Do you frequently go off-roading or actually live in a caravan? Are you looking to have the best riding experience while exploring all that Australia has to offer? Perhaps you are looking for a durable and easy-to-maintain suspension system for your caravan?
If you said “yes” to any of these questions, you need to switch to an independent suspension. Until early 1930, most cars used live beam axles and leaf spring suspension. As much as they worked at the time, the car industry asked for a more comfortable suspension which led to the invention of Independent Spring Suspensions.
What is Independent Suspension?
As the name suggests, an independent suspension allows each wheel of the vehicle to travel independently on a vertical axis without affecting the other. Such systems usually have a lot of advantages, the most obvious one being exemplary comfort in vehicles. If you’re wondering whether the switch is ideal for a caravan, it is. Here’s why:
Why Are Independent Suspensions Better on a Caravan?
1). Independent Absorption of Shock
With independent suspensions, each wheel moves independently of the others, allowing for substantially better shock absorption. Additionally, they provide longer vertical travel distances, which is beneficial for reducing the caravan’s uphill and downhill rocking. As a result, your caravan will be considerably more sturdy, which helps your goods remain intact off-road.
If you are an adventure enthusiast and enjoy spending extended periods of time camping, you need to carry utensils and other household items with you. In such as situation, you don’t want to show up at your destination with the contents of your caravan strewn all over the place.
2). Good Ground Clearance
The good thing about independent suspensions is that they can easily be adjusted for various road conditions and surfaces. With modern suspension, you can even electronically adjust your suspension. That means you can now have the best ride height for different surfaces, and you can take your caravan much further off-road than you had previously anticipated.
The other good thing about being able to adjust your ride height is that you can prevent damage on your caravan under the surface while simultaneously offering stability on smooth roads by lowering the ride height. That keeps your caravan scratch and dent-free!
3). Steering Correction
The fact that you can decrease your ride height on your caravan offers a much more stable vehicle for towing a caravan. Decreasing your ride height means lowering your centre of gravity when towing your caravan. A lower centre of gravity is essential to handling the car, preventing the caravan from tipping over at higher speeds or when you hit bumps with one side of the caravan.
Lowering your ride height also brings the centre of gravity forward. Moving the centre of gravity forward, especially when towing a caravan, provides better handling for the caravan. This change is especially significant when travelling at speeds over 100 kilometres per hour. You will notice the handling of the steering will be much easier also.
Cons of Independent Suspensions
Now that we have seen how advantageous independent springs are, let’s take a look now at a few of the disadvantages. First, they are not as strong and durable as leaf springs, meaning they cannot bear the weight that leaf springs can carry while simultaneously lasting longer. Secondly, they are much more expensive than leaf springs which are much cheaper to buy and maintain.
Final Thoughts
From the points above, you now know the advantages of having independent springs over the usual leaf springs. So, is independent suspension better on a caravan? Well, we could say yes and no. It all depends on the application of your caravan. If you are looking for leisure travel, then the answer would be yes. However, if you want to carry heavy material on the caravan, then no.
To get the best suspensions for your caravan, please call us at Alpha Suspensions today on 03 7009 2660 or you can leave an inquiry.
