Vehicle air-spring

Claim 1

An air-spring assembly for supporting a vehicle when pressurized from a pressure source said vehicle having longitudinally extending frame channel members arched over a transversely extending axle member and having leaf springs mounted transversely outwardly of the frame members and attached to the axle member outwardly of the frame members, said air spring assembly comprising pressure inflatable elastomeric bodies each oriented upright and each located directly under a frame member and directly above the axle member adjacent to a leaf spring and transversely inwardly therefrom; upper and lower end plates closing each body and respectively located near the adjacent channel member and near the axle member; upper mounting means for each upper end plate comprising an inverted U-bracket overlying the upper surface thereof and secured thereto and having a central bracket portion raised above the upper end plate and bearing against the lower surface of the adjacent channel member, and clamp means engaging opposite sides of the channel member and bolted to the raised portion of the U-bracket to secure the latter to the channel member; and lower mounting means comprising a saddle plate straddling the axle member transversely inwardly of the adjacent leaf spring and having a plate portion extending above the axle member and secured to the lower end plate of the inflatable body, and means securing the saddle plate to the axle member.