2018 Spartan Shocks

[Stuart W]

2018 Spartan Shocks
http://www.irv2.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4294096

[lagawne]

Just quick note, had shocks replaced by Spartan today. In just the short distance I drove there is a marked difference. I believe they have resolved my issue with porposing ..

Not sure why the difficulty some are having. I did a ride height verification and got commitment to replace them with 2 weeks do to a vacation. Simply had to give the name of a authorized Spartan service center and appointment date.

One thing my tech noticed. There is a bracket that has to be removed to install the shock. One of the bolts broke on re-installation. He changed all bolts from Grade 5 to Grade 8.

Travel safe,

[Ricci]

Hi Larry - This may be of value to you. It is the manual for our front axle.




1. Remove the thru lower bolt and retain
for installation. Do not remove lower
shock mount bracket from lower
control arm.
2. Remove upper thru bolt and retain for
installation.

1. Position shock in suspension such that
the thru bolt is connected to the lower
shock mounting bracket tabs.
2. Attach upper shock bushing to
suspension sub-frame with mounting
hardware. Do not tighten.
3. Tighten lower thru mounting bolt and
nut to 170-190 ft-lb (See Torque Table).
4. Tighten upper mounting nut to 170-190 ft-lb (See Torque Table).









Lower Shock Mount BracketBolt 3/8-16 Grade 8 30-40 (they were already grade 8)


Sorry the formatting is off some in the copy.


They should not have released the bottom bracket but be sure that the notch is forward on both and that they are properly torqued.


Tom

[Stuart W]

Tom, great info just had a conversation with a Spartan CS rep and he said they are still only doing parts only goodwill. Not sure why they just don’t own this 100%. Glad your done, you will love it.

[Jtrving]

Mine goes in tomorrow for "verification". I will post the outcome.

[Stuart W]

I can tell you that taking off the bottom bracket makes the replacement much easier. At least without a rack it did, I don’t see any harm in releasing the bracket. Remember this is a gas charged shock.

[Dutch Star David]

Basically got the run-around from Spartan yesterday. Ride height, tire pressures, rear air cut-off, test drive by dealer. All have to be done before they will do anything. This has to be a known issue-otherwise change to a heavier shock for 2019? The most they will do is provide the shocks. The installation cost is up to me. Also all the cost involved in ride-height check, etc. This is customer service????

I believe this is a safety issue and may escalate to ask government for a safety recall.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star David

Basically got the run-around from Spartan yesterday. Ride height, tire pressures, rear air cut-off, test drive by dealer. All have to be done before they will do anything. This has to be a known issue-otherwise change to a heavier shock for 2019? The most they will do is provide the shocks. The installation cost is up to me. Also all the cost involved in ride-height check, etc. This is customer service????

I believe this is a safety issue and may escalate to ask government for a safety recall.

As I have said, by good-willing the parts, repair orders are not written, failures related to safety are not being reported, keeping the data from creating a recall. It’s absolutely not ok that they are fixing some and not others. In the event that someone gets hurt, this could be very ugly. Just my 2 cents

[Ricci]

Hi Stuart - Not sure why Rayco Granning makes that statement as it certainly does make the installation easier. The suspension is about 1/4 inch short of allowing the bottom shock bolt sliding in. One way around it would be to use a small bottle jack and a piece of wood to raise the bottom of the shock up that 1/4 inch.

As mentioned above the lower control arm bracket is directional and that might be their worry. Make sure the notches on both face forward, otherwise the two shocks will not be in alignment and you may experience a wobble in the steering/ suspension.



Just glad mine is safe to drive now. It was absolutely dangerous as shipped.



Tom

[Stuart W]

Tom are you referring to the notch shown in this picture? Actually two notch’s on each side

[Mark71]

Originally Posted by BBelanger

$225 each for the heavy duty shocks. $150 labor to install. If you have a new 43 footer on a Spartan chassis, you really should have this done. It's a world of difference in the ride. It's now the way it should be.

I'm being told one hour per shock by Guaranty in Oregon @ $130 / hour. So far, Spartan is good-willing the 2 shocks but I"m not finished talking with them

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Mark71

I'm being told one hour per shock by Guaranty in Oregon @ $130 / hour. So far, Spartan is good-willing the 2 shocks but I"m not finished talking with them

It took me around 45 minutes on the ground, on a rack it would be less then 1/2 hour. Two hours is high IMO

[Stuart W]

Tom here is the kicker, compress the shock. They are gas charged and not restrained new. Gas shocks are usually compressed and tied in that position. I installed the top shock bolt, then installed the bottom shock bolt through the plate, then put a floor jack under the plate and raised it up slowly while hand starting the 4 bolts, then tightened them evenly. I’m sure the concern is cross threading the 4 bolts. Stuart

[Ricci]

Hi - The "compress shock" statement is hard to say with a straight face (unless you have King Kong as a helper). That's why I suggested putting the top bolt in and then compressing the shock with a small bottle jack. If the weather co-operates I'll take a "from the ground up" picture of the notches as they are easier to see that way.



45 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to make the change over. The only difficult part is getting the mount bolts torqued to the 180 spec. You need a helper ( a hefty one) to hold the other end of the bolt so it doesn't turn.



Tom