The Boler Company

Scott Allen Dilling

John Edward Ramsey

Phillippi R Pierce

Joseph M Ross

Michael J Keeler

Mohamad Bachir

William L McGrath

Phillipi Randsome Pierce

A trailing arm axle/suspension system includes rigid or spring beams for mounting the axle directly to the beam without any or minimal, respectively, additional mounting hardware or structure. An axle mounting plate is formed as part of the preassembled rigid beam or attached to the spring beam, and is formed with a recess that can range from significantly smaller than to generally the same size as the smallest axle which will be seated therein. The axle is extruded into the recess to eliminate clearance and create intimate contact between the axle and the axle mounting plate. The force typically deforms the axle from its normal cross-sectional shape, such as round, into a generally oval or elliptical cross-sectional shape. Such clearance-free intimate contact also creates a constant preload or compression between the axle and the axle mounting plate in the recess area. Continuous welds; disposed in windows formed in the axle mounting plate, or, alternatively bolts, are circumferentially offset from recess-defining edges of the axle mounting plate and the vertical axis plane of the axle. The vertical height of the beam in the area of the axle mount, in rigid top mount beam applications, is relatively small to improve clearance in low ride-height applications, and an insert is disposed in this highly loaded area to strengthen the beam.

Trailing arm axle/suspension system

An air-ride beam-type axle suspension system for tractor-trailers and other heavy-duty wheeled vehicles having a brake chamber of an air brake assembly mounted on the beam, wherein the beam is tapered. Specifically, each beam of the axle suspension system tapers from a narrower width at its end that is pivotally attached to a frame rail of the trailer, to a wider width at its opposite end. The tapered beam provides easier mounting of the suspension system on existing trailer frame rails and incorporation of a reduced-size pivot bushing at the narrower end of the beam, and optimizes the weight of the axle suspension system.

Reduced size bushing for beam-type axle suspension system

A movable subframe or slider for a tractor-trailer includes a pair of elongated spaced-apart parallel main members and at least one generally K-shaped cross member structure which extends between and is attached to the main members. Specifically, the K-shaped cross member structure includes a base member which extends perpendicularly between and is attached to the main members, and further includes a pair of inclined members, each of which extends angularly between and is attached to a respective one of the main members and the base member. Each of the main members is adapted to be slidably mounted on a respective one of a pair of depending parallel rails of a trailer, and a retractable pin mechanism enables selective positioning of the slider along the rails for variable load distribution of cargo contained in the trailer. A hanger depends from each of the main members adjacent to the ends of the base member for supporting an axle/suspension system. Components of the axle/suspension system also are mounted directly on and adjacent to the inclined members. The K-shaped cross member structure enables the slider to be relatively lightweight yet have improved capability for withstanding the combined vertical and bending lateral and longitudinal loads that the slider is subjected to during operation of the tractor-trailer while being relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Movable subframe for tractor-trailers

A movable subframe for tractor-trailers, commonly referred to as a slider, includes a retractable pin mechanism having improved locking pins for locking the movable subframe in a selected position relative to the tractor-trailer body. The improved pin includes a tapered or truncated conical-shaped portion which nests in a tapered enclosure when the pins are in the fully extended or locked position. When one or more of the pins of the retractable pin mechanism become jammed in the locked position due to slight misalignment between the respective slider and trailer body openings through which each pin extends when in the locked position, a generally uniformly distributed contact surface pressure exists between the truncated conical-shaped portion of the pin and the tapered enclosure. Other parts of the pin are subjected to relatively intense contact point pressures. Such pressures in turn cause shear forces which resist retraction of the jammed pins. However, a vehicle operator attempting to free the pins need only to slightly retract the pin mechanism and clearance is created between the tapered portion of each jammed pin and the tapered enclosure, much like pulling two tapered cups apart when one is stored within the other. Once clearance occurs, the areas of contact point pressure on the pin at other locations also are relieved. The retraction of the jammed pins of the present invention is achieved without overexertion on the part of the vehicle operator and/or damage to the retractable pin mechanism.

Locking pins for movable subframe of tractor-trailers

A beam-type axle suspension system particularly applicable to trailers and which is subject to torsional forces includes an elongated beam, a pneumatic bellows located on the beam, a hanger bracket located at one end of the beam, a connection for rigidly connecting the beam to the axle and a resilient pivot connection for resiliently connecting the beam to the hanger bracket wherein the beam includes an orifice through which the axle is slid or pressed and rigidly attached thereto, thereby preventing the axle from assuming a cross-sectional shape substantially different from its unstressed shape due to the torsional forces imposed on the axle. This beam-type axle suspension system also includes a resilient pivot connection for connecting the hanger bracket to the beam, thereby allowing the brake components to be attached to the beam instead of to the axle, and having the effect of eliminating stress risers on the axle due to welding the brake components to the axle. This is achieved by the combination of a pivot connection having a resilient bushing with different deflection in the beamwise and hangerwise directions and the rigid axle-to-beam connection which maintains a constant distance between the axle and the brake components.

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Canton, OH, United States of America

Scott Allen Dilling