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Description
Staying in Control
BY SCOTT DE LARUELLE
More and more, ride stability systems are being incorporated into light-duty vehicles. If your fleet is still without them, it may be time to take the plunge
Whether it's a glass company delivering an expensive new display or a snowplow keeping your grocery store parking lot clear, maintaining a stable load on the road is the name of the game.
And while today's ride stability systems may not be as complex as those serving the big rigs, they are every bit as important at keeping accidents and costs down and keeping things moving smoothly and safely.
Here are a few of the more popular ride stability systems on the market that can improve suspension and handling, reduce wear of parts and help prevent accidents.
FIRESTONE RIDE-RITE
Available on the Mercedes Sprinter for years in Europe for recreational and utility purposes, Firestone's Ride-Rites have found their way to many hard-working light duty fleets here in the states to help manage loads.
"Most of the trucks today are outfitted for commercial usage," says Firestone Ride-Rite product manager Paul Gibson. "They end up having a load on them all the time."
To Gibson, ride stability is simple: Maintain vehicle height and position in the face of heavy, non-centered loads.
"If it's a glass truck or plumbers' truck or a van, most for years have had a right-hand sliding door," Gibson says. "So people put their racks and things on the other side, so depending on the industry it was being used in, all of a sudden you had 500, 600 or 1,000 pounds of pipe fittings on one side, and maybe a 250-pound driver, and they can't figure out why the vehicle kind of leans."
The same can be said for the thousands of snowplows trudging across North America these days. But variable or off-set loads are no problem, Gibson says, because you can keep the air springs... |
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