Heavy duty springs take on the truck industry

Heavy loads put additional pressure on vehicle suspension. This can cause a range of issues, such as reduced brake efficiency, tyre wear and difficulty in steering. It also leads to additional costs, which we have hugely reduced thanks to our new Lesjöfors suspension spring design.

The life of a pick-up truck is tough. They mean business, no nonsense, no fuss, just robust handling in rugged terrains. However, look a little deeper and beneath its macho shell is an art of engineering bespoke designed to handle the rough and tumble expectations of a pick-up. There is also a demand for an increased payload, which requires a whole new level of suspension springs.

Customized nest of springs

One of the leading players on the UK market contacted the Lesjöfors Heavy Springs division for the requirement of a custom designed nest of heavy springs. The springs needed to solve a repetitive weight issue, in addition to extensively expanding the prior limitations and reducing the subsequent suspension spring damage to heavily loaded pick-ups.

Working in collaboration with the customer, understanding their requirements and product design specifications, the technical experts at Lesjöfors designed and manufactured a spring solution that met all requirements and increased the operations cost effectiveness.

“The collaborative working between the pick-up truck specialists and our engineers has also led to the development of new suspension springs specifically for wheelchair accessible mobility vehicles”, says Michael Gibbs, MD of Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK.

Type approval for the UK market

When UK importers bring in pick-up trucks, the vehicles have a lighter payload and need to be modified for the heavier loads of the UK market. The Lesjöfors team not only designed and developed a spring solution to suit the customer’s demands, they also and most importantly, achieved the recognition of ‘type approved’ for the UK market, which is a huge challenge.

“With some of the most advanced spring manufacturing capabilities within the heavy duty spring industry, our team of engineers were able to work on numerous customer designs, developing prototypes and samples that engineered the right solution. Together, we developed a product that not only firmly secured a new suspension spring solution, we also delivered a new cost-effective product line for the customer.” says Michael Gibbs.

Lesjöfors AB