Tips on Maintaining Heavy Truck Suspension System
Most vehicles on the road today are there as a means of transportation for people. Drivers use their vehicles to get from one place to another as quickly and efficiently as possible, sometimes carrying other passengers in the process. If something goes wrong mechanically with a transportation vehicle, someone suffers a little inconvenience and has issues getting to where they want to go, and that is why it’s important the maintenance of a heavy truck suspension system.
When it comes to heavy trucks, the expectations people have of these vehicles are quite different. While heavy trucks are also used as a means of transportation, the focus is on moving heavy loads and not people. By heavy loads, we are referring to things like store merchandise, raw materials for manufacturing, building/construction materials, and heavy equipment like bulldozers. When something goes mechanically wrong with a heavy truck, stores don’t get merchandise, manufacturers can’t manufacture, builders can’t build, and lots of people don’t get paid.
As a heady duty truck owner/driver, you rely on your vehicle to allow you to support yourself and your family. To protect your income stream, it is incumbent on you to make sure your truck is always operating as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Since you are in the business of transporting heavy loads, oftentimes over long distances, your heavy-duty truck suspension should always be one of your top concerns. It’s a part of your heavy truck’s infrastructure that requires regular maintenance and immediate repairs when needed.
Components of Your Heavy Truck Suspension
If you want to properly maintain your heavy truck suspension, you need to know which components you should be maintaining. Here is a list of the components that warrant the most care to keep your suspension in tip-top condition:
- Shock absorbers – absorb the shock of uneven and bumpy roads
- Struts – provide load weight support
- Springs (coil or leaf) – help maintain an even ride on uneven and bumpy roads
- Bushings – provides a pivot point for the entire suspension system
Tips for Maintaining Heavy Truck Suspension System
It’s important that you develop and maintain a regular maintenance schedule for your truck and more specifically your heavy-duty truck suspension. The best schedule for newer trucks would be to follow what the truck manufacturer recommends. For earlier model heavy trucks, you can peg your maintenance schedule based on time (say every six months) or miles driven. The miles-driven option would be best for long-distance haulers.
As for which parts on which you should be focusing your maintenance efforts, here are five must suspension parts for regular maintenance:
Retorquing of Fasteners
Check U-Bolts
Check and Replace Bushings
Monitor Lift and Self-steer axles
Shock absorber Maintenance
When it comes time for the suspension inspections and repairs you need, you will want to put your heavy-duty truck in the hands of a professional mechanic with a great reputation. If you are thinking I need a heavy-duty truck suspension repair near me, might we recommend you consider checking out our services? They have a reputation for being one of the top big truck mechanics in the region of Laval, QC, Canada.