New suspension on Titan Trailers

May 19, 2011, Delhi, ON – The new high-lift ParaMax suspension system, now
available on all Titan trailers, offers a more comfortable ride and a longer
tire and trailer life for haulers who operate on rough roads and off-road
sites. The ParaMax high-lift steering axle system, designed by Titan Trailers,
is rated to 25,000 pounds with steer angles at 30°. The suspension was designed
to provide extreme travel and high-lift capabilities of up to 10.5 and 13.5
inches of the total axle travel capability for demanding on-road and off-road
conditions. Titan Trailers is a premium manufacturer of custom-built trailers
specializing in severe-duty applications such as forestry, aggregates, and scrap
and waste hauling.

Mike
Kloepfer, president of Titan Trailers, credits Titan’s experience for the
development of the new system. “We work closely with our customers in the field
and we see what they go through,” he says. “Conventional steering axles with
trailing arm suspensions having limited up-travel and were not capable of
handling the extreme conditions of many logging roads, quarries, and landfill
sites. So we tasked our engineering group to find a better, more durable
solution that would also reduce the cost of operation due to extended tire life
and reduced tire damage.”

ParaMax
suspension is designed around high-travel parallel linkage with the king pin
set to 90° to the ground. The parallel mount configuration allows the
suspension to lift the axle higher than other steer axles. The additional lift
means that Titan Trailers can go where other trailers will not be able to go.
It also ensures that the lift plates stay parallel for increased airbag life
and significantly reduced tire wear. This configuration provides the axle with
more freedom to displace different heights vertically as well as from side to
side. The trailers may also be fitted with super-single, low-profile tires to
allow even more clearance. According to Kloepfer, the tracking capability of
the ParaMax suspension system means that even in rough conditions, the tracking
of the tires is constant and complete and minimizes the potential for uneven
tire wear and damage.

With
a greater freedom of movement, the system maintains a comfortable ride on
deeply rutted roads and in rough off-road conditions. The design of the
suspension allows the left side to vertically adjust to a different height than
the right side, thereby relieving potential stress on the axle and the
suspension as well as on the trailer itself. With its higher ground clearance
in the lifted position, the ParaMax suspension reduces stresses and impacts on
the axle, as well as minimizing tire wear. By avoiding damage to the system,
the trailer will consistently track better in the long run and provide a better
ride, resulting in decreased driver fatigue, increased trailer availability,
and longer life for the entire body structure and running gear. Single-axle
ParaMax suspensions are now available on Titan’s full line of live-floor
trailers.

www.titantrailers.com