Hendrickson announced Tuesday, Feb. 26, that its new, lighter weight Intraax AANL 23K low-ride/liftable integrated trailer suspension system began rolling off assembly lines this month. With a weight savings of 75 pounds, Intraax AANL 23K replaces the AAL 23K as Hendrickson Trailer Suspension System’s lightest 23,000-pound-capacity low-ride/liftable suspension system.
Intraax AANL uses Hendrickson’s proprietary Advanced Axle/Beam Technology, which teams tapered-beam and the company’s own Large-Diameter Axle technologies, to enhance component system strength while reducing weight compared to similar-capacity suspension systems. The AANL tapered-beam design uses the company’s high-performance Tri-Functional III Bushings to facilitate an improved ride. Road proven over millions of miles, the bushings feature a unique rubber compound for outstanding durability and ride, according to Hendrickson.
LDA increases the diameter of today’s traditional 5-inch axle to 53/4 inches while slightly reducing the wall thickness. This reduction, combined with the increased diameter, creates a more efficient use of material, which enhances strength while reducing weight, according to Hendrickson. LDA is designed to deliver as much as a 15 percent increase in bending and torsional stiffness compared to the 5-inch (0.460-inch) walled axle, which reduces axle deflection under load, helping keep the axle straighter.
“With this suspension, there should be no perception that lighter weight somehow equates to a reduction in strength or durability,” says Keith McComsey, vocational program manager for Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems, based in Canton, Ohio. “We have tested this suspension thoroughly, and it is worthy of being a Hendrickson.”
Offered in ride heights from 6.5 to 17 inches, AANL brings the company’s Advanced Axle/Beam Technology to dropdecks, lowboys, platforms, tankers, bottom dumps and specialty trailers. Plans call for production of an Under Beam Lift, matching the new tapered-beam AANL, to be launched in the third quarter of 2008. The sturdy, lightweight, compact UBL is designed with fewer moving parts than other lift products, the company says, while the lighter weight of the tapered-beam construction allows haulers to carry more cargo on each run.
According to Hendrickson, Intraax AANL provides the same benefits as Intraax, including the first standard trailer Cam Tube System to reduce S-cam maintenance, and the industry’s straightest axle/spindle assembly. In addition, standard Quik-Align is designed to facilitate fast, easy, accurate axle alignment.
