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What are the benefits of using air suspension for flatbed trailer?

TITAN VEHICLE | 2020-03-19

 

4 Axles Flatbed Trailer from TITAN adopts air suspension.

 

What is an airbag suspension?

The airbag suspension uses air spring as the elastic element and air as the elastic medium. The compressed air is fill in a sealed container. The compressibility of the gas is used to achieve shock absorption for the vehicle by using the elastic effect.

Don’t you understand? Quite simply, if you see a large bucket (airbag) on ​​the rear axle of a flatbed trailer, then this suspension is an airbag suspension.

 

There are two types of airbag suspension:

At present, there are two common types of airbag suspension on trucks and trailers: European suspension and American suspension. The difference between the two is mainly in the structure of the airbag guide arm (bearing beam, suspension arm). The European style guide arm is generally made of cast, and the American type is stamped and welded by steel plate. The airbag suspension can exist in the form of single axle 4 airbag and single axle 2 airbag.

single axle 4 airbag suspension

Attentive friends can find that a rear axle of a trailer in Europe will use a 4 airbag structure. This design can bring better shock absorption and load carrying capacity to the vehicle. The single axle 4 airbag can minimize the vibration transmitted from the wheels.

The single axle 4 airbag suspension basically adopts such a structure: the link between the axle and the airbag guide arm is fixed in the center, one airbag before and behind the guide arm, one end of the airbag is connected with the frame, and the other end is connected with the guide arm. At present, most trailers use this single-bridge airbag suspension design.

Single axle 2 airbag suspension

Single alxe 2 airbag suspension, as the name implies, uses 2 airbags on single axle. American flatbed semi trailer usually uses a single alxe 2 airbag structure. At present, the common trailers airbag suspension structures, according to the structure of the guide arm, they can be divided into two types: American suspension and European suspension.

The single axle 2 airbag will adopt such a structure: the front end of the airbag guide arm is linked to the frame, the rear end is linked to the airbag, and the upper end of the airbag is linked to the frame. The single axle 2 airbag suspension is similar to the torsion beam suspension of a trailer. It can be understood as a non-independent airbag suspension. In theory, the shock absorption effect is not as good as the airbag suspension. The airbag suspension with 2 airbags is also cheaper.

 

The advantages of air suspension:

Many people only know that airbag suspension has better shock absorption, and the vehicle is more comfortable. Today I want to tell you that the advantages of airbag suspension can be more than just comfortable. The following describes the hidden advantages of airbag suspension for everyone.

1: Good shock absorption effect

The reason why airbag suspension can provide a good shock absorption effect for vehicles is to use the compressibility of air. Air suspension can achieve “soft connection”, so it can bring good shock absorption effect to the vehicle.

Airbag vehicles have a good shock absorption effect. They are often used on vehicles that transport some goods such as glass and precision instruments. In recent years, many vehicles that transport ordinary goods have begun to use air suspension, and it brings more than just comfort to car owners.

2: more fuel-efficient

It is said that vehicles with airbag suspension will be more fuel-efficient. Many people do not understand why. Let me talk about how airbag suspension can also save fuel.

For example, when the vehicle is walking on a bumpy road, should it be slowed down at this time? At this time, if the vehicle is suspended by an airbag, it can pass the bumpy road section without deceleration or a slight deceleration.

After the vehicle decelerates, it needs to accelerate to normal vehicle speed. This process will consume more fuel. The good shock absorption capacity of the airbag suspension allows the vehicle to pass quickly and minimizes the impact of bumpy roads on vehicle speed. So it will save fuel.

3: Protect the trailer chassis components

Thanks to the good damping effect of the airbag, it can minimize the vibration of the vehicle from the road surface, minimize the damage to the chassis components due to vibration, and also prevent the screws on the chassis from loosening. Part of the reason imported trailers are durable is that they use airbag suspension.

TITAN 4 axle flatbed semi trailer with air suspension

4: Convenient loading and unloading of goods on platforms of different heights

Today, it is often necessary to dock a vehicle on a platform to load and unload cargo. In different cargo yards, there will be gaps in the platform height, which will cause inconvenience to forklifts, making them inaccessible and loaded into vehicles. If the vehicle uses an airbag suspension, the height of the airbag can be adjusted so that the height of the trunk of the vehicle matches the height of the platform used for loading and unloading cargo.

5: Save tires and protect the road

When the vehicle is traveling on a road with a poor road surface, the fit of the tire to the road surface is better. Therefore, the airbag suspension can reduce tire wear. At the same time, thanks to the “soft link” of the airbag suspension, the tire will also have much less damage to the road surface and can also protect the road surface.

 

Since the air suspension is so good, why isn’t it popular? The reason why it is difficult to popularize is largely the price. The cost of using air suspension will rise a lot, so many car owners will not choose air suspension because of the price.

In addition to price factors, the durability and high maintenance costs of airbags is also a concern for trailer owners.

 

If you want more information about our semi-trailer, please click “Flatbed Semi Trailer“. 

And you can also look at other resources and products on our website.

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