Equipment

Hendrickson launches HAULMAAX EX

Jan. 6, 2021

The heavy-duty rubber suspension offering, to debut on the International HX Series, allows trucks and tractors to operate both on- and off-highway, according to the company.

Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems has partnered with Navistar to offer HAULMAAX EX as a part of the chassis enhancements for the International HX Series. And with the updated vehicle’s release, Hendrickson will be launching its next-generation, heavy-duty rubber suspension HAULMAAX EX as the standard rubber suspension offering, addressing the growing demand for rubber suspensions across all vocational applications.

“Just like the newly redesigned International HX Series, Hendrickson took a great suspension and made it better,” said Mark Stasell, vice president of Vocational Truck Business at Navistar. “The HAULMAXX EX delivers improved performance and durability, which helped our team design the new HX Series for productivity, durability, and comfort.”

According to Hendrickson, the HAULMAAX EX suspension is optimized to provide increased site rating, expanded capacity ranges, and improved durability as well as designed for vocational applications where durability and performance are essential. This suspension offers a balance of unloaded ride quality and loaded stability with lightweight suspension, allowing for an increase in payload.

These suspensions provide the versatility needed for trucks and tractors that operate both on-and off-highway, Hendrickson reports. The suspension’s equalizing beam distributes the load equally between both axles in off-road and uneven terrain conditions. The innovative design eliminates fixed center bushing pivot points to reduce wheel hop.

“Customers today expect more out of their vocational suspensions. HAULMAAX EX exceeds expectations by expanding on the capabilities of the current HAULMAAX design,” said Ashley Dudding, director of engineering for Hendrickson. “With up to a 70,000-lb. site rating for the 46,000-lb. capacity suspension. HAULMAAX EX is extremely rugged, supporting the most demanding vocational applications and offering capacities of 40,000 lbs., 46,000 lbs., and now 52,000 lbs.”

The suspension’s equalizing beam distributes the load equally between both axles in off-road and uneven terrain conditions while the design eliminates fixed center bushing pivot points to reduce wheel hop, the company added. Hendrickson suggests that when paired with TRAAX RODs, stability is enhanced, and articulation increased for improved on/off-highway operation.