Ask any trucking professional: Ride stability and control is so important to a heavy-duty commercial vehicle’s fuel economy, stability, and control on the road. In this issue, FleetOwner is spotlighting some of the manufacturers that lead in this area of truck parts and equipment.
Bendix
The Bendix Electronic Stability Program (ESP) full-stability system addresses both roll and directional stability, recognizing factors that could lead to vehicle rollovers or loss of control. It can utilize automatic brake interventions involving the steer, drive, and trailer axles and can act in ways the driver cannot duplicate (activating a single wheel end, for example).
See also: Aftermarket Showcase 2022: Parts and service
Bendix ESP is the foundational technology for higher-level advanced driver assistance systems such as the Bendix Wingman Fusion collision mitigation technology. Bendix safety technologies complement safe driving practices.
No commercial vehicle safety technology replaces a skilled, alert driver exercising safe driving techniques and proactive, comprehensive driver training. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times.
Gabriel
In today’s commercial vehicle industry, heavy-duty shocks need to be able to withstand the stress of tough applications. Vehicles carrying shifting loads—such as liquids or gravel—put unusual strain on shocks. As a load shifts while driving, shocks must continuously adjust to keep the vehicle steady.
Some fleets need to carry these loads from one coast to another, passing through different temperatures, moisture levels, and weather conditions in one trip. Each of these parameters affects the performance of shock absorbers.
Shocks, such as Gabriel’s FleetLine, promote ride stability because they control the transfer of weight and improve braking effectiveness by keeping tires on the road, and they improve vehicle handling. Poor shock performance can cause wheel hop, sway, and uncontrolled vehicle movement, resulting in excessive tire and air spring wear, cargo damage, and poor handling. This in turn brings about safety concerns.
Hendrickson
Hendrickson makes ride stability and control products for both on-highway and vocational applications.
One of its on-highway products, STEERTEK NXT, features a box-shaped cross-section that resists horizontal, vertical, and twisting forces more effectively than traditional I-beam axles. Some OEMs find this design helps to eliminate the requirement for a stabilizer bar. Tractor suspension design requires a delicate balance between having high roll stability and a soft ride, but those suspensions are typically designed with only the loaded condition in mind.
Hendrickson’s AIRTEK NXT, which is available on the Freightliner Cascadia, positions the air spring behind the steer axle to allow for more of the load to be on the air springs versus completely on the spring.
Hendrickson’s next-generation HAULMAAX EX rear tandem rubber suspension for vocational applications is lightweight but durable and provides improved ride stability, beginning with its spring system design. The elastomer spring design balances empty ride quality and loaded stability. Angled bolster springs and a progressive load spring provide improved stability for demanding applications such as refuse, concrete mixers, and dump trucks.
Link Manufacturing
Link Manufacturing’s air-over-walking-beam technology was patented close to 30 years ago and was designed to cope with extreme payloads and the rigors of harsh off-highway defense applications.
The Air Link suspension provides a smooth and uncompromising ride. One of its benefits is that ride quality is unchanged when running empty, saving the driver and the truck from the pounding associated with steel springs or rubber block suspensions that become too stiff when empty to isolate the driver and equipment from road inputs. The Air Link is available in capacities ranging from 46,000 to 85,000 lb. and has been adopted in many severe-duty vocations.
Link’s ROI Cabmate Semi-Active Cab Suspension employs multiple sensors and constantly assesses environmental circumstances while responding simultaneously. An accelerometer monitors the motion of the cab, while a position sensor measures the position and velocity of the cab relative to the frame. The system’s electronic control unit interprets the stream of information from all sensors in real time and responds by continuously adjusting the stiffness of shock absorbers and by filling or exhausting air from the system’s air springs to optimize ride stability and comfort.
Reyco Granning
Reyco Granning’s 20AR fixed axle air ride suspension is designed for heavy-duty applications where durability and long service life are required.
The 20AR requires little to no maintenance and is available for single, tandem, and tridem axle arrangements for application flexibility. Features of the 20AR include a Rey-Align feature for intuitive and simple alignment and TensionRight washers at pivot connections that give visual confirmation of correct joint clamp load.
The 20AR is available with a lift-axle option and has a gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of 20,000 lb., mounting heights from 9 to 19 in., and axle travel of 8.5 in. The 20AR is sold with a variety of wheel end configurations, including drum and disc brakes.
Reyco Granning also in October 2021 rolled out two electric-vehicle drive axle suspension product families, the 79KB-EV and 240AR-EV, which are both compatible with e-axles, as well as AirMaster, an electronic air supply and control module for EVs with the 79KB-EV suspension.
The 79KB-EV features flat-leaf or taper-leaf design for GAWR 15,000- to 35,000-lb. EVs, is packaged to fit larger e-axle spaces and is suited for delivery and work trucks and emergency response vehicles. It comes in 4x2 and 4x4 arrangements.
The 240AR-EV air suspension is suited for GAWR 17,000- to 23,000-lb. applications. Its shock-tuned and rebound control design accommodates the high unsprung mass of e-axles and is suited for on-highway trucks, tractors, and large buses . The 240AR-EV is available for 4X2, 4X4, 6X2, and 6X4 arrangements.
The AirMaster is a scalable electronic air module that is suited for any vehicle lacking an engine-mounted air compressor.
SAF-Holland
The design of SAF-Holland’s Neway ADZ heavy-duty on- and off-road drive axle air-ride suspension features a linear roll rate that provides enhanced roll stability.
With its widened stance, integral lower control arm, and V-rod upper control arm, the company says its ADZ achieves a lower roll-rate that improves vehicle stability. The one-piece lower control arm reduces weight, reduces maintenance (fewer bushings), and increases roll stability.
The V-rod replaces traditional track bars and torque rods to provide enhanced durability and reliability when distributing load forces.
The Neway ADZ can be engineered for a single, tandem, or tridem configuration. Capacities of 23,000- to 78,000 lb. gross axle weight rating (GAWR) are available. The ADZ design geometry allows for both drum brakes and disc brakes without the use of special torque rods, reducing complexity, weight, and maintenance.
