Patent ID: 7464948

Claim:
An air-ride axle/suspension system for a wheeled vehicle, including a pair of pivot bushings for pivotally mounting said system to a frame of said vehicle, pairs of shock absorbers and air springs, and a pair of axle spindle ends for mounting wheels on the system, wherein the improvement comprises: an integral non-hollow structure, said structure including: a pair of arms, said arms being transversely spaced relative to said vehicle, each one of the arms extending in a longitudinal direction relative to said vehicle and including an upper surface, a lower surface, and an inboard surface extending vertically between said upper and lower surfaces; and a cross member extending transversely between said arms and being connected to each one of the arms, said cross member including a vertically disposed portion and a horizontally disposed portion, said horizontally disposed portion being connected to said inboard surface of each one of said arms intermediate the arm upper and lower surfaces; and said pivot bushings, shock absorbers, air springs, and axle spindle ends being mounted on said integral structure, whereby roll forces encountered by said axle/suspension system during vehicle operation are distributed throughout the integral structure to enable the system to achieve roll compliance.