Q. What types of trends do you see with air suspensions in the future?
As more equipment is added to the truck or trailer to meet new regulations, the overall vehicle weight continues to be a prominent factor...
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A. Maintaining air suspensions have a lot of similarities to mechanical suspensions such as checking for proper torques and ensuring proper lubrication at required intervals. These maintenance items are essential to proper operation and suspension performance.
One big difference between the two types of suspensions is the requirement for maintaining the vehicle’s ride height. The ride height on a mechanical suspension is essentially non-adjustable and is established by components of the suspension. An air suspension also has a ride height specification set by its components, but this can be inadvertently altered by deviations to the height control valve or linkage. Proper ride height ensures there is a proper amount of deflection downward and upward known as jounce and rebound. Also, on straight-truck applications, ride height can affect the frame angle which will impact caster angle of the front steer axle changing the way the vehicle handles.
Hendrickson - Global Leader in Heavy-Duty Suspensions (hendrickson-intl.com)
Marketing Director, Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems
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