Patent ID: 8573620

Claim:
A vehicle comprising: an undercarriage comprising a chassis frame having a first side rail which is bridged to a second side rail opposite the first side rail by a crossmember; an axle having a housing; a suspension system suspending the axle from the undercarriage and comprising a trailing arm having a proximal end through which a horizontal pivot axis, which is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle while the vehicle is being steered in a straight line, passes, a distal end, and a middle between the proximal end and the distal end, an air spring disposed between the undercarriage and the distal end of the trailing arm, a resiliently flexible locating strap having a front end, a rear end, and a middle between the front end and the rear end, a fastening that holds fast together the middle of the resiliently flexible locating strap, the middle of the trailing arm, and the axle, a front locating bracket disposed against a vertical outer face of, and fastened to, the first side rail, a rear locating bracket disposed against the vertical outer face of, and fastened to, the first side rail rearward of the front locating bracket, the front locating bracket comprising side walls locating the front end of the resiliently flexible locating strap horizontally in a direction parallel to the horizontal pivot axis, and the rear locating bracket comprising side walls locating the rear end of the resiliently flexible locating strap horizontally in a direction parallel to the horizontal pivot axis, a mounting that mounts the trailing arm via the proximal end of the trailing arm on the front locating bracket below the front end of the resiliently flexible locating strap for pivotal motion about the horizontal pivot axis, an air spring mounting bracket disposed against the vertical outer face of, and fastened to, the first side rail between the front locating bracket and the rear locating bracket, the air spring being fastened to the air spring mounting bracket, and in which the front locating bracket comprises a top wall having a downwardly concave surface confronting the front end of the resiliently flexible locating strap, and the rear locating bracket comprises a top wall having a downwardly concave surface confronting the rear end of the resiliently flexible locating strap.