These suspensions tend to be a little more expensive, but the benefits certainly pay off,” Whitfield said. In these applications, the vehicles may regularly venture off paved roads to do the dirty work so they require a high level of durability and stability, but they also will spend a significant amount of time on the highway where the smoother ride is beneficial. “These would be commonly seen in logging, oil field, heavy equipment haul, etc. Lastly, specific jobs lend themselves better to air suspensions in the vocational world. Whitfield noted that, in both cases, steel spring and rubber spring configurations, equalizing (walking) beam suspensions are the most common and effective for providing optimal stability, mobility, and traction. Vehicles used in more weight and ride-sensitive applications where traction and durability are still needed, such as refuse, mixer, or dump, would be well suited for an elastomeric (rubber) spring suspension. This could include vocations such as construction, utility, or mining. “Applications that are not as concerned with ride quality or weight efficiency but need to be more cost-effective would be more likely to use steel spring mechanical suspensions. Vocational trucks, however, incorporate a variety based on the requirements of the application. Again, the suspension choice is greatly dependent upon the vehicle’s application,” Whitfield noted.įor the most part, on-highway vehicles used primarily to haul freight on highways and interstates utilize mostly air suspensions, which provide the smoothest ride and lower maintenance. Heavy-duty vehicles (Class 8) are most often tandem drive axle (6x4) configurations.“These vehicles can utilize mechanical steel spring suspensions, mechanical elastomeric (rubber) spring suspensions, or air suspensions. “Air suspensions can often be found in applications such as food and beverage, moving van or other applications where optimal ride quality is desired to protect the cargo,” Whitfield said. Typically, mechanical suspensions will be found in applications such as utility, dump, or box van.Īccording to Whitfield, the air suspension will be lighter and will deliver a smoother ride but will be higher in cost and typically require more maintenance than a mechanical suspension. A steel spring mechanical suspension will be the most economical solution and will provide better stability but, in most cases, will be heavier and will deliver a stiffer/rougher ride when compared to an air suspension,” Whitfield said. “These vehicles are most often equipped with mechanical, steel leaf spring suspensions such as Hendrickson’s HTS suspension, but when used in ride sensitive applications, air suspensions such as Hendrickson’s HAS or PRIMAAX EX are also available.
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