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Old 06-14-2019, 06:24 AM   #15
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For example, our 2000 Patriot Thunder has an ITR Hurricane, not a Hydro Hot. We have a Magnum "C" chassis, not a Roadmaster. There were lots of other smaller differences, also.
Yup. The "Big Cat" chassis. That "C" series and the "D" series (Blue Diamond) are the top-of-line SMC chassis. Can't go wrong with either. IMO.

Here's more info on the Beaver Chassis if interested...

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbToxXYREK9YdBP08Jn
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*Monaco Wiring Diagrams https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbTm0WTuuNqpn9a8hCh
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Old 06-14-2019, 06:36 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by CountryB View Post
Yup. The "Big Cat" chassis. That "C" series and the "D" series (Blue Diamond) are the top-of-line SMC chassis. Can't go wrong with either. IMO.

Here's more info on the Beaver Chassis if interested...

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbToxXYREK9YdBP08Jn
Thanks for the post, but I did spot at least one error in the documents. The Magnum "C" chassis had air-over-hydraulic brakes, not full air, when implemented on the Patriot Thunder. Furthermore, when used on a Safari Panther the brakes were hydraulic only.

FWIW, the brakes are Bosch calipers similar to those used on the Workhorse chassis.

IMO the chassis is a dream to drive. It tracks true and maneuvers well. Yes, it has a rigid front axle rather than IFS but, with the Hankook tires we currently have, the ride is smooth and quiet. And nothing beats the pre-2003 C-12 in the rear!!
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Old 06-14-2019, 06:51 AM   #17
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Thanks for the post, but I did spot at least one error in the documents. The Magnum "C" chassis had air-over-hydraulic brakes, not full air, when implemented on the Patriot Thunder. Furthermore, when used on a Safari Panther the brakes were hydraulic only.

FWIW, the brakes are Bosch calipers similar to those used on the Workhorse chassis.

IMO the chassis is a dream to drive. It tracks true and maneuvers well. Yes, it has a rigid front axle rather than IFS but, with the Hankook tires we currently have, the ride is smooth and quiet. And nothing beats the pre-2003 C-12 in the rear!!
Thanks for reviewing - I'll make corrections. It's a work in progress.

The most confusing time was the period from around 2000 to 2002 (a lot of changes and conflicting info).
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*SMC, Beaver, Monaco History, Problems https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbToxXYREK9YdBP08Jn
*Monaco Wiring Diagrams https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbTm0WTuuNqpn9a8hCh
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Old 06-14-2019, 08:18 AM   #18
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Thanks for reviewing - I'll make corrections. It's a work in progress.

The most confusing time was the period from around 2000 to 2002 (a lot of changes and conflicting info).
Yes, there were some changes introduced in 2001 by SMC and then more by Monaco in 2002 and beyond. For example, I believe it was 2001 which used a unique SMC leveling system which pushed on the frame members and not on the ground.

The Beaver Ambassador Club tries to be a source of information about these coaches, but most of the members own Monaco Beavers and they have little information about the SMC years other than what I had uploaded.

If you want some info into a very esoteric problem affecting some (all?) of the 2000 Patriot Thunders, the coach uses a driveshaft brake caliper as a parking brake. The regular Patriot uses a driveshaft drum brake. My MH repeatedly would show serious wear on one of the brake pads as if it dragged continuously. I had maintenance records that showed that previous owners had had to periodically replace parking brake parts. The problem seemed to get worse no matter what shop worked on the coach. I even found an internet reference in which an acquaintance of mine reported she was selling her coach because of this issue.

The good news is that after lots of aggravation and $$$ we came up with a total solution to the problem. The entire parking brake system has been replaced by a Mico BrakeLock which acts on all four wheels. It's a much stronger parking brake than we've ever had. Used to be that the big CAT could easily drag the brake if you forgot to release it. Not any longer!
I know it's seemingly a small point, but if someone wanted one of these machines it does eliminate the only serious deficiency we've found after >65,000 miles of use.

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Old 06-14-2019, 08:28 AM   #19
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Great point, CountryB. I have read horror stories, mainly from truckers, who suffered big financial losses from the failure of the ARD head.
Also Mr_D can no doubt enlighten potential purchasers of coaches with the Cummins ISX.
Only the ISX 650, the 600 has far far fewer problems.
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Old 06-14-2019, 10:36 AM   #20
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Everyone has missed the Beaver Solitaire. This model was only produced for 3 or 4 years. 1999-2003. If you can find a nice one of these it would be cream of them all. It has many extra features that you'll never see in any other model Beaver or CC.
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Old 06-14-2019, 06:36 PM   #21
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By 2003-4 there was very little difference between a Beaver and the rest of the Monaco lineup as the bigger ones were all built on the same assembly line, just different colored engines and decals. 03 and later the biggest bang for the buck is the Monaco Dynasty.
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Old 06-15-2019, 05:05 AM   #22
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The Patriot Thunders (Marquis, Montereys, and Contessas), from 2003-2005 were built on the Roadmaster "M-Series" chassis (no other Monaco used that chassis as far as I know). Then in 2006 they moved the PT to the S-Series chassis and ended the M-Series.

It appears that Monaco built that chassis specifically for the Beaver (maybe it started out from a modified SMC "C" chassis).

Maybe Monaco just needed an "interim" chassis until they could do the engineering to move them to the RR chassis or S-chassis.

Does anyone know why Monaco built/used the M-Series for the PT rather than just using one of their (already in production) RR10S chassis?

I have been researching the Beaver line chassis and put everything I found into the document linked to in my signature, but information is scarce and a lot of it is conflicting - so any help is appreciated (and if anything in the link is wrong or missing, let me know).
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*Monaco Wiring Diagrams https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbTm0WTuuNqpn9a8hCh
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Old 06-15-2019, 06:05 PM   #23
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What chassis did the 1999-2005 CC use?
Country Coach proprietary Dynomax chassis. All models had independent front suspension from 2000 forward.

RV Having Fun Yet!: COUNTRY COACH BUILD PROCESS: DynoMax-The Proprietary Chassis of Country Coach
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Old 06-15-2019, 07:46 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by Sandy Swede
Following on from docj's post above, below the Patriot model is the Monterey, and at the "low end" is the Santiam. I put low end in quotes because all Beavers were built with Roadmaster 8 and 10 bag chassis and gorgeous interiors. Some of the differences in models involve drive train and heating systems, for example. On the Marquis, the standard drive train was the 525 hp Cat C-13 and Allison 4000. On the model we have, the Monterey, there are two sub-models the Laguna III and Laguna IV which simply denote the number of slide outs available. Standard is the 10 gal propane/electric hot water heater and propane fired furnace. As an option (which we have) is the Hydro-Hot hydronic heating system which supplies hot water and heat to the interior via HW heat exchangers. Also an option in the Monterey line is the 400 hp Cat C-9 engine. Note that I am referencing only the 2005 model year above.
Best thing to do is Google " (year) Beaver ______" brochure. Most are online and will tell you everything you want to know.
Good hunting. Both CC and Beaver are higher end, good quality motorhomes. Based on my limited knowledge of CC, the edge probably goes to CC, but they will be more expensive than Beaver (hard to get an "apples to apples" comparison).


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These are all good points, but most of what you note are the characteristics of the "Monaco Beavers" that were built from 2002 onward. Beavers from the late '90's through 2001 were "SMC Beavers" which have some rather different subsystems. For example, our 2000 Patriot Thunder has an ITR Hurricane, not a Hydro Hot. We have a Magnum "C" chassis, not a Roadmaster. There were lots of other smaller differences, also.
Were many Santiams made during the Monaco Beaver years?
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Old 06-15-2019, 08:23 PM   #25
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They are both high end coaches, you can not go wrong with either one.
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Old 06-17-2019, 06:43 AM   #26
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Don’t know much about CC but as a Beaver Patriot Thunder owner, we are very happy. It’s solid, beautiful inside and the C12 Cat is a beast.
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Old 06-17-2019, 08:07 AM   #27
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Were many Santiams made during the Monaco Beaver years?
There were 17 "Solitaires" (I think that is what your asking about) made in the three years it was offered. That was the flagship Beaver - except that Beaver also made a "Prevost" conversion. The "Beaver XL".

FYI - these coaches had no shortage of battery power ...
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*SMC, Beaver, Monaco History, Problems https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbToxXYREK9YdBP08Jn
*Monaco Wiring Diagrams https://1drv.ms/f/s!AtvAXw_lfqbTm0WTuuNqpn9a8hCh
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Old 06-17-2019, 02:23 PM   #28
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There were 17 "Solitaires" (I think that is what your asking about) made in the three years it was offered. That was the flagship Beaver - except that Beaver also made a "Prevost" conversion. The "Beaver XL".

FYI - these coaches had no shortage of battery power ...

No, it was the Santiam, but I enjoyed learning about the Solitaire.
As to the Santiam, my research (not the gospel) shows that the Santiam (Beaver's entry level model) was made beginning in 2002 and ended with the 2005 model. A 36', 38' and 40' were offered. In the 2003 brochure, a 34' model was also offered.
Excuse me now while I search on RVTrader for a Solitaire (drool).
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