Patent ID: 7503586

Claim:
A vehicle having a front end and a rear end and a frame, and further having at least one vehicle component requiring compressed air, said frame having at least a pair of spaced-apart main members extending in the directions of said front and rear ends, and at least one suspension assembly hanger depending from each one of said main members, wherein the improvement comprises: a vessel for storing said compressed air, said vessel being pneumatically connected to said compressed air-requiring vehicle component, the vessel having a pair of ends, each one of said vessel ends being sealed by a respective one of a pair of end caps, said vessel being disposed generally perpendicular to the main members and said suspension assembly hangers, the vessel extending between and being secured at each one of the vessel ends to a respective one of a pair of brackets, each one of said brackets being secured to respective ones of said main members and the suspension assembly hangers, for forming part of the structure of the frame, so that said frame reacts loads imposed on said vehicle during operation of the vehicle.