Appeal No. 2000-0209 Page 5
Application No. 08/693,985
section having a trailing end, a generally vertical
section between and contiguous with the forward and
rearward sections and displacing the rearward section
below the forward section, said leading end of said step
spring being pivotally attached to said chassis, spring
means extending between said chassis and said trailing
end of said step spring and said axle being pivotally
secured by pivot means to a mounting means on said
forward generally horizontal section, said pivot means
being above said axle.
Snyder's invention is directed to an "air ride"
suspension for a truck, a tractor, or a trailer, which
suspension reduces the tare weight of the vehicle so that a
greater payload can be carried by the vehicle under existing
highway weight restrictions. As shown in Figure 1, the "air
ride" suspension 19 is interposed between a frame 11 of the
vehicle and an axle 15. The suspension 19 includes a
gooseneck spring 21, an air bag spring 43, a shock absorber 67
and a rigid torque arm 75. The gooseneck spring has a center
section 23 clamped to the axle 15, an upwardly inclined front
portion 25, a lower rear portion 27 and a vertical portion 29
that is inwardly twisted as shown most clearly in Figures 4
and 5. The upwardly inclined front portion 25 of the
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007