On Rig Recon Live, hosts Bruce Quick and Jason Witmier interview Bob Albano of Hendrickson Fire about fire apparatus suspension and why it matters beyond comfort; protecting firefighters, electronics, cab/chassis, and keeping trucks in service over long lifecycles. Bob outlines front options (beam/straight axle with multi-leaf or parabolic springs, and independent front suspension via air or mechanical torsion) and rear options (multi-leaf/parabolic, rubber ride, and air ride), emphasizing how front and rear should work as a system and how wheel travel affects handling and stopping by keeping tires in contact with the road. He discusses durability issues driven by corrosion and “rust jacking” in long-leaf springs, benefits of parabolic springs and zinc-rich coatings, air-ride stigma and serviceability, load-leveling advantages, and how tire pressure and maintenance capability influence ride complaints and spec decisions.

Chapter Markers:
00:00 Tradition vs Innovation
01:14 Show Intro and Sponsor
01:59 Meet Bob OB Bono
03:44 Why Suspension Matters
05:07 Front Suspension Options
06:23 Rear Suspension and Air Ride
07:50 Handling and Stopping
09:20 Corrosion and Spring Failures
11:13 Parabolic Springs Upgrade
12:14 Rear Setup and Matching
14:23 Air Ride Myths and Maintenance
17:56 Dumping Air and Ride Height
19:06 Preventing Corrosion
20:30 PM Schedules and Costs
23:12 Spec Advice and Wrap Up
25:04 Final Takeaways and Outro

More - https://rigrecon.com/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail