Thanks to Paul Collins for telling us that SAF-HOLLAND gave its SA subsidiary permission to add the brand name to this new lightweight truck-trailer suspension that was made in Ormonde, Johannesburg.
Technical manager at SAF-Holland SA Simon Dolphin said the new suspension has a seven-blade, leaf-spring configuration that looks much like a conventional steel suspension system.  |
| Technical manager at SAF-Holland SA Simon Dolphin |
“[It], however, includes several design features that distinguish it as a premium-class, 21st-century truck- trailer suspension concept that combines the robustness of steel with the low tare mass and responsiveness of air suspension,” Dolphin said.
He said the unit can be retrofitted to “almost any heavy-duty trucking application” and — perhaps more important, the international stamp of approval — it has already attracted several leading fleet customers.
Fabricated in South Africa using hanger brackets made from lightweight but strong Swedish steel, the new SAF-Holland SA mechanical suspension system weighs around 75 kilograms less than competitor equivalents, equating to a payload advantage of 300 kg on a four-axle interlink trailer.
The innovative design replaces rubbing plates on the suspension units with bearing roller joints which significantly reduce maintenance time and costs.
The new system brings both on and off-road truck operators a robust, cost-effective and payload-enhancing alternative to existing air and mechanical trailer-suspension products.
“It is a totally new concept in trailer-suspension design, in step with the advances in truck-trailer technology. Our design approach addresses the key issues plaguing regular mechanical suspension systems, notably their weight disadvantage, slow responses to uneven road surfaces, excessive rattling, a high-wear factor on rubbing plates and the all-too-frequent disaster of leaf springs bouncing out of their rocker boxes,” says Dolphin.
“Apart from the significant weight saving, the SAF-Holland SA system is less prone to wear and tear, does not rattle or bounce when unladen and, due to the unique bearing roller joints, takes a mere 30 minutes to repair, rather than the industry standard of around four hours per axle unit.”
Having undergone extensive and arduous local in-field trial testing in late 2011, the new suspension system passed with flying colours and was given the green light to carry the SAF-Holland brand.
“The prototype exceeded all expectations in rigorous field tests conducted in rough Highveld off-road conditions. The testing phase was far more stringent than product tests conducted on trailer components in Europe, which are typically confined to stress testing in a laboratory,” says Dolphin.
The new system also drew interest at the Johannesburg international Motor Show in October due to its low tare mass and flexibility. Designed to work in a modular arrangement with SAF-Holland’s high-spec drum axles, the wearable components on the suspension system are interchangeable with other brands, further minimising possible downtime.
“All told, this new suspension system proves that South Africans are at the forefront of global truck trailer engineering,” said Dolphin.
