Lightweight pancake
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• Rubery Owen-Rockwell is developing a new lightweight air suspension, specifically for step-frame and double-deck trailers. It is currently undergoing field trials and could be in production at RO-R's Llay, Wrexham, plant later this year.
The latest member of ROR's Indair family is known within the company as the Pancake' suspension. It has a ride height of 150mm thanks to its inverted cross members and the mounting of its hanger brackets on the underside of the crossmember.
To ensure the air bags do not foul any chassis components, RO-R has fitted the Pancake suspension with smaller, Goodyear air bags; the shock absorbers and air chambers have also been relocated.
It is expected that the Pancake suspension will be suitable for either single, tandem or triaxle application, with an individual 10-tonne axle rating.
The Indair Pancake suspension will be suitable for use on RO-R's own low-loader range of axles including the AC, with 15-inch wheels and tyres, and the BMX axle, with 19.5-inch wheels and tyres. A Pancake-equipped axle will weigh 440-500kg.
Although the market for step-frame and double-deck trailers represents only 2-3% of the total 10,000 trailers sold each year, the Pancake suspension is expected to attract considerable interest from maxi-cube, double-decker operators as well as car transporter companies.
RO-R already supplies air suspension to a large number of British semi-trailer manufacturers.
LI RO/R's standard axle production is based at its new £2. 25-million fully-automated axle plant at Llay, but its air suspensions are currently assembled off-line.
Monthly axle air suspension production currently runs at 200 FIexair and 200 Indair sets, with Neway versions down to 70 per month.
The more traditional tipper/ general haulage users of mechanical suspension are taking about 650 semi-trailers sets.
Out of RO-R's total axle production, which is expected to exceed 55,000 units this year, just under half will be exported, mostly through satellite companies in Holland, Italy, France and West Germany.