Hendrickson Usa, L L.c.

Hendrickson International Corporation

Greg Copeland

John Edward Ramsey

Phillippi R Pierce

R Scott Fulton

Brian Richard Morris

Michael D Oyster

Kimm L Carr

Matthew VanMeter

Brian Morris

Michael Oyster

A frame for a heavy-duty vehicle includes a pail of spaced-apart, parallel, elongated, and longitudinally-extending main members. At least a pair of transverse cross members extend between and are attached to the main members, and each one of at least a pair of hangers is attached to and depends from a respective one of the main members and/or the cross members. A component is disposed between each one of the hangers and its respective main member, or alternatively is incorporated into the hangers, for absorbing the energy that is created by an extreme event during vehicle operation, to reduce the possibility of damage to the main members and/or the cross members caused by movement of at least one of the hangers during the extreme event.

Frame for heavy-duty vehicles

A movable subframe for a tractor-trailer includes a pair of elongated spaced-apart main members extending longitudinally relative to the tractor-trailer, at least one cross member extending between and being attached to the main members, and a retractable pin mechanism for selectively securing the position of the subframe relative to a body of the tractor-trailer. At least one of the main members includes at least one opening for receiving a pin of the retractable pin mechanism. The main member opening is formed in a shape, such as a D-shape, which reduces or minimizes distortion of the main member adjacent the top of the opening that is associated with forming of the main member.

Movable subframe for tractor-trailers

A cold-formed, raised-center axle for a heavy-duty vehicle includes a central tube having a pair of ends, a pair of spindles attached to the central tube ends, and a wall thickness of from about 0.500 to about 0.625 inches. A hump is formed in the center portion of the tube and includes compressive residual stresses in its bottom portion when the axle is in an in-service position. A method for forming the raised-center axle includes the steps of providing a substantially straight axle, inserting the axle into a press, over-forming a hump in the axle in the direction such that camber is induced in the axle, and forming the axle in a second direction, thereby substantially removing the camber and replacing a detrimental residual stress state in the humped portion of the axle with a beneficial residual stress state.

Raised-center axle and process for forming

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Massillon, OH, United States of America

Greg Copeland