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Old 02-02-2009, 04:21 PM   #1
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After seeing Jim's pictures on replacing the lower slideout nylon bushing supports on a 2007 has anyone looked at their's on 2003-2004, maybe 2005 slideouts? Or even replaced theirs? He started by removing a bolt holding the upper bushing so the ram could be raised off the lower bushings, but my upper bushing has no bolt holding it in place, only two 1/2" pegs pressed into holes. When I called HWH the Tech said I would need to use a thin saw to cut the pegs off then press new pegs into place when replacing the upper bushing. The new pegs HWH sent me are smaller diameter than the holes in the new bushings, so I'm confused how the new ones will fit back in place. Haven't called Winnebago yet to see how all this happens. Hopefully they will be able to explain things over the phone. It almost looks like the whole room and rams would need to be removed to replace the bushings, but the Tech at HWH says No.
Anyone have any hands on experience doing this on the older Winnys? Or have seen it done?

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Old 02-03-2009, 03:28 AM   #2
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We picked up new black bushings at HWH for a friend and the tech there said to call them when beginning the removal of old and replacement of new and they would walk him thru the whole process. This was when I asked if there was an install sheet of some sort.

The tech also said the black bushings were an improvement over the old white ones.
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Old 02-03-2009, 06:01 PM   #3
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Darn, that's what I was afraid of. I thought the fellow who took my order acted like he wasn't sure about the different bushings between the black and white ones. But then he wasn't one of the Techs either, I found out later. Guess I ought to call back and see what options I may have for exchanging them.
Still not sure how that top bushing can be removed and replaced. Maybe it can be cut out but putting a new one back will be another problem.
Thanks for the information.

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Old 02-05-2009, 10:56 AM   #4
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Wagonmaster, it sounds like mine are the same as yours. Mine are cracked at the end, but not ready for replacement yet. I'm interested if this is something we can do as an owner, or is it a big dollar, shop job. Please post the results.
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Old 02-05-2009, 04:32 PM   #5
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Wagonmaster2, I will be watching this one closely as well. I think I've go the same rig as you do ('04 Itasca Meridian 36G) and have had one of my lower bushings already come out. Others are obviously worn. Need to replace all and would like to do it myself if possible. Keep us posted please. - Tony
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Old 02-05-2009, 05:30 PM   #6
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Take a look at jimandsue60's posting on October 22, 2008. Even though his is a 2007 he has a good instruction procedure and pictures. Our Meridians are different somewhat but it will give you an idea what to expect.
From the information I have been able to gather, we remove the bolt holding the one side bushing with the bolt holding it, jack up the ram slightly and shift the ram to the side where you have removed the side bushing then you can remove and replace the opposite lower bushing. Then pry out the other side bushing, shift the ram to the other side and then replace the last lower bushing. After that the procedure is reversed to get both side bushings back in place.
I haven't tried any of this yet, but this is the best information I have been able to obtain so far. Sounds like a fun jig saw puzzle doesn't it?
It doesn't seem to be a very time consuming complicated procedure so don't have any idea what a shop would charge for this. They can probably manage to make a whole days job out of it and charge for labor accordingly. Jim says he can change all of his lower ones in little over an hour, but he has done it 3 times so far and as you will be able to see from his pictures he just removes a bolt from the top bushing, removes it, raises the ram and flips out the lower bushings.
Hope this helps you all a little. I'll let you know when and if I get enough nerve to try it.

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Old 02-05-2009, 06:23 PM   #7
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HEY guys the tech at HWH said "call them". Let HWH help you. They are a great company and a very helpful one.
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Old 02-05-2009, 08:16 PM   #8
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The trouble is, Winny says move the ram sideways and HWH says to cut the top bushing out and lift the ram straight up but don't say how to get the top bushing back in. And it just occurred to me, how do you shift one ram sideways without moving both of them since they are both tied solid to the room? And do you want to be shifting the whole room side to side back and forth? The more I ponder this the scarier it gets.
I'm beginning to wonder if anyone knows for sure how to do this on these Meridian/Journeys.

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Old 02-06-2009, 07:38 AM   #9
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Here is the link to my original post.

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Old 02-16-2009, 06:40 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally posted by Savannah:
We picked up new black bushings at HWH for a friend and the tech there said to call them when beginning the removal of old and replacement of new and they would walk him thru the whole process. This was when I asked if there was an install sheet of some sort.

The tech also said the black bushings were an improvement over the old white ones.
This is utterly amazing. I've talked to two different individuals at HWH twice now questioning about the improved black bushings since the ones they sent me were the white ones and they were completely confused about where any black ones could come from. Even insisted the black ones must have come from another company. When I even gave them the part number another member had furnished me from his order, they couldn't relate that number to anything.

Have gotten pictures of my problem bushings, but can't seem to get past the "resizing" of the pictures to post them on the Forum. Found two different web resizing sites and neither one seems to be working on my Vista laptop. The drop-down menu is supposed to have "Resize pictures" on it but that doesn't appear anyplace.

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Old 02-17-2009, 03:10 AM   #11
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I use Picasa from Google (free download) to resize my pictures on my Vista laptop. Picasa will load all of your pictures into its application and then you just find the one you want to resize. Next select "File" and "Export Picture to Folder". A screen will come up that will allow you to select the size that you want to set it to. Picasa resizes the picture and creates a copy of the picture in a new directory. You can then import that copy into this forum.
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Old 02-18-2009, 09:25 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by Savannah:
HEY guys the tech at HWH said "call them". Let HWH help you. They are a great company and a very helpful one.
Savannah, Who did you talk to at HWH? I talked to Ms. A. Burkle at HWH yesterday and they said no such thing as the black bushings (support pads), that only the white exist. She did tell me that they are user replacable, and to send her pix of the slide mechanism on my rig (2004 Itasca 36G - I think I'm having the same problem as Wagonmaster2) and she'll send me the bushings and drawings on how to replace.

Wagonmaster2, if you can get anywhere near College Station, TX we can buy some sarsaparillas and work together to do both coaches.- Tony
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Old 02-18-2009, 10:06 AM   #13
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Tony - when you guys do it, be sure to take lots of pictures. I don't have the problem yet, but it sounds like something in my future...
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Old 02-18-2009, 01:51 PM   #14
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Hey Tom & Tony - Sounds like we may have to have a get-to-gether and fix them all. I'm going to call Forest City again to see how we are supposed to shift the ram back and forth without doing the whole room at the same time. And when I ordered the bushings from HWH I got a whole box full of bushings I'll probably never used, and that was for just one end of the room. I called HWH to see if I couldn't just order the two that's needed for the outer end of each ram and was told "No", it all comes in the kit.
Thanks Doug - I'll try Picasa and see if I get any further. I'm definitely not very good on these computers unless it leads me by the hand step by step.
Hopefully fellows, we'll get this worked out cause it sounds like its a very common problem with a very weak and sorry arrangement.

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Old 02-18-2009, 07:32 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally posted by Doug Sage:
I use Picasa from Google (free download) to resize my pictures on my Vista laptop. Picasa will load all of your pictures into its application and then you just find the one you want to resize. Next select "File" and "Export Picture to Folder". A screen will come up that will allow you to select the size that you want to set it to. Picasa resizes the picture and creates a copy of the picture in a new directory. You can then import that copy into this forum.
Doug-
I got clear to the last part "You can then import that copy into this forum" but couldn't tell where or what I was to do in order to import. And that's further than I got with the other Resize programs. Any more suggestion, greatly appreciated.

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Old 02-21-2009, 07:08 AM   #16
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Wagonmaster:

I just took the lap top outside and compared Jim's pics to my slideout. They don't match. I have bushings on the side of each ram (i.e. the fore and aft). One bushing has two screws and the opposite bushing appears to be held in by the round tabs, which is what you describe in your post.

After reading Jim's and your preovious posts, the following edited description of a previous post "MAY" work: [quote]The trouble is, Winny says move the ram sideways (remainder deleted) and then you stated "it just occurred to me, how do you shift one ram sideways without moving both of them since they are both tied solid to the room?"


Reading your post and comparing to my slide it appears if both side bushings (fore and aft) from both rams are removed then the entire slideout could be moved fore/aft about 1/2 inch.

Thus it seems to replace only the lower bushings remove all of the side bushings and then when the slide is moved forward there may just be sufficient room to remove and replace the lower aft bushings from both rams.

Then when the slideout is moved aft, the lower forward bushings from both rams can be removed and replaced.

To replace the upper bushings, all of the lowers would be removed and the slideout would be dropped about 1/2 inch. Then the uppers could be removed and replaced. Then the slide would be raised back up and then the slideout would be moved fore/aft to replace each half of the lower bushing as described above.

HOWEVER, this makes a MAJOR assumption that the lower bushings are split (i.e. each lower bushing consists of a left and right half.) By looking at mine it appears that the lower bushings are split (a left and right bushing for each ram) and it appears the bushings in Jim's pics are similar (a left and right for each ram).

Given this, replacement may be easy, but I'm still waiting for someone else to try it first.

Comments?
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Old 02-21-2009, 12:53 PM   #17
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talotto,

We stopped by HWH one afternoon and the techs were in the office shooting the bull, there was no female presence except me. I gave them the email my friend had sent asking for the replacement bushings and they said YEP they knew what I needed and went and got the black bushings. I asked how much and he said FREE. He then said the black ones are stronger than the white ones. I then asked if they had an install sheet of some sort and the guys said NO have him call us when he's ready to do the change and we'll walk him thru it.

I said thank you and they said have a safe trip.

This was August 2008.
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Old 02-21-2009, 01:04 PM   #18
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I just went back and re-read all the posts and also looked at the rigs involved in this discussion and I saw everyone had a diesel except Doug Sage, he has a SunCruiser, our friend has an Adventurer so maybe that is the difference in the black and white bushings. Just a thought.
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Old 02-21-2009, 01:42 PM   #19
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Savannah: Wow... good catch, I missed that one!!! Hopefully they make stronger black ones for the diesels too!! Different topic, but does anyone have slight/mild leakage around the HWH pump unit, or any of the cylinders, that over a several month period causes dust accumulation? Is this normal, or do I have a very small leak?
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Old 02-21-2009, 04:05 PM   #20
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RoadKing -

I sent a PM to Jim and he says he does have side bushings, they just don't show in his pictures. Understand the 2008's started using one solid bushing instead of the two narrow seperate one's like we have, which is probably a tremendous improvement.

The customer service rep I talked to at Forest City was the one who said to shift the rams back and forth, but HWH says to somehow remove the top bushing so the ram can be jacked up. But since ours do not have a bolt holding the top bushing in place like Jim's does, he could only say to cut the top one out. But had no good suggestions how to get the new upper one back in place. I think all the bushings were put in place when the coach was new then the ram was inserted. Jim only had to jack up one ram at a time whereas it looks like we will have to put a lift under both rams at the same time just enough to take the pressure off while the room is shifted back and forth.

And I still don't understand how these fellows are purchasing just the number of lower bushing they need while HWH has told me 3 different times all the bushings come in a kit. I ended up with 9 side bushings, (7 with the posts on them), and 4 lower bushings (only 2 had the posts on them). And this is for only one ram, according to HWH, then another kit is needed for the other ram. And where are the black ones coming from? Jim's is a Vectra diesel and he has gotten the black ones.

I think we're all waiting for the one brave soul to try this for the first time to see what procedure will work.

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