International Truck and Engine Corp and suspension manufacturer Hendrickson announce the launch of the HTB rear air suspension on International's 9000 Series trucks.
HTB is a lightweight, non-torque reactive suspension offering smooth ride and low maintenance. At 570 pounds including axle brackets, HTB saves up to 250 pounds of weight over industry-standard 40,000-lb-capacity suspensions. The weight savings is attributed to HTB's optimized design, featuring a parallelogram geometry that eliminates leaf springs and reduces components.
HTB's torque box system improves multi-axial stability and control.
The crossmember, frame hangers, and torque rods are efficiently designed to reduce weight while improving durability. Large, direct-acting air springs carry 100% of the vertical load, compared with trailing arm suspensions where vertical load is shared between air springs and leaf springs. This key difference provides up to a 34% ride improvement and reduces vibration and harshness.
HTB's centrally placed frame hanger eliminates the dual hangers found in a trailing arm suspension. Innovations like shock absorber mountings integrated with the torque rod further reduce complexity and part count.
HTB will be offered as optional equipment on International 9200i and 9400i long-haul trucks. For more information, contact Hendrickson Truck Suspension Systems, Woodridge IL.