Increase Ground Clearance for Driveway

DSDP Don wrote:
"ncrowley".....I have the same issue and I got tired of dragging ramps down to clear where my concrete drive met the sidewalk. I found that Source Engineering, a company that primarily makes aftermarket parts for Monaco coaches was selling a lift kit for the rear end. After I bought the kit, I realized it was pretty easy to make, but it was easier to just buy the kit versus trying to find the correct components.

Here's how it works......You add two small air solenoids to the rear of the coach. In normal mode they supply air to your ride height valves and your coach works as designed. When you push a momentary switch on your dash, the solenoid bypasses the ride height valve and directly fills the airbags.

On the Monaco they were originally designed for, they got 3" of lift. On my Freightliner chassis I got 3.5" of lift. Your shocks are the limiting factor. The kit is $250.00 and comes with all the parts you need. It's a pretty quick install, because all of the airlines are quick connect.

This is a photo of my ramps. The lower right corner where the ramp meets the sidewalk was the issue. Now I clear by about an inch.

This sounds a lot like the modification I made to my '04 Holiday Rambler shortly after I bought it in 2007. I wrote it up and it is in the files section of Monacoers. I needed extra clearance to make the transition from the street to my driveway. I still use that modification every time I take the coach out. The only problem I have ever had is that I didn't protect the valves adequately from corrosion and had to replace them a couple of years ago.

The Monacoers site is restricted to Monaco coach owners, so it is not accessible to non owners.

Dick L, '04 HR Imperial