Shock Absorbers... the real scoop

["Gerardo N. Saldana" <gerardo.saldana@domain.elided>]

I'm the former Rancho employee that Tom was talking about.......
I will again try to clarify the confusion surrounding the shock absorber 
issue.

Rancho's shocks ARE NOT manufactured by Gabriel.
Gabriel does not even manufacture their own shocks, Gabriel's shocks are 
made by Maremont.
Rancho's parent company is Monroe Automotive Equipment and its RS5000 and 
RS9000 shocks are made by Monroe under Rancho's specs and in a plant that 
was exclusively built for that purpose. The Rancho RS1000 is nothing but a 
Monroe gas magnum shock (UGH!!) that Monroe imposed on the Rancho line.

The two major American manufacturers of shock absorbers in the U.S. are 
Monroe and Maremont. There are other small shock companies that cater 
mostly to hot rods, sport trucks and high end sports cars. Other companies 
such as Koni and Bilstein are not American in origin, they are foreign 
companies that have established themselves in the U.S.

My 2 cents.....

Gerardo Saldana
Scouts West 4WDC San Diego Chapter