For haulers running heavy-duty, over-the-road box and refrigerated vans, Hendrickson has designed a 46,000-pound-capacity Vantraax slider system in a weight-saving 121-inch configuration.
Hendrickson says the 121-inch Vantraax HKANT 46K system uses the company’s Advanced Axle/Beam Technology (AXT) to trim more than 300 pounds compared to similar-capacity wide-spread sliders.
Hendrickson says AXT combines tapered-beam and large-diameter axle (LDA) technologies for increased strength and reduced weight, while LDA increases the diameter of today’s traditional five-inch axle by about three-quarters of an inch, which reduces weight while improving component and system strength.
LDA also is designed to deliver as much as a 22-percent increase in bending and torsional stiffness compared to the five-inch axle tube, which Hendrickson says reduces tube deflection under loads to keep the axle straighter and help enhance fuel efficiency and tire wear.
The 121-inch spread HKANT 46K builds on Hendrickson’s patented K-2 slider box technology, plus comes standard with high-strength, low-alloy main rails and K-braces engineered for added durability and strength. The robust main rails also increase resistance to single-wheel impacts, according to the company.
The tapered-beam design uses the high-performance Tri-Functional III bushing designed to deliver the same smooth ride as the closed-space HKANT 46K. Tri-Functional III bushings feature phosphate-coated inner metal for corrosion protection and a rubber compound engineered to promote for outstanding durability and ride.
Standard with Quik-Draw, Hendrickson’s fully pneumatic pin-pull mechanism, the 121-inch spread Vantraax also can be ordered with a “slider-pins-only” option for use in a fixed application.
The HKANT 46K wide-spread model features D-shaped holes in the slider main rails and new D-shaped slider pins. According to Hendrickson, the new hole shape reduces potential distortion during the forming process and ultimately allows for easier repositioning of the slider box, while the durable zinc-plated slider pins resist wear and grooving.
