The spring vs. air suspension debate seems to be coming to an end in the current tanker market. In China, air suspension has become the decisive winner in the tanker truck market. The new policy requires that from January 2020, the rear axle of trucks transporting dangerous goods with a total mass greater than or equal to 12000kg, all dangerous goods transport vehicles, as well as three-axle rail type, warehouse trucks, refrigerated trucks, etc. should be equipped with air suspension.

42000 litres fuel tanker trailer for sale

What kind of suspension should be chosen for semi-trailers has long been a controversial topic. The prevailing view is that if there is any risk of your cargo being damaged during transportation, you must choose air suspension for your semi-trailer.

Anyone who runs a transportation business knows that there are two main types of suspension for tank semi-trailers: spring suspension and air suspension. Spring suspension uses multiple layers of flexible steel straps connected together to provide cushioning for the trailer. Air suspension is the newer of the two technologies and uses a system of air lines, valves and air spring bags to lift the trailer chassis off the axle.

In fact, air suspension is the preferred choice for almost all tanker shipments, not only in China. baputi exports over a hundred tankers a year, and more and more customers are choosing air suspension, with the percentage exceeding 80% in 2021.

What is a spring suspension?

Steel plate suspension: steel plate spring is to use steel plate as spring, it is also called leaf spring. The structure is simple, low cost and reliable working.

What is air suspension?

Air suspension is defined as a vehicle with air springs as the elastic element and air as the elastic medium. Compressed air is flushed into a sealed container to realize the damping effect of the vehicle by using the compressibility and elasticity of air.

In simpler terms, it is the replacement of the traditional steel plate spring suspension with air springs. The air spring sealed air bag is filled with air, and its working principle is similar to that of a balloon, except that the bearing capacity of this air bag is countless times higher than that of a balloon, and there is an additional adjustment device.

What are the advantages of air suspension tanker trailers?

Lighter weight.

Compared with the traditional steel plate suspension, the outstanding advantage of air suspension is the light weight. The reduction in total mass equates to the vehicle being able to carry more cargo, and the lower the fuel consumption of the vehicle, the better the profit gained from the whole vehicle.

Better smoothness.

The adjustment of air springs can ensure the height of the vehicle, reduce the shaking of transported goods caused by road vibration, reduce the impact on the tank, protect transport safety, and improve the service life of the tanker.

Better economic efficiency.

The use of air suspension can effectively reduce tire wear and lower fuel consumption. According to our factory statistics, under the same road conditions and load, the fuel consumption of 100 km can be reduced by more than 1.2 liters, and the service life of tires can be extended by 10%.

Longer service life of spare parts.

Enhance the protection of tires and other accessories, air suspension system can more effectively absorb the vibration brought by uneven road surface, reduce the vehicle in the driving distortion and impact, so as to have a better protection of axle parts, tires, frame, box, etc.

Better safety.

Air suspension transport is more stable, when running, the vehicle center of gravity almost no change, axial and radial stability is good, driving more safe and reliable. Combined with the braking system, effectively avoid emergency braking when the vehicle forward-leaning impact.

Higher efficiency.

The tanker with air suspension can be inflated and compressed by operating the suspension, the height of the frame can be adjusted higher or lower, so it is more convenient when loading and unloading fuel or other liquids, and the transportation efficiency is higher.

The key is to make the right choice for your needs.

Air suspensions cost a lot more than spring suspensions, and the cost of repairs and maintenance is higher. This means that in the short term you will need to pay more out of pocket to procure a tanker truck.

At BAPUTI, we offer both air Suspension and spring suspension tanker trailers. If the details you provide point to air suspension, we’ll surely steer you in that direction. But if spring suspension will give you all the cargo protection you need more affordably, we'll suggest you to go that route.

BAPUTI tanker trailers are the better choice.

The BAPUTI factory has achieved mechanized and intelligent production of vehicles from material removal, welding and forming, painting to final assembly; mechanization and intelligence means improved product quality and reliability.

In terms of production, the full application of various intelligent production equipment has resulted in high quality and reliable tankers. For example, the application of automatic submerged arc welding equipment for longitudinal beams can avoid the uncertainties in traditional manual welding, and the automatic welding equipment enables the longitudinal beams of trailers to be formed in one go with uniform and beautiful welds. What's more, the resulting formed tanker's beam has good integrity and high strength of the whole vehicle.

The formed tanker has to go through 15 electrophoresis processes, 2 powder coating processes and 2 baking processes at 180~200℃ on the "KTL Electrophoresis+Powder Spraying" production line to complete the whole painting process. After the above series of processes in the painting line, the original oil, dust and rust of the tanker can be well cleaned and the paint can be adsorbed more firmly with the body surface. 

The tanker produced under this process will have excellent anti-corrosion performance and wear resistance, and can reach more than 10 years of anti-corrosion performance. In conclusion, the application of BAPUTI intelligent equipment in the trailer manufacturing process is to improve the efficiency and reliability of the trailer throughout its future life cycle by different means.