All Air Suspension - Riding on Air

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Setting up a vehicle's suspension for the rapidly changing loads encountered when carrying tanks and other containers of liquids is crucial to safety and vehicle longevity.

The problem is particularly acute with 4wds, utes and light trucks carrying heavy tanks of water, chemicals and fuel in applications as diverse as crop spraying, dust suppression, cleanup equipment and vehicle and machinery service on remote roads, farmland and mining and construction sites.

Not only do such vehicles have to cope with wide variations in load from tank full to tank empty, but also they often also have extendable booms and pumps fitted that can impose side-to-side stresses.

"Steering and braking can be immediately compromised by the widely varying load and poor load distribution encountered when carrying liquids. Not only is immediate safety jeopardized, but also chassis and tyres are placed under immense pressure by loading distortions," says James Maslin of air helper suspension system specialist All Air Suspension.

One solution for vehicles with leaf springs is the Ride-Rite system. These incorporate Firestone Airsprings which have a lifetime warranty. The brackets are made by AirBag Man to suit a large range of Australian specific vehicles. The airsprings can be inflated to different pressures to cope with uneven loads and varying weight distribution says Mr Maslin, National Sales Manager for All Air Suspension, which is NSW distributor for Ride-Rite® suspension kits manufactured by Airbag Man for leaf spring vehicles.

The easy-to-install Ride-Rite, kits are manufactured in Australia and incorporate high quality Firestone airbags identical in construction to the tough Firestone airbags used in the suspensions of trucks and semi-trailers. Thousands of the suspensions have been installed on scores of vehicle types over more than 15 years.

By simply adding or removing air, drivers of vehicles equipped with the kits can maintain the same vehicle ride height under different load conditions. This gives ideal performance and safety from empty to full. Air can also be added to overcome the imbalance inherent with uneven loads.

Fitted between the chassis and leaf springs, Ride-Rite springs absorb the increasing weight of loads that cause vehicles to sag or lean, resulting in hazardous driving conditions and wear and tear on the vehicle's tyres, suspension and frame.

"Ride-Rite air helper springs work with the existing suspension to re-level loaded vehicles to their ideal configuration, which is with frame and body parallel to the axle, as in an unloaded vehicle. Ride-Rite kits also have benefits when the vehicle is empty, because the air pressure takes the strain off existing leaf springs, preventing sagging and helping them to last longer," says Mr Maslin.

Ride-Rite springs are inflated by standard workshop compressors or optional onboard compressor systems. They can handle 0-7 bar (0-100 psi) and up to 1500kg each depending on the kit and subject to chassis gross vehicle weight limits.

"A member of our distribution network fitted one such kit to a Landcruiser equipped with an 18 metre spray boom and spray tanks which added close to two tonnes to the vehicle - previously resulting in oscillating body roll, a rough ride and fast- wearing suspension," said Mr Maslin.

"The owner had gone through five sets of shock absorbers in five years. He was also wearing out the leaf spring shackles because of the continuous weight on them and the bumpy ground he was driving over.

"The problems disappeared immediately he fitted the air helper kits. He said he would have fitted them years ago if he had known."

Complementary kits are also available for coil sprung, as well as on board air systems.

For further information about this media release or the name of local fitting specialists, please contact All Air Suspensions, 10 Angas St, Meadowbank, Sydney 2114 ph (02) 9807 7641, fax (02) 9807 7643 www.allair.com.au All Air Suspension can also supply contacts for national availability of the product.