Hi,We have a 1998 Monaco Dynasty rig 40 ft. long, and a few years ago, I upgraded the shock absorbers from the Bilsteins to adjustible KONI shocks. Seems I read somewhere the the Monaco shock mounts weren't very strong and boy, that was the truth. As we would adjust our rig at campgrounds, using the auto airbag leveling, we started having the mounts break off when the rig was lowered. One by one, we must have had most of them re-welded and beefed up, curing the problem. We are now two thousand miles from home, and one of the two mounts for the rear dual tires just broke off. Looks like no damage was caused but the upper mount is just hanging there. My question, is "is it safe for us to drive home with just one shock absorber working on that tire? the upper mount is hard to reach and would require a welder to have a pit to get in there an access it correctly. Also, do these big truck stops like Pilot and Flying J have a welding shop that could do it. We are near Charleston, W. Virginia and will be traveling back to Phoenix, on I-40. Thanks

I would get it welded asap. It's quick, cheap considering possibilities and there are plenty of places to get a weld job. Any truck repair facility including Loves and Flying J. Just call around first.

I would probably remove the shock or fasten it out of the way so it does not hit the floor above. Three/axle is fine. Guess I'll leave the shocks alone on my 04 Dynasty.

Your call, but I see nothing wrong with driving home with that shock in the basement (removed from it mount). Might have a little more motion, but don't see that as an issue unless you are on one of those roads where you will already experience a lot of motion.Said another way, avoid any terrible roads, and doubt you will even notice it.But, also have no problem, IF you have the time, to get it repaired before the drive.

I doubt that a missing rear shock will cause much problem but I would carefully take it for a test drive and see if it bothers. JMOPEd

doc brown wrote:I would get it welded asap. It's quick, cheap considering possibilities and there are plenty of places to get a weld job. Any truck repair facility including Loves and Flying J. Just call around first. X2With the other doing twice the work likely to break that mount also!

Busted shock absorber mount, Safe to Drive home

doc_brown
Explorer
Oct 05, 2017
I would get it welded asap. It's quick, cheap considering possibilities and there are plenty of places to get a weld job. Any truck repair facility including Loves and Flying J. Just call around first.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2017
I would probably remove the shock or fasten it out of the way so it does not hit the floor above. Three/axle is fine. Guess I'll leave the shocks alone on my 04 Dynasty.
wolfe10
Explorer
Oct 05, 2017
Your call, but I see nothing wrong with driving home with that shock in the basement (removed from it mount). Might have a little more motion, but don't see that as an issue unless you are on one of those roads where you will already experience a lot of motion.

Said another way, avoid any terrible roads, and doubt you will even notice it.

But, also have no problem, IF you have the time, to get it repaired before the drive.
olfarmer
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2017
I doubt that a missing rear shock will cause much problem but I would carefully take it for a test drive and see if it bothers. JMOP
Ed
rhagfo
Explorer III
Oct 05, 2017
doc brown wrote:
I would get it welded asap. It's quick, cheap considering possibilities and there are plenty of places to get a weld job. Any truck repair facility including Loves and Flying J. Just call around first.

X2
With the other doing twice the work likely to break that mount also!
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2017
rhagfo wrote:
doc brown wrote:
I would get it welded asap. It's quick, cheap considering possibilities and there are plenty of places to get a weld job. Any truck repair facility including Loves and Flying J. Just call around first.

X2
With the other doing twice the work likely to break that mount also!

The remaining shock will likely travel a bit further on bumps with the reduced dampening, but there's no additional load on it otherwise.
KD4UPL
Explorer
Oct 06, 2017
I'd remove the shock and drive it. You probably won't even notice. Shocks help the vehicle ride nicely but have little to do with actually moving down the road, stopping, and turning. If your in really extreme situations on crazy twisty roads, high speed maneuvers, panic stops, etc. you might notice. It still shouldn't be an issue.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Oct 06, 2017
KD4UPL wrote:
I'd remove the shock and drive it. You probably won't even notice. Shocks help the vehicle ride nicely but have little to do with actually moving down the road, stopping, and turning. If your in really extreme situations on crazy twisty roads, high speed maneuvers, panic stops, etc. you might notice. It still shouldn't be an issue.

Well why don't you take your shocks off and see how you truck drives?

While one isn't all it will affect handling.
KD4UPL
Explorer
Oct 06, 2017
I have driven without shocks thanks. It really wasn't much different driving around. Like I said, panic stops and what not there's a difference.
RLS7201
Explorer II
Feb 03, 2018
You suggest that you have broken more than one shock mount when lowering your coach. That would indicate the shocks are too long. Maybe you were sold the wrong shocks.

Richard

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Busted shock absorber mount, Safe to Drive home

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