippert In-Wall (Schwintek) and much better than their SlimRack.
I
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I would counter that Vroom is probably the best proven option at this point. The last generation of BAL cable slides required constant repairs at best.
The new generation seems to have started were the old generation left off with an immediate retrofit required on brand new units.
Vroom replacements for Schwintek slides seem to be the solution, although very pricey.
The idea to install slide outs on RV's that cannot have through frame mechanisms is novel. Unfortunately the mechanics of the idea are still a work in progress.
 
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