Why so many suspensions

There is constant talk by blokes about the benefits (or not) of various suspensions, torsion, air bag, spring, rocker, Hendrikson etc

Would someone like to give a simple pro and con for each type. They all must have some pro's or nobody would choose them.

Main reason would be air bags were good for extra weight since the govt changed the rules about 30 years ago ..........The old Hendrickson sprung beam were certainly the cheapest to run for maintenance cost.

Mack.Camel back apparently offer the best articulation amd traction

Certainly have the harshest ride

Walking beam trailer suspension is simple and last for ever pretty much
Air bags are the go for a smooth ride
Normal spring suspension never gets a air or perished air bag

Who remembers that cable suspension some WA trailer manufacturer used in the 70's and 80's ?
Apparently was robost on harsh conditions

Goth was another Australian company that made truck suspension with lots of moving parts but apparently road like air and handled even better

Paul

My personal preference is KW torsion bar, rides the best, keeps all the wheels on the ground despite all the horror stories, never had a problem with them drove a few, best all-rounder Hendrickson walking beam, bit rough on short wheelbase, every foot you add to the wheel base improves them by 50 percent. Worst, Air bags, what drug smoking Weido put them up as preferred configuration, bouncing skipping mongrel things, in the tight stuff there is always one wheel off the ground spinning and always fixing something on them.

Funniest airbag thing Ive seen was one of the coaches came back to the yard with about a 30 degree lean to one side ...some hooligan had shut off the taps on the back airbags on one side ,and the coach slowly leaned to the side as the airbags leaked down.........driver didnt know what was going on ,and just kept driving............only qualification needed for a coach driver job was to work for $100 a day / cash in hand.

What 77louie400 said.

The difference between a bus driver and a coach driver is the bus driver gets more money and the coach driver gets to empty the shit house at the end if his shift.

Can remember back in the day, some drivers would call, “copy in the bus with a dunny.”

Mrsmackpaul wrote:

Mack.Camel back apparently offer the best articulation amd traction

Certainly have the harshest ride

Walking beam trailer suspension is simple and last for ever pretty much
Air bags are the go for a smooth ride
Normal spring suspension never gets a air or perished air bag

Who remembers that cable suspension some WA trailer manufacturer used in the 70's and 80's ?
Apparently was robost on harsh conditions

Goth was another Australian company that made truck suspension with lots of moving parts but apparently road like air and handled even better

Paul



Boomerang was thel name of the company... Made for tipper and float work originally 
 

Well Paul,

Mack.Camel back apparently offer the best articulation amd traction

Certainly have the harshest ride
And bump steer.

Walking beam trailer suspension is simple and last for ever pretty much
Air bags are the go for a smooth ride
Normal spring suspension never gets a air or perished air bag

Walking beam, as in Hendrickson is 100% load sharing and pretty much maintenance free. A superior ride to almost every other type can be had by fitting two stage springs. 

Who remembers that cable suspension some WA trailer manufacturer used in the 70's and 80's ?
Apparently was robost on harsh conditions

Wasn't that developed by a Taswegen and used on log jinkers? May have been Elphinstones.

Goth was another Australian company that made truck suspension with lots of moving parts but apparently road like air and handled even better

Air is not the be all and end all, we were all lead to believe. It's definitely not load sharing and the ride is not all it's cracked up to be. 

Nobody has mentioned Reyco or Page and Page.