Slide-out motor switch

[Gerry]

My Brother-in-law got a large camper last fall and the switch that ran the motor to the slide out was fried.
The motor works because I hooked a remote battery to it and it ran.
He purchased a generic switch but it got us both baffled.
The switch is a rocker type with 6 prongs for connecting wires in the back but there are only 4 wires...2 black / 2 white comeing into where the old switch was .
I would assume that 2 come from battery but how can only 2 wires run a 2 way motor?
If anyone can explain how one of these motors or switches work and hook up it would be helpful
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Alf S.]

Hi: This is surely a switch from "seeing stars". I am no pro on electrickery but would the switch use a common ground or a jumper wire on two of the ground pins??? Also one side of the switch is out...the other is in!!! Does this mean the motor has to run backwards to bring the slide out/in??? Maybe he should trade it in for a less complicated... Boler??? Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[jack maloney]

Does the rocker have 3 positions? If so, one would be in, one out, and the center position is off. Then the two sets of b/w wires might go from battery to motor, and there would be another wire from motor to battery or ground. Just guessing...

[CD Smith]

The objective of the 2-pole double throw switch is to reverse the polarity to the motor to select forward and reverse.

a b c
d e f

Connect +12 Vdc to b
Connect -12Vdc to e
Connect motor wire 1 to a and f
Connect motor wire 2 to d and c.

When the rocker switch is pressed to the left wire 1 will be connected to a/b (+12 Vdc) and motor wire 2 will be connected to d/e (-12 Vdc.

When the rocker switch is pressed to the right wire 1 will be connected to e/f (-12 Vdc) and motor wire 2 will be connected to b/c (+12 Vdc).

This is not the only way to connect the switch, but it will work just fine.

[Gerry]

CD Smith, This is the switch he has and this was how I reasoned it out too but he insists that there were no jumpers and only the 4 wires connected to, he cant remember.
Is there some way that all these jumpers could be switched down at motor???
Gerry

[CD Smith]

Yes, they could be switched at the motor.

More likely they may be part of torque limiting. I have never seen one of these motors, I just described the way the Atwood hitch jack motor control switch is wired.

[Gerry]

Thanks CD and all others.
I hooked the battery up to his trailer yesterday and found the power leads and then unhooked the battery.
I then wired the switch and he looked at it and scratched his head and said
"yea it did have all those wires crossing"
It worked...He is the same age as me but his mind is...well...
Thanks again
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Pete Dumbleton]

Gerry the canoebuilder

Umm, just for the Dark Humor record, forensic pathologists and Medical Examiners are sometimes referred to as 'Canoe Makers'