Mexican bus suspension.

[johns4104s]

Driving home though Louisiana, I noticed a Mexican coach stopped in a truck stop. On checking it out the tags (mounted behind the drive) had a 12"dia air bag mounted directly above the tag, Then same on the drive and same on the steer. Not like my MCI or the 4104, which has two bags at each axle (except the tag on the MCI), all the bags on the Mexican coach were rolling Lobe,

With this set up and the extra Height I wounder how these coaches handle and how they ride?

John

[philiptompkjns]

I started laughing when I read the title.... my imagination gave me some great images.

[luvrbus]

John, that is the way Scania has been doing it for years and I guess it works they have the South American market and the roads are not that great down there, was that a Irizar bus  




good luck

[cody]

I wouldn't call any bus an eyesore lol, oops typo lol

[Iceni John]

The Volvo, Scania and MAN buses I rode last year during three weeks in Mexico all seemed to cope well with broken and poor road surfaces, without any of the soft pitching and rolling I've felt on some MCIs on similar surfaces.   Whatever they use, most Mexican buses are well suited to the roads there.

I was very impressed with the entire bus transportation industry, from the mostly-clean bus stations to the immaculate late-model buses to the excellent ticketing systems.   Overall they make Greyhound look second-rate in comparison.   For example, Primera Plus uses 3-axle 45-foot Volvos with just 29 seats, separate men's and women's loos (that are clean and don't stink), seatbelts at every seat, and rigid adherance to the 95 KMH speed limit.   ADO uses some sort of GPS system to track speeds, with an alarm sounding every time they are exceeded.   Very impressive.

John, wishing we had equivalently good bus services here

[johns4104s]

Cliff,

Yes it was aIrizar bus, the air bag system looked a lot simpler than ours. The rear bag over the drive had a beam running from one side of the bus to the other with the one bag on each end holding the body up. Are rolling lobe bags a better ride than the early 4104/06 and MCI bags?

John

[trucktramp]

I wouldn't call any bus an eyesore lol, oops typo lol

Cody, you are too funny.

[John316]

I wouldn't call any bus an eyesore lol, oops typo lol

Apparently others don't agree with you, Cody Instead you should go get yourself a S&S, and not drive an "ugly old stinking tin can." LOL LMHO...

That was funny, Cody...

God bless,

John

[buswarrior]

This suspension with one bag sounds like a trailing arm type set-up?

Did it look like it worked like the air suspension under most of the tractors and trailers on our North American roads?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[luvrbus]

It is the trailing arm system BW 

good luck

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi John,

You've heard of Mexican Jumping Beans, haven't you?

Maybe they start bouncing when they heat up?

Nick-

[johns4104s]

BW,

On the drive axle I beam across from one side of the bus to the other and one rolling lobe on each end. The I beam was welded to the underside of the body. The tag and the steer axles had the same rolling lobe air bags mounted vertically the same except the top except the tops were attached to large bracket above each axle. Total of 6 air bags on the bus. The axle stops were double rubber to rubber 6" dia and lots of them.
It looked like a great set up and a lot easier to work on than I am used to.

John

[buswarrior]

How was the axle located?

Trailing arm uses the bag as the flexible 3rd part in a triangle between frame and a levered arm to the axle.

Our NA coaches for the most part use a number of radius rods to locate the axle, suspended on sets of 4 bags.

Just curious.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[johns4104s]

BW,

I will get another chance to check this out maybe photos. I will get back with you, also would like to check out the type of brakes spring or DD-3 etc.

John

John