BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Larry Fisk on August 03, 2012, 06:00:38 AM
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Hey Guys, Just a heads up. As you may remember I just had to spend a lot of money replacing my radiator, charge air cooler, fan, and fan bracket due to my hydraulic motor cooling fan bracket breaking in British Columbia, Canada. I was looking at the repaired cooling fan when I noticed the lower support arms on the bracket were bending in allowing the fan to intrude further into the shroud. This was after only 2,100 miles on the new bracket. I contacted BCS and was told that Radiator Supply House in Sweet Home Oregon made the new bracket and that I should talk to them about it. After e-mailing several pictures and visiting with them on the phone they agreed that this was another disaster waiting to happen and the bracket they made was insufficient for the forces it was dealing with. They are now in the process of making me a new, improved bracket which I will again have to pay to have installed to replace the bad one they sent me. So after spending over $12,000 to get this problem fixed it looks like I will be spending more to correct this new problem. I'm just glad I took a look at it and didn't take for granted that the bracket they made was good enough. So again, check those brackets!
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I would also like to say that the people at Radiator Supply were very pleasent and never made me feel like I was seeing things. There are several more pictures I sent them to show the problem. In their defense they explained that they were just following drawings they recieved from Monaco and the drawings were not always as they should be. They also build these brackets for Monaco and said that our year, 2005 seems to have the most failures of this kind. Anyway I just wanted to pass this on in case anyone else installed one of these brackets because they may have a problem like mine.
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Seems like these brackets should be made in the form of a U channel for strength or use rectangular tube. Hope they take the bull by the horns and provide the "Fort Knox" model for you Larry. This does look like poor engineering on Monaco's part.
Larry, could you ask the Radiator Supply House if the would create a kit with a PN, once they have the better design complete, so that the enhanced bracket assembly could be ordered from them. I would think that owners of coaches with this design bracket would want to preventativly make the change given the expense.
Later Ed
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Yes, here are pictures of the original fan bracket and the one that Radiator supply House Built. You can see the the original was channel iron and much beefier than the new one that was built. I sent them several pictures of the original so they could see the difference in the make up and material. A friend of mine who has the exact same coach supplied me with the original pictures since my bracket was destroyed and disposed of after the repairs were complete. As you can see there is a huge difference. Anyway I appreciate the fact that they are going to make it right. It was suggested that they might want to let Monaco know if they sent them any of the bracket designs they sent for my repair. These will not last long is my guess. Mine was ordered thru Beaver Coach Sales, so I did send them pictures and explain my problem to them. I will suggest your idea Ed, that's a good one. :)
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It would have been great to have the original bracket in order to failure analyse the weak point and what actually caused the fail. This is tough duty and the balance of the components involved keeping vibration in check is a prerequesite for having the system last. If you could see the old component it would define the first to fail point (probably a bend or a weld) and that area could be improved in the new design.
Is it possible to get one of these brackets from Monaco? They look beefier by far and a good starting point. What one could envision is taking some flat strap steel of the same thickness and width as the current struts and putting a 90 degree bend on it and welding that bended section onto the flat part out by the bolts and then box welding the u channel down to the flat of the hydraulic motor bracket. That would seem like the next step in improving the strength of this system. I'm not a mechanical engineer or metal fabricator but others who have tinkered here may want to comment.
Later Ed
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Taking heed of Larry's warning, I went out to check my fan setup. It is quite different than his, and perhaps a better arrangement overall. I opted to take a snapshot and post it as a consideration, if available or a conceivable rebuild design, or adapt an existing part for other models. Of course the number of mounting points around the fan shroud impacts the possible design, but the flat perimeter of Larry's seems to offer no limitation there; the motor side would just need an appropriate bracket.
-Joel
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From my initial post about this incident I posted a picture of the failure while waiting for the tow truck. The failure seemed to take place where the motor bolted to the bracket. The repair shop said parts of the bracket were gone when they went to remove it. I think it might have helped to send pictures of it to radiator supply house before they built the new one but what happened is the repair shop called BCS at my suggestion and ordered the part from them so we assumed it would be identical to the bracket that broke. I was at work when the job was completed so my wife picked up the coach from the shop and drove it up to Alaska without me. I never got to actually see the repair until I returned home from work. Anyway I was surprised to see the new bracket support arms bending. At first I thought I was just being paranoid after spending so much to get this repaired, so I called my friend who has a Beaver exactly like mine and asked him to see what he thinks. He confirmed my fear and said the fan blades were actually into the shroud 3" furthur on the lower portion of the fan. This was very disappointing news after getting all this repaired. RSH is supposed to send me pictures of the new bracket before they ship it so I can see what I think. Your set up certainly does look better Joel.
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Here is the picture I posted of the original failure. It's hard to tell exactly what happened, but it looks like a weld may have broke where the motor bolts to the bracket.
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If you only have a few brackets actually holding that motor, I'd research if there wasn't another CAT radiator on another Beaver model or even another brand of coach, that uses a circumferential system like mine, and with shroud distances close to yours. I would assume that a multi-mount circumferential cage distributes loads better than other systems and resists failure or collapse better as a result.
But I realize you already have a fix in the works and a lot of dough spent. Such a remedy may not be feasible at this point unless the fabricators think it reasonable to do.
Joel
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The design on yours certainly does look more bullet proof Joel. Another thing about it I like is the cage offers some protection if you have your face in there looking in your engine compartment. If my fan were to come apart again parts would be flying as they did before. This could be deadly or at least a serious injury. I have also wondered why they didn't build these with electric cooling fans instead of hydraulic. Well, we will see what new design they come up with. I just hope it last a lot longer than the previous two brackets, the original and the first new one.
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Larry,
The side radiator cooling fan is hydraulically driven out of necessity. To use an electric fan motor that would pull the amount of air that is needed to provide cooling with high torque and variable speed control, would cause two problems since it will not be a little 20 amp fan motor like your car uses.
The first problem is the weight of the motor. An electrically driven fan motor that would supply the power necessary would probably weigh 4 or 5 times as much as the hydraulic motor and be much larger so mounting it would be very difficult and would require a complete redesign of the cooling system.
The next problem is what do you would use as a power source. If you use 12V DC, the permanent magnet motor will be heavier than an induction motor an require more maintenance (brushes), but a 120V A/C induction motor will require an inverter that is on anytime the engine is running to power it. Also the engine driven alternator would have to have a substantially higher capacity to operate the fan.
Since a hydraulic system is already necessary to provide power steering, the hydraulic fan is a much better option.
Gerald
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Thanks for the explanation Gerald, everyday is a school day for me, always learning something new.
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I'm still thinking, that if it were me, I would try and get hold of the original beefier bracket that Larry pictured and have a good welder box in the arms. The additional bent piece of metal would double the thickness out by the bracket bolts, box the U channel, and then overlaps the motor bracket hub and get welded there. As I look at Larry's photo I think the U channel is just butt welded to the hub which is not a strong joint without some gussets and those joints are prone to fatigue and cracking with vibration over time. There looks like some room for a small second reinforcement plate that would overlap the arm and motor bracket on the fan side of the bracket.
Monaco may have already made some improvements to the original design if they have been involved with some fails so maybe the new bracket would be better.
Joel's design is a lighter hydraulic motor and fan assembly and this design would probably not hold up for Larry's application unless it was designed for Larry's motor and fan size.
This seems like a case, given the expense of the radiator, where you would want to do all you could to have the "Fort Knox" bracket next time around. Just one guys opinion...
Later Ed
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Gerald,
does the 2000 Marquis C12 have a suitably strong hydraulic fan mounting bracket?? I am going to the coach tomorrow and will try to take pics of my set up.
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Jeremy,
The 2000 Marquis was made by SMC and they used a totally different mounting system for the radiator cooling fan on most of their Magnum chassis coaches.
You radiator cooling fan mounting bracket does not mount to the fan shroud like most Monaco built coaches. However it uses 2 straight pieces of 2 inch steel angle iron with a steel plate welded between them in the center where the hydraulic motor mounts. This mounting bracket bolts directly to the frame at both ends. Therefore it can not be compared to the shroud mounting brackets that Monaco used.
Gerald
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Ed, it is totally possible that I miss understood what the owner of Radiator Supply House told me over the phone. He stated that he has an agreement with the new Monaco to build all their fan brackets for them and that they sent him drawings with part numbers so he could keep them supplied. He also said that he sells directly to the public and Monaco understands that. In other words he does not make these for Monaco's inventory exclusively. Therefore I am assuming he is their supplier for all these brackets. Also this bracket was actually ordered from Beaver Coach Sales so it looks like he is making them for their inventory also. As I said before I called BCS since they supplied this part for the repair shop. They told me to contact RSH because they supplied that part for them. So who knows how many coach's have this inferior bracket on their cooling fan motors.
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Also Ed you are so right! I am overly paranoid of this happening again. It would really make me sick to have my brand new radiator devoured by another cooling fan disaster. I think I will call them again and ask about getting the channel iron boxed in, I want a "Fort Knox" fix for sure.
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Your 6317 photo looks like a pretty well made bracket but if that version has had fails also I would look to strengthen it. The photo of your fail looks like the arms were lighter L channel and the beefier bracket looks like U channel so it is a bit confusing what your original bracket was built like. Obviously the bracket that you ended up getting as a replacement is inadequate.
Is the one pictured in 6317 your original bracket or one from another Patriot like yours and you know it would fit? If that was the case I would send them that photo and say you are looking for that bracket. They should have a print already and should be able to build you one. You could ask while they are at it could they futher strengthen that design as described in the post here or do thay have any recomendations for improvement?
If they will only build to the print I would order one of those brackets and then when I had it in hand I would take it to a good welding shop and have them make the improvements before it was to be mounted.
There is a fine line here, where one persons opinion and what they would do, may not be what another person would do. Certainly follow your own wisdom here as long as you are comfortable regarding the outcome, after all it is your coach. Based on what BCS and RSH already supplied you it would seem that you have to take the bull by the horns somehow because they are not getting the job done. Just trying to help and I feel your pain here....
Later Ed
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Thank you Ed, I appreciate your thoughts and concern. I certainly want to make sure this never happens again but I'm not sure how much is enough when it comes to making a good, dependable bracket. I like your idea of taking it to a competent welder and getting their input. This is such an important component, it has to be done right or the consequences are really bad and expensive.
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Also Ed photo 6317 is actually my friends bracket on his coach. I am assuming it is the same one mine had but it may not be. Several pictures of this bracket was also sent to RSH. But as you said that is no guarantee it is good, after all my original came apart.
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I am not sure how much is enough either, but the cost of adding reinforcement, the best we know how, is a trivial expense compared to another break. I'm going with the assumption here that the bracket I am getting is just like the one that already failed, until I know otherwise. That assumption would be raising the big red flag....
Guessing at the fail point (looks like it might be the arm to hub butt weld but things were pretty well torn up) from your old photos could help some. When you get the new in tact bracket and get a chance to study it a bit, it should become clearer where the weak points are. The welders that do a lot of repairs on car hauler trailers and trucks have a good sense about where things break and what can be done to strengthen things without adding a lot of weight and extra metal. You just want to be sure that any reinforcing metal structure not inhibit the motor mounting or airflow.
I do not know what is on the backside of the bolts that go to the fiberglass shroud attachement point. If that is just bolted through the fiberglass shroud and there were a couple of small washers there I would have four small metal plates made up to sandwich the fiberglass over a broader area, basically duplicate the rectangular piece that you have on the end of the new bracket, but I would have them grind and round the corners a bit to eliminate a stress point in the fiberglass. There may be some metal structure on the backside making that unnecessary but best to check it out and be sure.
If you do modify the new bracket with a welder it would be good to post some before and after shots, so that someone else can inspect the weak points that were reinforced at intervals on their coach and hopefully catch a problem before failure. They would also have a photo of what was done to your bracket to take to a welder for modification. Good luck with all this Larry, may the force be with you....
Later Ed
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Gerald,
I will be at the coach tomorrow. Thank you for the information. By your description, I would assume we do not have to worry, but I will check it anyhow.
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Ok, finally received the new bracket from Radiator Supply House. I think they got it right this time. Now I just need to get it installed and hopefully be done with this whole ordeal. Here are some photos of the "Fort Knox" bracket. I added some bracing of my own around the motor section just to make sure it is very strong. Thanks to Ed and all of you for your feedback. You are all the best!!
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Here is a photo of the extra bracing I added after I received the bracket. I just want to make sure this one holds together a long time. One radiator and charge air cooler replacement is enough to last me a life time not to mention the strain on my finances!
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Larry,
That should hold it together even over the stretch from Tok to Whitehorse ;)
Make sure the mounting bolts are strong enough ....
Jeff
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That certainly looks way better than those flat strap steel mount that you got as a replacement. Seems like the extra square tube around the hub should help stabilize it and reduce the amount it can vibrate. Looks like the square tube braces where the U channel ends on the arms so it should add strength to the system and be very strong. This is still a different design then the other bracket that was photographed it appears. The hub looks different where the U channel portions of the arms ends on the photo of the intact bracket. Makes you wonder how many designs are out there...
When you get it installed, you can warm up the engine and with the fan kicking in, rev the engine a bit varying the RPM and just see how stable the whole bracket fan system is as the RPM changes. If it all looks good, nothing out of balance, shaking the system then you know you have done your best. Time to hit the road and enjoy.
You know how many miles you had on the first one that failed. You can inspect this one for any cracks or issues as the miles accumulate. If you exceed the total miles of the first failure with no evidence of any issues with this bracket then you should get comfortable that all will be well. Keep us posted and good luck with this.
Later Ed
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Thanks for all your input Ed. It was because of your suggestion I payed a welder to add the tube bracing around the motor bolt up. I thought about boxing in the channels to but this thing was already pretty heavy, I was afraid it might make it to heavy. I noticed the original has holes in the channel. Not sure why but I did not add it to the new one. I figured it must be to let the air circulate better but hopefully it will be ok without them. We'll see, they just called and said it's installed and ready to go!
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Unbelievable!!! Got the new bracket installed and began checking it out when I got home. To my surprise the fan blades are only clearing the bracket arms by about 1/8 of an inch! The mechanic said everything looked good. This does not look good to me. What do you think???? I just want this to end!!!!
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The clearance does increase further out from the center. But boy it looks very close near the center.
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Larry,
It does look tight. I think the flex of the blade pulling air would flex away from the bracket but I have no idea what deflection toward the bracket would be possible under all conditions. It is a lot of money if it fails so you need to know for sure. Not sure if Monaco can provide a reference dimension.
In your 6317 JPG the bracket design looks different and it looks like maybe 1/2 inch spacing bracket to blade to an uncalibrated eye using the photo. Do you have access or know if the owner can measure the blade to bracket distance as well as the blade to radiator face distance for a reference on this coach with the original bracket in the photo that looks right.
Your new bracket looks strong enough and maybe there is a way to add more blade to bracket clearance by adding spacers, (washers) adjusting the mounting bolt lengths if necessary, between the fan motor and the bracket.
I know you would like this to end but it seems like you have no choice but to dig a little deeper and see if you can determine what spacings are normal and then see how your current coach bracket mount dimension fits into the scheme of things. You may not have to duplicate the other brackets spacing but you may be able to get closer to the point that you are comfortable with the clearances.
I'm sorry that this has come up. When I get this level of frustration, if I can, I take a day or two off to clear my thoughts and try and set any emotion aside.
Once you have some reference dimensions and see what can be achieved with spacers that may be all it takes. If spacers cannot fix this, I am quite sure that your welder could move that center mounting hub away from the arms by cutting and welding what is needed. He should see it installed as it is now so that he could take measurements and and see where the welds and cuts would fit and not interfere with the mounting of the motor/fan assembly.
I know this is painful Larry but you are almost there and the consequences of another fail are much worse to live through...
Later Ed
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Thank you Ed, I know that all of you must be getting tired hearing about all of this also. Thanks for your suggestions. I am going to visit with the mechanic tomorrow. They were already closed when I discovered this concern. You are so right though, we are getting close to the end!!
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Larry,
You have a tough problem on your hands and it is much easier to write than to do and deal with what you have been faced with. Good job on your part.
In your 9841 jpg of the new bracket with the reinforcement, it looks to me like a cut could be made in the center of the vertical section that comes from the hydraulic motor mounting plate up to the next bend. A plate could be welded on the outside of each of the 4 sections that would add any offset that you would like if it comes to that. Both sides would be welded and the inside weld ground flush for clearance issues.
I'm hoping that this is not needed but that is one idea that I think would get you there if it comes to that. Your welder may have experience that would modify it differently but that is what comes to mind here. Looking at the bracket/motor mounting in place now now and visualizing the bracket modification and checking clearances that would be involved would be in order before any changes. Keep the faith you are almost there in the scheme of things.
Later Ed
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Larry,
On the fan side of the bracket there seems to be a formed piece of steel that is shaped like the fan motor. Is that a steel spacer that came with the fan motor or possibly a spacer with a Monaco PN? It looks like a much better spacer than any washer arrangement if that is what it is. Perhaps you could get several more of these plates if that would work. If it is a spacer and you choose to use some washers for additional spacers I would leave this plate against the hydraulic motor and add spacers between the steel fan mount and thishydraulic motor interface plate. The hydralic motor needs to rest against an adequate support plate if what i am seeing is correct. These are some thoughts and I know the problem has to be solved by the folks involved there so stick with it.
Later Ed
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Yes Ed I see what you mean. I did not notice that spacer before. I'm on my way over to the shop now and will ask about this. Thanks again Ed for all your help.
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Well, the mechanic thinks I am worried about nothing. It's only close right at the center of the bracket, (where the motor bolts up) near the leading edge corner of the fan blades, then the clearance gets much greater from there. He thinks it will be fine but just to make sure I think I'll get a second opinion.
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Larry,
I do not have any experience that would help with that dimension.
The hydraulic motor is fixed to the mounting frame so if that vibrates or flexes a little the fan assembly should move with it. I guess we are mostly worried about fan blade flexing here and if that region of the blade could ever flex enough in the direction of the mount to make contact. How far is the outer edge of the blades from the radiator face on the closest blade if things are not perfectly planar. I would assume that the radiator to blade spacing is more than adequate.
A second opinion certainly would not hurt. If you can find out who makes the fan assembly they may be able to help sort out how much movement can be expected in that section of the blade. I think the flex based on air load as the fan RPM increases is away from the bracket, is that the way you see it Larry?
Later Ed
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Yes Ed, that is what I've been told, the blades flex away from the bracket. If there is a way to move the fan out even a little more it would make me feel more comfortable. Since the tightest clearance is right at the corner of the fan blade the feeling is if it does make any contact it will not granade the blade but it will rub the paint off of the bracket at that point. So the mechanic says to just monitor it and if I see evidence of rubbing then I need to have something done. That's all very good if you were not the one who just spent lots of money to fix all the previous damage. So, I am going to seek another opinion from a mechanic and if he thinks I'm worried about nothing then I will accept it and get on with life. I sure appreciate all your thoughts Ed. I do know that this bracket is so much better than the first one. Everything looks great as far as that goes. Anyway I am really hoping the mechanic is right about this. I really do want to stop being so anxious and concerned about this. Anyway Ronda and I put about 175 miles on the new bracket. We are in Palmer, Alaska for the state fair with the Beaver. After visiting With the mechanic I decided to go ahead and drive it over. So far everything is looking great! Thanks again Ed, I hope to meet you someday in our travels.
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So glad that you are back on the road. In time if there is no evidence of scraping you will gain confidence in the repair. One very good thing is that the metal arm that is close to the blade has rounded corners and with the direction of the blade travel it precludes any impact of a blade. The blade would pass by and lightly scrape and flex or wear a bit it would seem.
I think the extra welding and boxing of the end of the u channel arms should add a lot of durability. I suspect that the original fail was right where the Uchannel arm ends and becomes a flat or at one of the 90 degree bends. That is a bit of a guess but it appears to be the weak point and I think vibration over time caused a metal fatigue crack. This box channel of metal is very strong and should limit any harmful level of vibration to a great extent.
In the meantime you may be able to hunt down one of those steel hydraulic motor spacers just in case and have it on board if the need ever arises in the future. (if that was indeed a spacer)
Larry, you should be very proud of seeing this one through, it was definitely not an easy problem to resolve and you went the extra mile to not just replace the fan bracket with one just like what had already failed. Enjoy your time in Alaska. Safe travels and hope we do meet somewhere down the road. Next year is our west coast trip so you never know....
Later Ed
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That would be great Ed! We will be hanging out in Southern California and some in Arizona. Would love to meet up somewhere if you're in the area. Thanks again for your advice. It was invaluable in helping me design a better bracket with the help of radiator supply house. By the way, the first one they installed in Canada was definitely not going last long. It was evident once it was removed the arms were not holding up. Take care my friend and safe, unevntful travels to you also.
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Well, I took the Beaver to NC CAT in Anchorage. There service tech said besides the bracket being to close to the fan there are other issues like its not in the proper position in the shroud. They said in order to really make it right they are going to have to remove the cooling fan bracket again and also remove the shroud. Then they can have their fabricator rework the bracket and shroud on the bench to get the bracket to fit correctly. Estimated cost is an additional 3200.dollars. Now I'm into this whole repair over 16,000 dollars. I told them above all else I want this issue to end! Make sure all the problems are corrected and the fix is a "Fort Knox" fix. They said their fabricator/ welder is very good and will make it right. So, here we go again, I hope this is the end of this as I'm sure many of you do.
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Larry,
I hope that they are going to gold plate it when done at NO to charge to you!!
GOOD LUCK THIS TIME!
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Larry,
Seems like a lot of money but it also sounds like they are doing the work correctly. Hopefully it will go quicker than expected and come in under budget. If you would never be comfortable behind the wheel, until you are satisfied that the bracket is well designed and installed properly, then you have to resolve the issue. This is insurance against another $12000 radiator loss....in that respect it is a wise investment. I wish this had been all easier but for sure this should bring the problem to an end. If you could post photos of the final bracket before installation, that may help others if they find the need to redesign a current bracket in the future.
Later Ed
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Thank you Leah and Ed, I will post pictures of the final outcome. They should have it ready to pick up tomorrow. You are right Ed, glad I took it to CAT for a second opinion. As they inspected it they noticed several issues that needed corrected to make it right. They assured me that they will warranty and stand behind their work and the bracket when they are done. I will be so happy to be done with this. I warned my wife I may break out singing Hallelujah and dancing!!! I'm so thankful for all your input and encouragement Ed. Thanks for everything!!
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Larry
I guess if they can't "gold plate it" their standing by their work and warranty will have to do. Have a nice cool one when you get home with coach.
Leah
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Thanks Leah, we plan to be heading south again soon. Winter is in the air up here. I'm ready to head out of here and go play in warmer weather!
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This is what NC CAT found when they removed my cooling fan, motor, and bracket. As you can see the fan hub was rubbing against the charge air cooler bracket and the fan was hitting the bolts on the CAC bracket. Result is my just installed in June cooling fan being destroyed again! NC CAT is getting a new bracket configured out of my old bracket and I have a new cooling fan ordered again from BCS.
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This is the CAC bracket damage. Service Tech said it was not bad enough to worry about.
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This is the new bracket that the fabricator came up with at NC CAT. I asked them to put gussets on the corner welds. Other than that I think it's much better. What do you think. It's just tack welded in places now, they were waiting for my approval before finish welding it.
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Another shot of new bracket
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New fan has arrived in Anchorage so this should finally be done today!!!!
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Does anyone know if these fans are rebuildable? Just wondering if I should go to the trouble of keeping the old fan and having new blades installed. The hub doesn't look damaged bad enough to throw away. Any thoughts?
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What would you think about two more attachment points (top and bottom) to spread the stress out more?
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Yes!! This issue is finally done!!!! I apologize to all of you who are as sick of hearing about this as I am about living it for the last 3 months. This is the bracket the CAT shop in Anchorage designed from the last RSH bracket. The only part of the RSH bracket that is left in this is the center portion. The rest was fabricated by a CAT employee and he got it right. The installation is correct and there is plenty of clearance from the bracket and the radiator. Thank you all for your patience and help. My wish for all of you is that you never have to live this nightmare and expense. This is Larry Fisk, finally signing off from this issue!!!
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Wayne, I think that would probably have helped all right. The bracket is already done and installed and it already looks so much better and stronger than the previous 2 brackets. I feel pretty confident that this one will definitely hold up a lot longer than the previous ones. It actually looks a lot stronger than the original design that came on the coach and failed after 58,000 miles. I am so thankful to CAT in Anchorage for getting it right and resolving this 3 month issue. I'm also very thankful that the damage done to my fan that was installed in June did not completely fail catastrophically and take out my radiator again.
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Larry,
Square tube is so much stronger, that bracket is certainly more than what is needed. You should never have to worry again about the fan. Just get back to enjoying the coach.
This still leaves a problem for other coach owners of this vintage as to what bracket will work and what the PN is. The bracket pictured in jpg 6317 looks to be a well made original bracket that was a better design than what Larry's original was and what he was able to obtain as a replacement. I think it has rectangular tube around the center hub area by the hydraulic motor bracket.
If anyone has any interfaces within Navistar/Monaco perhaps they could forward that photo and see if that print could be found. You do not want to go through what Larry did and it seems likely that some of the coaches still have a bracket with a weak design in the field.
Later Ed
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Larry, I am amazed at your ability to remain positive throughout this entire scenario of trials and errors. I realize it has been a long and very expensive ordeal but you have used it to keep the rest of us informed and for that you are to be commended. The final mount made by Cat sure appears much superior from the original factory mount and should permanently solve the problem.
The rest of the year is yours to enjoy so take a deep breath and head south. Have a safe trip south, you've earned it.
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Thank you George, I appreciate your comment. My wife probably has another opinion about my positive attitude..LOL. Yes, my whole reason for keeping everyone updated on this experience was because I wanted to let everyone know that replacing this bracket is not just a matter of ordering it. We had no idea when all the repairs were done in Canada the bracket installed was not fabricated correctly. I have been in contact with radiator supply house and beaver coach sales about all of this. Hopefully RSH will figure it out and begin making quality brackets. I am a little disappointed that RSH has not offered any reimbursement, especially noting the damage created the second time by their bracket. But I'm so done with this I am going to just let it go and again enjoy the coach. Thanks again George and everyone for all you encouragement and input. I am so grateful its over!
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This is the type of bracket that is used on the 97 patriot. It is very strong.