Link Manufacturing., Ltd. has introduced its new 52K Air Link Gen 3 Tandem Drive Suspension. The company says the suspension has been specifically reconfigured to meet the needs of states, municipalities and road maintenance contractors using tire chains on heavy vocational equipment with 315 tires. The new suspension is 50 lbs. lighter and carries an extended three-year warranty.
“Link’s new 52K Gen 3 has been re-engineered specifically to improve clearance for 315 tires and chains while maintaining the exceptional ride quality long associated with our Air Link heavy vocational suspension line,” said Neil Mardell, manager of defense programs and heavy vocational products for Link. “Hanger brackets have been lengthened, heavy-duty dampers have been moved forward, center bushings have been raised, and the vertical distance between the trailing arm and walking beam pivots has been optimized.”
The 52K Air Link Gen 3 Tandem Drive Suspension also features larger, high-volume, low-frequency air springs that deliver a smoother ride whether the vehicle is under load or empty, Link says. Dual height-control valves maintain proper ride height, leveling the vehicle independent of load and maximizing its roll stability.
The suspension’s anti-corrosive polyurethane bushings require no lubrication, and trailing arm bushings can be replaced with hanging brackets. The suspension has been designed with a lower number of moving parts, extra-large bearing surfaces, more brawny main components and a higher level of load-bearing redundancy, Link says.
“The Air Link suspension was originally developed to operate in extreme environments, such as Canada’s oil fields and remote northern logging areas and has also been proven in harsh military applications in the U.S., Canada and the Middle East,” said Mardell.
The Air Link has three times more roll stability than any other vocational air-ride suspension, and it rides four times smoother than a conventional spring pack and 10 times smoother than a rubber block suspension, the company says. The Air Link retains the benefits of a walking beam suspension without any of the problems associated with steel or rubber walking beam suspensions, Link added. All Air Link suspensions are also treated with the Link-KOAT migratory self-healing metal treatment.
