Thor Forums

[justjohn57]

I always put jacks down and level manually before running the slide. I carry blocks for my tires since I don't like them in the air. Engine must be running to provide extra current from the alternator, as hydraulic pump needs LOTS of it. I also place pads under the jacks if there are low spots. I learned the hard way there is a 100A breaker in the jack compartment that will blow if I try to extend any of the jacks past the end of their travel. After the system indicates level, I turn off the engine and run my full wall slide out. This insures everything will be lined up properly and minimize strain on the slide motors and gears.

To your original question, if everything is pretty much level, I wouldn't hesitate to use my slide without the jacks down. Just listen to the motors and if they don't sound unusual during extension there should be no problems. The rig won't be as stable, of course.

BTW, first time out on our maiden voyage the slide would only retract half way and we had to call mobile repair. Tried resetting the controller and nothing worked! Serviceman was almost ready to thrown in the towel when we found it was binding on the front rail where knuckle has to align with metal extension. He reset the knuckle and there have been no problems since. I even got Thor to cover the full cost of the repair after a few phone calls to "remind" them.