Community Forums

qcable · 09-03-2014, 04:39 PM

I recently purchased a used 2008 Monaco Cayman XL, 35SBD, with 23600 miles on the odometer. While reading some of the posts on this forum I have learned that I don't know much about this RV. The original owner is deceased and none of his family know the history of the coach. Now I am almost afraid to drive the unit until it can be determined if the trailing arms are the original ones.

My motorhome is in storage in Sheridan Wyoming and we will travel there later this month to get it and travel to Las Vegas. Since I am not aware of any chassis shops in the Sheridan area, how can I determine if the trailing arms and/or ride enhancement kits have been replaced/installed ??

Also, can anyone recommend a good chassis shop in Wyoming, the Las Vegas or Salt Lake City areas? Any information/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

onechaddude · 09-03-2014, 08:01 PM

If you go to the source engineering website they have pics of the old and new ones and you can match them up with what you have. The website is something like rvchassis.com I think. I would make sure of the source arms before I traveled too much as some have broken around the mileage of your coach.

Chad

Philliec · 09-04-2014, 02:10 AM

I have a 2008 HR Neptune XL with the same chassis. I bought it over a year ago. I had read that this was the primary issue with this type of chassis. Therefore, I required the seller to replace them prior to the sale with the Source trailing arms. That said, these new trailing arms are still shiny and black and we have put over 4,000 miles on the coach. Checkout the Source Engineering website and they have the before and after pics.

The ride enhancement kit will be next. This comes with 4 new air bags, Billistein (spelling?) shocks, new air lines and a ping tank. Look for a ping tank addition to see if this mod was made too. Again, see the Source website for further details. I am very happy with the present ride so I am less compelled to make this change, but it is reported that the trailing arm mod is a must.

RonaldNC · 09-04-2014, 09:38 AM

I've posted a longer response to this in other places, but I agree that the trailing arm replacement is the first step. This is a safety issue and much has been documented about this problem. However, I didn't notice a huge change in the driving characteristics by replacing the trailing arms... that step mainly just keeps it from breaking!

The Ride Enhancement Kit installation provided (IMHO) a huge difference in the driving characteristics of the RV. I no longer have any porpoising, swaying or wandering... I really can now drive it with one hand and am not concerned with going over bumps and feeling out of control. Now don't get me wrong, it still doesn't ride like a 8 or 10 bag suspension... but it is a considerable improvement.

Ron

filadelfia · 09-04-2014, 03:25 PM

You can save labor cost by having the ride enhancement kit installed at the same time the trailing arms are replaced. Source Engineering has both the REK and trailing arms.

Happy Travels Don

Philliec · 09-04-2014, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonaldNC

I've posted a longer response to this in other places, but I agree that the trailing arm replacement is the first step. This is a safety issue and much has been documented about this problem. However, I didn't notice a huge change in the driving characteristics by replacing the trailing arms... that step mainly just keeps it from breaking!

The Ride Enhancement Kit installation provided (IMHO) a huge difference in the driving characteristics of the RV. I no longer have any porpoising, swaying or wandering... I really can now drive it with one hand and am not concerned with going over bumps and feeling out of control. Now don't get me wrong, it still doesn't ride like a 8 or 10 bag suspension... but it is a considerable improvement.

Ron

Thank you for the feedback on the REK. I had read that someone installed the REK, but there was a ride height issue that scared me off. Source Engineering was recommending a different ride height than what was recommended by the manufacturer of the coach. Your testimonial has convinced me that this will be a major improvement. I really have no problems until I get on concrete roadways with some real bashing at the bridge abutments. Other than that, it drives very well.

I have heard that the trailing arms from Source do minimize some of the sway, but I did not drive our coach until after the replacement. However, there is great comfort in knowing that the flawed original arms have been replaced using the superior Source Engineering equipment.