Country Coach: Broken Rear Shocks?

Country Coach: Broken Rear Shocks?
Date: 4/22/10
We were recently read about this problem in a Country Coach Owners newsletter (written by Fred Dent) that we think is important enough to pass along to anyone that may not know about it. The following is an excerpt from that article:

"In some CC rear suspension configurations, the dual axle shock absorbers can over extend, which will break the shock absorber shaft allowing the coach to bounce and further damage the air bag over-inflation limit switch. The result is a porpoising coach with a severe lean to one side which compresses the suspension on the lower front side thus creating a dangerous (and uncomfortable) driving condition. It doesn't take much of a jolt to cause this to happen; it can happen traveling along the interstate where you find the rough truck lanes or crossing railroad tracks or other rough surfaces at relatively low speeds. For me it happened traveling at 20 or 25 MPH across an intersection in Cathedral City, CA, that had a shallow concrete drainage swale running across it. The swale was less severe than you might find pulling into a driveway. If this happens to you the repairs are time consuming and costly! The shock absorbers are not readily available, are difficult to find, will likely have to be shipped to your repair facility which will take a few days. Not to mention trying to find a service center that can work on your chassis when you are traveling! If you are lucky and are just looking at replacing the pair of shocks on one side (and you didn't have to be towed) the bill will run around $1,200 - $1,500 by the time you are on the road again. If you can't stay in your coach while it's being repaired it gets worse. Fortunately, there is a relatively cheap accessory you can add to prevent the problem. CC began installing nylon web limiting straps around the shock absorber to prevent over extension. An aftermarket kit is available for about $122 plus installation cost (pretty simple installation - can be done on some coaches without removing the wheels). The straps are available from John Davis RV Services (JDRV, Inc) in Oregon. If you have question, are concerned about whether you need them on your coach, or to make arrangements to have them installed call JD at JDRV for more information."

If you own a Country Coach, or any other coach built by a defunct manufacturer, those of us at Henderson's Line Up want you to know that we will do our best to provide solutions for any of the suspension problems these coaches may encounter so you can continue to enjoy them without factory support. Along with procuring our own limiting straps for the above problem, we will continue to collaborate with any company that can provide solutions for our customers. With regard to Country Coach products in particular, one solution is Oregon Motor Coach, which is owned by Country Coach's founder and president, Bob Lee.

Best wishes for safer and happier driving!

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