Does anybody know how bad it is?

[Pogo]

I am talking about the infamous trailing arms issue on the RR4R chassis.
I had them replaced. Ours were not cracked when they were removed, with 16,600 miles. And, I had the Ride enhancement kit installed, because it seemed like the suspension bottomed out sometimes.
My wife is upset that we spent about $5,100. She asked me what percentage of the noted coaches had trailing arms cracked or broken? If it was a small %, then this was just hysteria. I told her I would try to find out more information. Can anyone help with the info?
I told here that we were taking a chance that they would break. She said how much of a chance? One coach in a thousand? She asked how many coaches were affected and how many were cracked or broken?

[Drifter]

The original design is 100% bad and should be replaced, cracked or not cracked. Your trailing arm replacement was a good decision and money well spent.

[Rex]

Drifter is correct, 100% are bad. Not replacing them could have placed you in a very bad accident that could easily have totaled your coach. Could have even ended your life. You did the right thing.

[srydve]

If you do some searches, hear and on the net, you will find plenty. It was a real problem and you were wise to fix it.

[Mike Canter]

The question should not be will they crack the question is when will they crack. If you go to the Roadmaster Chassis Forum on this website you can read pages of heavy discussions on the trailing arm problem.

[radams]

In addition to the odds of something happening you also need to look at the consequences of it should it happen. Severe consequences make even small odds of it occurring unacceptable. You did the right thing getting it fixed.

[Robert T]

I have looked at least 10 coaches and found 9 out the 10 had cracks.One coach had a serious accident as the arm cracked and the front axle came loose. The coach was a total loss on a 2002 Ambassador.

[FLYING BUTCH]

Hey guys, just saw this post, sorry late to the party. What years and are all Monaco (Beavers) involved with this problem?

[Pogo]

My wife is the kind that wants solid facts, not opinions from folks. And, since our arms were not cracked when removed, in her mind, that kinda shoots down the opinions that all of the arms are defective.
She has seen many things on TV where people were talked into buying things that were not needed, (ripped off.) So, she wonders if this was another one of those things. She pointed out that she uses coupons, and is a very thrifty shopper and now we spent a lot of money on something that "maybe" wasn't even needed. But, she is a wonderful woman and she sees the point that all of you have made.

[Steve Ownby]

Pogo,

Here is a link to a discussion on a sister forum:

Trailing Arms Cracked on Roadmaster

Since the company that used the RR4R and related chassis is gone, no one is around to compile statistics. If your doctor told your wife that you both had a condition that was potentially fatal but that there was a proven operation that was 100% effective and you could both have the operation for a total of $10,000, would she insist on statistics? You saved money & got the same deal for $5100!! What is the magic number? The chassis engineers who talk about this failure seem to think that it is a matter of time and luck. You have suspension components that are not designed or sized correctly and failure is likely. These things don't typically fail in the driveway. They fail at highway speeds. The ride enhancement kit made up over half the total and that is a comfort and enjoyment issue. You now have a sound coach that is much more pleasant to use.

Safe travels,

[rebelone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYING BUTCH Hey guys, just saw this post, sorry late to the party. What years and are all Monaco (Beavers) involved with this problem?

Only the r4r [ 4 airbag style suspension] had the trailing arm problem.
rebel

[stik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pogo My wife is the kind that wants solid facts, not opinions from folks. And, since our arms were not cracked when removed, in her mind, that kinda shoots down the opinions that all of the arms are defective. She has seen many things on TV where people were talked into buying things that were not needed, (ripped off.) So, she wonders if this was another one of those things. . .

Pogo, now you have learned the down side of this site. I have learned a couple of valuable tips, but overall, it is filled with rants, opinions, and very little substantiated fact or credible references.

Everyone means well, but most believe that what they "know, or have been told" is fact. Ya gotta remember that there are a lot of folks that still believe that if it was found on the web (Wikepedia included) it must be true! You are correct to assume there is some degree of mild hysteria and your wife's questions are valid. That being said, what's done is done, the money is spent and can't be unspent. It is very hard, if not impossible to prove a negative i.e. you really can't prove that they WOULD HAVE cracked. The data and numbers that you are looking for may be out there, some place, but I doubt you will find them here. Since this sounds like a major safety issue, what about recalls. Maybe RV Consumer Group - We Rate RVs or www.rv-recalls.com can be a good source?

Gonna be fun to see the backlash on my post, anyway.

[Bus4Bug]

Pogo,
Notwithstanding the post by Silk, I would characterize your fix as insurance against a possible ( not necessarily certain) catastrophe. All insurance is a ripoff until you need it and while most insurance tries to make you whole again after the fact, this, perhaps, stops it from happening in the first place. You thought it was important and now you have peace of mind. That, my friend, is ... Priceless.

[OLYLEN]

Agree with Bus4Bug, speaking of bad info stik knows little of what he talks. You did the right call on a known problem that could cost more than the RV-----your own life.


LEN