Hideaway Bunk over Cockpit of Challenger 37KT

rbmartiniv · 02-17-2016, 07:39 PM

The hideaway bunk over the cockpit is powered by electric motors and each a safety pin is inserted on each side when the bunk is in the up position. A couple of days ago I was raising the bunk and it stopped at the top, as it is supposed to do, but the right side immediately dropped slightly so that the holes for the safety pin on the right side would not line up. The pin on the left side can be inserted. I tried lowering and raising it several times, but each time the same thin happened. Now, it will not move at all and the motor doesn't come on when I press the button (at least I can't hear it as I normally would). It never sounded like it was straining and there was never any smell, like you might expect if the motor burned out. Perhaps a fuse? It's still under warranty and I don't need the bunk for anyone to sleep in so can wait till I get home but was wondering if anyone else has had this problem?

Here are some photos:
Left Side:

Left to Right:

Right Side:

**EA37TS** · 02-17-2016, 07:55 PM

Robert,

In my Challenger the controller for the OH bunk is in the cabinet above the drivers seat. Have you checked to see if the OH bunk controller is flashing any codes?

bevedfelker · 02-17-2016, 10:19 PM

The controller for my Vegas bunk is in the cabinet above the sink behind a false panel that covers the back of the monitor panel. Look in the cabinet where your monitor panel is and see if there is a false back covering the rear of the monitor panel. That might be where the controller is located.

rbmartiniv · 02-17-2016, 11:26 PM

My controller is above the driver's seat also, upside down. No codes flashing. The bed will move up and down now and as it is moving, the red light on the controller flashes. Both sides start moving upward at the same time but after a few inches the right side hesitates, the left side gets ahead of it, and it goes the rest of the way cock-eyed. When the left side reaches the ceiling the right side will keep going up until it stops at the ceiling but it immediately slips back down 3 1/2 inches.

JamieGeek · 02-17-2016, 11:41 PM

Have you inspected the right side track when it is lowered? Any worn teeth or missing teeth? Likewise if you can look down at the pinion on the motor the same: any worn teeth or missing teeth?

When you raise it all the way up do you hold the switch down for an additional 4-5 seconds once it stops at the top? (This doesn't overstress the motors as the controller stops them and resets its counts.) Have you done this 3 or 4 times?

rbmartiniv · 02-18-2016, 01:47 AM

I haven't inspected the teeth but I will. As far as holding the switch down, yes, and I've done it several times. I'm out right now but when I bet back I'll get a flashlight and try and check the teeth. Thanks.

neeliec · 02-18-2016, 04:36 AM

The right side of our Hurricane came off it's track within a few days of our taking possession of it - brand new. We had to take it in to have it repaired under warranty.

It acted exactly like you describe. We tried a number of times to reset it, to let it down, put it up, manually push it up, etc. We did get it to go up - but with the right side sagging and we were unable to pin it. We were concerned that it would come crashing down while we were driving it to the dealer, but we made it okay.

It seems fine now, but we really don't use it. Good luck in getting yours fixed.

rbmartiniv · 02-18-2016, 05:06 AM

Thanks, sounds exactly like ours. We will be taking it back as soon as we can.

brucev · 02-18-2016, 04:36 PM

Try using the reset procedures. If I did it correctly the manual should be attached. I had trouble with my Hurricane and this solved the problem.

If the file isn't attached do a search for this manual:

Schwintek-Bunk-Lift-OM.PDF

Beacher · 02-18-2016, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucev

Try using the reset procedures. If I did it correctly the manual should be attached. I had trouble with my Hurricane and this solved the problem.

If the file isn't attached do a search for this manual:

Schwintek-Bunk-Lift-OM.PDF

Exactly what brucev said!

Your bunk is out of sync. You may bbe able to get it back in sync before damage occurs to the gears and track. Check out the Schwintek YouTube videos for moving a slide mananually, and re-syncing. You will need to learn how to do this.

I eventually had pieces of the gears and the aluminum track fall to the floor as they were chewed up. That's how "out of sync" my bunk eventually became.

I had my entire Schwinteck bunk mechanisms replaced under warranty, including the right side lift cable. After experiencing what just happened to you my right side was about one foot off.

It happened to me on a Sunday while in the High Sierras of Eastern California, completely out of cell phone range, hundreds of miles from "civilization". So, there was no customer support, no dealerships to call, no help whatsoever. I ended up using my shoulder to push up the bunk while my kids toggled the switch. It eventually went up high enough to insert the safety pin for the drive home.

After everything, (right and left side motors, gears, tracks, and cables), was replaced under warranty, the service writer gave me very detailed instructions and lessons for operating the bunk. The most important point was to NEVER, EVER partially raise or lower the bunk, EVER. Only all the way up, or all the way down. and when it reaches the top or bottom you need to continue to hold the switch for three to five seconds so that the controller recognizes the zero point, every time.

After a year of raising and lowering the bunk many dozens of times, it now works fine..... As long as I follow the instructions!

neeliec · 02-18-2016, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beacher

Exactly what brucev said!

Your bunk is out of sync. You may bbe able to get it back in sync before damage occurs to the gears and track. Check out the Schwintek YouTube videos for moving a slide mananually, and re-syncing. You will need to learn how to do this.

I eventually had pieces of the gears and the aluminum track fall to the floor as they were chewed up. That's how "out of sync" my bunk eventually became.

I had my entire Schwinteck bunk mechanisms replaced under warranty, including the right side lift cable. After experiencing what just happened to you my right side was about one foot off.

It happened to me on a Sunday while in the High Sierras of Eastern California, completely out of cell phone range, hundreds of miles from "civilization". So, there was no customer support, no dealerships to call, no help whatsoever. I ended up using my shoulder to push up the bunk while my kids toggled the switch. It eventually went up high enough to insert the safety pin for the drive home.

After everything, (right and left side motors, gears, tracks, and cables), was replaced under warranty, the service writer gave me very detailed instructions and lessons for operating the bunk. The most important point was to NEVER, EVER partially raise or lower the bunk, EVER. Only all the way up, or all the way down. and when it reaches the top or bottom you need to continue to hold the switch for three to five seconds so that the controller recognizes the zero point, every time.

After a year of raising and lowering the bunk many dozens of times, it now works fine..... As long as I follow the instructions!

Gosh - that overhead bunk fix sounds EXACTLY like the reset instructions for our slide-out. We had that mess up on us as well, but WE caused it by not completely extending and then retracting it. Now we do!

I sure wish these retractable parts weren't so darn sensitive and so easy to get off kilter and out of sync!

Beacher · 02-18-2016, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neeliec

Gosh - that overhead bunk fix sounds EXACTLY like the reset instructions for our slide-out. ...!

The overhead bunk slide mechanism is identical to the room slide mechanism. Same controllers, (and codes), same motors. Same manufacturer, Schwintek.

The only difference is that the overhead bunk uses only one slide mechanism per side, for the rear of the bunk. The front of the bunk is raised and lowered by a steel cable that is mechanically tied to the slide motors/tracks on each side.

gmc · 02-18-2016, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neeliec

Gosh - that overhead bunk fix sounds EXACTLY like the reset instructions for our slide-out. We had that mess up on us as well, but WE caused it by not completely extending and then retracting it. Now we do!

That's because it is EXACTLY the same system... just turned on its side to go up and down - instead of in and out...

bevedfelker · 02-18-2016, 11:58 PM

Beacher -- are you sure about that steel cable? I thought the Schwintek system had a toothed track on each side and a 12V DC motor and pinion on each track as well. Did not think there was a cable on the front -- only the two drive mechanisms on each side. At least that's the way it is on my Vegas. There is no cable on the front of my bunk.

I have the Schwintek operating manual for the bunk lift system and there is no description of a cable on the front. Looking at the parts breakdown list there is also no mention of a cable.

Here is what the manual says about resyncing the two motors:
1.Fully raise the bunk lift using the switch. Keep the switch engaged until the motors shut down on their own.
2. Lower the bunk lift 1-2 inches.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until both motors shut down at the same time. In many cases, two or three repetitions are necessary to re-sync the system.
4. Fully raise and then lower the bunk lift. Again, always let the motors shut down on their own before releasing the switch.

JamieGeek · 02-19-2016, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

Beacher -- are you sure about that steel cable? I thought the Schwintek system had a toothed track on each side and a 12V DC motor and pinion on each track as well. Did not think there was a cable on the front -- only the two drive mechanisms on each side. At least that's the way it is on my Vegas. There is no cable on the front of my bunk.

Our Axis has cables on the front of the bunk and the rack/pinions on the rear. I'm pretty sure the cables are attached to the bottom of the pinion piece such that as the bed goes up the cable gets pulled up. Thus all the bunk needs is the two motors with the gears--rather clever actually.

rbmartiniv · 02-19-2016, 03:18 AM

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm don't plan on touching the thing until we get to a dealer! It's still under warranty.

rbmartiniv · 02-19-2016, 03:22 AM

There is so much that Thor does not tell you or that is in any manual Thor gives you when you purchase one of their motorhomes. For example, if it is so important that the bunk is raised and lowered completely every time, never part way, somebody should have pointed that out to me when I purchased the motorhome. I'm beginning to wish I had never bought this thing.

bevedfelker · 02-19-2016, 01:27 PM

Jamie -- amazing. Absolutely nothing mentioned in the Schwentek literature about the cable. Even the illustrated parts breakdown with all the part numbers shows nothing. Learn something new every day. Guess I need to mention the cables in my manual. How exactly does the cable rewind when activating the lift? And what locks the cable in place when fully extended so it firmly supports the bunk?

JamieGeek · 02-19-2016, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

Jamie -- amazing. Absolutely nothing mentioned in the Schwentek literature about the cable. Even the illustrated parts breakdown with all the part numbers shows nothing. Learn something new every day. Guess I need to mention the cables in my manual. How exactly does the cable rewind when activating the lift? And what locks the cable in place when fully extended so it firmly supports the bunk?

I'll have to diagram it--warning I'm not a good artist! LOL

You can see from the diagram that as the bunk lowers the cable on the right gets shorter playing out cable thus lowering the front of the bunk. Likewise when the bunk goes up the bunk pulls on the cable on the right pulling up the front of the bunk.

rbmartiniv · 02-19-2016, 05:51 PM

Ed, what kind of manual have you written? If it is anything that would help me with my Challenger, how might I obtain a copy? I may not understand how everything in the coach operates, but I like to collect info to keep reading and learning. There should be, and maybe there is, a place in the forum to upload and download documents to be available to all. This is a good forum and you guys have been real good about helping me out. Thanks.

You may also like: