workshoprat92
Senior Member
I have been told tbe Chalmers are superior to hendrickson walking beams. I havent been able to come up with one of those set ups at a price I like. Old school hendrickson can be had relatively inexpensive.
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Bye bye air bags hello hendrickson walking beams
- Thread starter workshoprat92
- Start date
Truck Shop
Senior Member
I have been around walking beam most all of my mechanical life and never seen many spring failures, bushings going bad yes, One lateral torque arm is plenty. Most any damage I have
seen was from being grossly overloaded. Pete Air Track was never meant for off road and Pete never advertised it as such years ago, it has it's draw backs. Kenworth had it's Big Six
idea of camel back, it had traction-almost too much it would put quite a pitch on drive lines. But for everyday off road Hendrickson is hard to beat.
https://heavytruckforums.com/index.php?threads/removing-walking-beams.320/
seen was from being grossly overloaded. Pete Air Track was never meant for off road and Pete never advertised it as such years ago, it has it's draw backs. Kenworth had it's Big Six
idea of camel back, it had traction-almost too much it would put quite a pitch on drive lines. But for everyday off road Hendrickson is hard to beat.
https://heavytruckforums.com/index.php?threads/removing-walking-beams.320/
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Chalmers is good suspension-but pricey-if 70% off driving is off road it's probably worth it.
Theweldor
Senior Member
I have noticed a lot of Chalmers under mixer trucks.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
It all depends on the buyer when the spec sheet price is laid on his desk. How much do you want to spend or can afford.
dieseldog5.9
Senior Member
Freightliner suspension that was problematic I assume wasn't airliner.
Guys here swear by camelback, but when the froglegs crack it is big money to change, they make thicker ones now that are less prone to cracking.
The extended leaf Hendrickson helps the ride quite a bit.
Guys here swear by camelback, but when the froglegs crack it is big money to change, they make thicker ones now that are less prone to cracking.
The extended leaf Hendrickson helps the ride quite a bit.
Nige
Senior Member
In my experience the only problem that surfaces when you try to idiot-proof anything is that Darwin comes up with an improved class of idiot...YMMV.
workshoprat92
Senior Member
Truer words have never been spoken. The problem with newest generation is just getting them to show up on time or show up at all. So unreliable!
workshoprat92
Senior Member
Yes it was the series before airliner with the fabricated brackets and not cast brackets. Either way both those suspensions are just not made for that amount of constant long travel adverse articulation like a hendrick is made to take. Its only a matter of time in that environment that your gona have loose U bolts and broken center pins and axle perches.
John C.
Senior Member
All I remember seeing around here on mixers is the Hendrickson button suspensions or even something that just looked solid. Dumps trucks, heavy haul and even some log trucks seemed to have it. The only thing that struck me about the steel spring Hendricksons, other than the broken leafs all the time, was them dog walking in reverse when the bushings went bad. We basically ended the broken leaf stuff by actually using a torque wrench and the specified torque on the U bolts when we put them back together.
workshoprat92
Senior Member
Todays progress. Got front drive sandblasted and painted as well as frame sandblasted and painted in the area where the new suspension will go. This way when I put it all together all surfaces that mate together will have paint and hopefull slow down corrosion and prevent frame spread! now time to kick back drink some bourbon and watch paint dry!
dieseldog5.9
Senior Member
What is protocol for the holes from the old suspension, leave them or fill them in?
workshoprat92
Senior Member
I usually just leave them. I think welding a plug in does more harm than good. Where possible i put a bolt in it to keep dot happy!
Truck Shop
Senior Member
What is the thickness of the frame rail?
workshoprat92
Senior Member
The weather here in sw Missouri this weekend has been great for making progress. Today I worked on the other part of this project which is replacing the floor in the box with a piece of 1/4" ar400 plate. And I also had to replace all the crossmembers. Today i got all the cross members welded in place. The box sandblasted and painted where the floor touches. And the new floor in place. Let the welding begin! Every day that is nice i gotta make progress outside! Crappy days i will be back in the shop with a fire and building suspension!.
workshoprat92
Senior Member
Got a chance today to get back out to the shop and work on this project again. Got the first axle mounted up in the jig. It was a little work to get it centered but not to bad. Then did a root pass with 7018 1/8" rod.
Nice thing about the jig is it is easy to position the axle for optimal position for welding. 
Then did a large filler pass with mig and .045 wire
Nice thing about the jig is it is easy to position the axle for optimal position for welding. Then did a large filler pass with mig and .045 wire
workshoprat92
Senior Member
All welding completed
Out of the jig with all paint touched up.
End of the day. Two axles with all brackets welded on ready to be installed into the suspension!
Out of the jig with all paint touched up.
End of the day. Two axles with all brackets welded on ready to be installed into the suspension!
workshoprat92
Senior Member
Had a visitor in the shop this morning. This will scare the snot out of ya first thing in the morning lol.
Axles installed into suspension. Everything slipped right together perfectly! I think the jig really paid off!
Axles installed into suspension. Everything slipped right together perfectly! I think the jig really paid off!
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Nice job WSR!