Bengels New Unique air bagged Trailing Arms...

[Metal Twister]

I like the air bag placement allot, very cool idea. I think the linkage for the shock is a bit much and would prefer to have a shock mounted conventionally at the rear of your set-up. The linkage for the shock is to me something that is too much of a maintenance issue and a potential for rattling once there is a bit of wear set in.
Nice thinking outside the box though

Thanks...
As mentioned in the original post:

As a result of our desire to eliminate any possible damage to the suspension components we have designed a swing arm that puts the air bag and shocks in a small void area inside the trailer. With easy access through an access door, Air bag and Shock replacement can be done without even getting dirty. This drawing was one of our first designs that we have since changed to streamline the manufacturing process. The shock is now mounted just aft of the airbag and on the same angle.

Your right on the money! This was an earlier drawing and the shock location and mounts are allot less complicated now.:smiley_drive:

 

[dirty Bakers]

I really like it and think will work great. The anti sway system will be very nice especially since all trailers do on the trail is bounce from one side to the other, eliminating bounce would cure allot of bad situations. The design seems simple, I think when everyone looks at it there first thought is wow why didn't I think of that.

 

[UK4X4]

I love the thought involved - the design whilst being more complicated than most -makes full use of shock & bag

if I had a workshop with all the gear mine would have been more sexy too !

oh to add curves to my garage cobble togethers

When I originally set my air bags up I had them connected thinking along your lines of self compensating one goes in one goes out

the air flow from side to side was not quick enough, if your thinking along the lines of a pressurised reserve and a balanced fill -bleed for each side.

it would work but add to the complication, a bus is not the fastest thing on four wheels and rarely goes off road.

speed of valve operation would be highly important on a rutted gravel piste or similar, the system would have to keep up with the bumps.....and at the speed of vehicular travel thats going to be a busy little system.

Landrover may quote an active condition monitoring system 500 times a sec

but I doubt the air system is able to react in time with the road

 

[Metal Twister]

The leveling system works very fast... but I would use it just for street use, I think you could burn up a pump trying to keep up with it for off road use. And extreme off road use would not lend it self to this at all. Just an anti sway on the street and leveling for sleeping and cooking.

 

[mountainclimber8]

MT- Very clever. We'll be watching for updates.

 

[ntsqd]

Some constructive concerns:

On a trailer it may not matter, but classically using a rocker arm to actuate the damper has proven to be much more difficult than it looks. Very easy to get into damping rates that rise too fast, or worse, rates that fall.

Air springs have a high rising rate, and a thermally rising rate included. Deceasing the motion ratio diffuses the rapid rise, increasing the ratio amplifies it.

Perhaps with both rising rates operating on a steep curve the damping is able to keep the spring in check? For all but the most extreme bump portion of the travel anyway.

 

[Metal Twister]

Exactly... we're playing with the mount locations of both the bag and shock. As of right now I can adjust them closer or further from the pivot point a total of 18". Im really surprised at what a big difference just a small adjustment makes. I am also trying different length bags as well as shock and coil over combos. It works very well, I am anxious to test in both high and low extreme temperature ranges. We are very close and will be able to finalize this next summer in the blazing So Cal Desert heat! With that said it should be easy to control the temperature difference by controlling air pressures. And your right... Its only a trailer going 30 mph off road, and maybe 70 on? I dont think we need to worry to much about it. But it would still be good info to know.

 

[Byrdseye]

I really like your ideas with this design...........looking forward seeing it in production.

 

[Metal Twister]

Thanks I really just wanted to throw it out for discussion. Now I have to get busy on a production model.:coffeedrink: