Different front shocks for cutaway vans?

[Cubey]

I am pretty sure my motorhome rear shocks are shot, simply based on how bouncy it feels, and seems to sag under pressure when it bounces. I think the dually is preventing slight fishtailing like srw 1 ton dodge camper van did when it needed rear shocks.

I have my eye on these Monroe for the rear that have an extra helper spring on it. It specifically says RV so it's probably meant for dually. I'm not sure if the extra $10 each for the spring is worth it or not. I figure it can't hurt though.

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I could see how the rear could be different shocks with a dually rear vs single.

But for the front? These front Gabriels with helper springs say "exc cutaway". Why would the front use different shocks for a cutaway chassis?

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Monroe also sells different front and rears for RV/ambulance or not. Are they just longer or something? Or just heavier duty? Or is it just marketing?

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[Garbage_Mechan]

Buried somewhere is a length/ mounting chart. Take a look and see what the differences in the part # is length and mount wise.

 

[Cubey]

Buried somewhere is a length/ mounting chart. Take a look and see what the differences in the part # is length and mount wise.

Hmm, this is what I dug it up on Monroe's site.

Standard: Stem Mount - 2.3/8" Stem Length X 3/8"-16 Thread Pitch

RV/Ambulance: Stem Mount - 2.5/8" Stem Length X 1/2"-13 Thread Pitch

So, it has a thicker upper stem. The lower mounting is the same for both:

Loop Bushing& Sleeve Mount - 1/2" Sleeve ID X 1.1/2" Sleeve OAL

For the Monroe rears, its the same. Standard is 3/8 and RV/ambulance is 1/2.

The Monroe coil helper spring one is listed as being a 1/2" stem, making it RV/ambulance (cutaway) compatible. Makes sense, it is labeled RV.

It compresses/travels by 0.125" more than the RV shock without a spring, not exactly a big difference. It's about $20 per shock more, but it supposedly helps add more support, relieving a little from the leafs. (~250lbs each side) It may be helpful for these old leaf springs.

The slight downside is that the dust shield on the coil one is plastic, while the spring-free Magnum-RV is metal.

Gabriel is more secretive about such things, using annoying "mount codes" that you have to look up in a document. The one they make that doesn't exclude cutaway is S36 (7/16" stem, 3/8" threads) but one model excluding cutaway has S36 listed too. The Gabriel front coil helper spring ones are, unfortunately, 3/8" stem, not 7/16".

So, I'd just go with the Monroe RV Magnum fronts. They are pretty good for the price. I put all Monroes on my F250 and they seemed fine. The very sloppy gear box makes it hard to tell though for control. The motorhome is much less sloppy since it has less miles. (Just leaks...)

For the rear, I just have to decide if the extra $40 (pair) for the coil spring helper ones is worth it. On this old rig with tired, poor condition leaf springs, it is probably worth it. The total would be about $70 for RV or $110 for RV w/ springs.

Leaf packs are $300-$400 for each side, so yeah, any help they can get is good. I had to repair one side as it is and replace a totally missing bump stop on the other. I'd go junk yard hunting if it comes to needing new springs, that's for sure.