Focus On: Bus Suspensions

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Focus On:

Bus Suspensions

Table of Contents About MORryde Rough roads ‡ Rough rides A smoother ride doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg

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By Joel Badskey

Your bus doesn’t have to ride like a truck

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By Joel Badskey

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51 YEARS OF INTEGRITY AND OPPORTUNITY In their first 51 years, MORryde has grown from a small, niche business with a few dozen employees working out of a single pole barn to a multi-plant, multi-faceted organization covering 650,000 square feet of building space and surpassing 875 employees.

Today, MORryde is represented by four generations of family involvement and serves a wide range of industries, but the company was founded in 1966 by one man, Robert Moore Sr., to focus on the design and production of high performance, patented suspension systems for the manufacturers of trailers and motorhomes. For the first 28 years of MORryde’s life, the company worked on perfecting their unique rubber shear spring design which delivers exceptional suspension performance.

In recent years, MORryde has continued their aggressive research and development in the suspension product line with the introduction of several new systems for the transit bus, RV, and ambulance markets.

In 1994, MORryde launched an expansion of their business units with the addition of a metal fabrication division. Started with just a few pieces of equipment, the fabrication division has grown into a complex and productive operation. With close to 40 engineers and a dedicated, private-access facility for their Research and Development team, MORryde provides a full range of fabrication services. These include 24 flat sheet lasers, 3 tube lasers, 40 press

brakes, and over 20 CNC machines as well as 14 different robotic welders and more than 200 manual welders. To complete the manufacturing process, MORryde offers tube bending, finishing and deburring, in-house powder coating, and assembly.

Given their capabilities, MORryde serves a variety of industries, including recreational and commercial vehicle, medical, industrial trucking, agriculture, and – as of 1996 – the chassis services market.

By combining their engineering expertise, metal fabrication proficiency, and dedication to providing superior customer service, MORryde’s chassis services division has grown substantially over the last 20 years.

At their core, MORryde is an opportunity-driven company that is committed to doing business with integrity. They continuously search for problems that customers experience and work to find viable and innovative solutions. Oftentimes, these solutions push the organization far beyond their current capabilities and imaginations. Above all else, however, MORryde believes in following the Golden Rule and treating their employees, customers, suppliers, and the surrounding community with care and respect.

In the upcoming years, look for MORryde to continue their pursuit of creative solutions and exceptional customer service as they strive all the while to go Above. Beyond. Always.

Visit www.MORryde.com for more information!

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FOCUS ON:

BUS SUSPENSIONS

Rough roads = Rough rides

By Joel Badskey

As part of my job, I have had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and Canada. With that travel I have been afforded the opportunity to experience a variety of foods, a myriad of festivals, the incredible diversity of cultures, and more twists and turns of the English language than I would have thought possible. But no matter where I find myself, there is one thing I can never seem to avoid: Rough roads.

Rough roads appear to us in a number of different ways. Maybe in your neck of the woods you have more potholes than people.

In some rural areas you may drive on a lot of dirt roads, or roads with loose gravel. Perhaps you live in a part of the country where railroad tracks are common place, so crossing them several times throughout your travels is unavoidable. It could even be that you are lucky enough to do most of your driving on the highway, but the occasional introduction of a few expansion joints is enough to rattle the teeth right out of your head. Regardless of where you live or what the conditions are, we all have to live with the fact that our roads are not as smooth as we would like them to be. Even when the construction crew finally addresses the road issues that you have been concerned about, it seems like three more sections of road suddenly appear that are just as bad. In spite of this, your ride quality does not have to suffer. Rough roads do not have to equal rough rides.

The solution to your ride quality issues is very simple and possibly more obvious than you think: rubber! Our vehicles 4

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already have rubber tires to soften the ride and improve traction beyond what the original wood or steel wheels would have provided. Rubber motor mounts are used on most vehicles to decrease the vibration that the engine transfers to chassis. It only makes sense that we would use rubber to soften the blows that our rough roads are dishing out, as well.

MORryde International has been using rubber’s natural tendency to isolate and absorb for decades. The rubber is incorporated into the design of the suspension system, so that it works in conjunction with the OEM leaf springs. This design allows for another two inches of suspension travel up and down.

Greater suspension travel is another one of the keys to improved ride quality. Improved suspension travel, coupled with the rubber’s ability to soften the ride, really takes the harshness out of traveling on rough roads. Potholes will feel less like craters.

Railroad tracks will no longer jolt you from your seat. Bouncy dirt roads will not shake your joints unbearably, and expansion joints will suddenly go unnoticed. You will wonder how you ever went without it.

MORryde offers suspension products for the cutaway bus market for vehicles equipped with leaf springs, from the smaller Sprinters and Ford Transists, all the way up to larger F650s, Freightliner SC2s, and Internationals. MORryde’s most popular suspension products are for the Ford E350 and E450 and GM 3500 and 4500. Each system is customized for different makes, models, and weight ratings, to ensure the best fit and performance possible.

A large percentage of bus operators order the MORryde Suspension System as a factory-installed option so that they can enjoy better ride quality from the start. However, if you have a bus or fleet of buses already in service that would benefit from upgrading the standard suspension, there are several options available for you to add the system aftermarket.

You can contact your bus dealer, or MORryde International directly, for more information.

At MORryde, we have a passion for solving problems. Whether we’re fabricating custom solutions, installing a bus suspension system, or engineering innovative products, we answer to a wide range of markets and provide solutions for variety of needs. At MORryde, it’s simply about doing MORE for our customers, and it doesn’t stop at the sale. We stand behind our products, believing in quality first, service always. No matter the issue, we’ll be the first to respond and the last to be satisfied. Visit www.morryde.com.

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YOUR BUS DOESN’T HAVE TO RIDE LIKE A TRUCK

RS SUSPENSION SYSTEM

RL SUSPENSION SYSTEM

BRSC SUSPENSION SYSTEM

• Rubber shear springs isolate and absorb shock • Delivers a smoother ride

• Increases suspension travel • Rubber shear springs isolate and absorb road shock • Reduces vibration from rough roads • Easily adjustable for wheel chair lift

• Rubber springs isolate and absorb road shock • Better, smoother ride

AVAILABLE FOR E-SERIES AND F-SERIES CHASSIS

AVAILABLE FOR E-SERIES AND F-SERIES CHASSIS

AVAILABLE FOR FORD TRANSIT AND DODGE PROMASTER CHASSIS

FOCUS ON:

BUS SUSPENSIONS

A smoother ride doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg

By Joel Badskey

A little more than a decade ago, I made my living selling cars.

One of the things I learned from this career was how to listen to my customers, discover their needs, and help them find a vehicle that met those needs. For some customers, the bells and whistles were a necessity: leather seats with massage features, power moon roofs with multiple settings, navigation systems that provided directions for the fastest route as well as identified every Starbucks along the way. Then again, there were others who simply wanted a car that would take them from Point A to Point B, and not even power locks and windows were a requirement.

As far as these customers were concerned, that was just one more thing that would need to be repaired at some point.

Having worked in the transit industry for the last 10 years, I have found that most people fall somewhere in between these two customers when it comes to their buses. They want their drivers and passengers to be comfortable and happy, and they want the products installed on their buses to work well and provide some modern conveniences when possible. At the same time, they do not want to spend an “arm and a leg” on these features, and they most definitely do not want to spend a lot of time fixing problems that pop up at inopportune times.

Many don’t realize that technology exists which makes a bus ride smooth and comfortabe without spending a bundle on the suspension system or its maintenance. For years, MORryde 6

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Rubber suspenions absorb more road shock and cost much less than other, more complicated systems.

International has been upfitting cutaway and paratransit buses with their simple yet highly-effective rubber suspension systems.

The rubber isolates and absorbs road shock to deliver the ride quality that so many bus operators demand, but at a much lower cost than other, more complicated systems. Due to its simplicity, it is quite cost-effective: most kits sell for less than $1,000 and can be ordered on your next vehicle right from the bus builder, or can be purchased aftermarket to upgrade your existing unit.

In contrast, other, more complicated aftermarket suspension systems cost three to four times as much.

In addition to the low cost of purchasing the suspension kit, the system has a low cost of maintenance. Unlike an air suspension, a rubber suspension contains no hoses or tanks that leak or freeze up. Being a more compact system also makes the suspension easier to access for the inspection of the rubber shear springs, a task which takes a matter of seconds. In the uncommon event that any of the steel or rubber components need to be replaced, MORryde provides a three-year / 70,000 mile warranty on all of bus suspension systems.

To learn more about how the MORryde rubber suspension system can soften the ride of your bus, contact MORryde customer service at 574-293-1581 or visit morryde.com.

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FOCUS ON:

BUS SUSPENSIONS

Your bus doesn’t have to ride like a truck

By Joel Badskey

Rubber suspensions mean a smoother ride for cutaway buses.

Passengers commonly complain that cutaway buses “ride like trucks.” They are not wrong; in fact; buses and trucks oftentimes share the same model of chassis. Bus manufacturers use the same engines, transmissions, frames, cabs, axles, and suspension systems that box truck companies use to build delivery trucks and moving vans. Unfortunately for the transit world, this results in buses with stiff, uncomfortable rides for passengers, no matter which brand of chassis you choose. These manufacturers produce thousands of chassis to serve multiple markets and leave the job of transforming the units into usable products to the chassis upfitters and end users. For most applications, the standard factory suspension system performs adequately, but for those in the transit industry who must consider the comfort and safety of their passengers, the standard suspension creates a harsh and unforgiving ride.

The chassis manufacturer equips each standard suspension system with metal leaf springs rated to a given capacity. As the weight of the vehicle reaches the load rating of the metal leaf springs, the ride becomes smoother. This type of suspension system works well for delivery vans and work trucks because their operators load these vehicles to capacity. In the transit world, however, cutaway buses usually operate well below their carrying capacity. As a matter of fact, many buses routinely transport just one or two passengers. In these cases, the weight of the vehicle does not come close to engaging the standard metal leaf springs, providing little to no suspension benefit to the passengers. The resulting rough ride quality

especially affects the occupants of paratransit vehicles. While these passengers tend to be some of the most fragile, they find themselves positioned over the rear axle of the unit where the bus rides the worst. Thus, they spend the majority of their journey being jostled around uncomfortably.

To combat the fact that the bus rides like a truck, the suspension system must be altered so that the springs engage even with one or two passengers, yet the system maintains the weight carrying capacity for times when the operator fills every seat. For example, MORryde’s rubber suspension systems do exactly that; for decades, MORryde has used their rubber suspension in conjunction with the standard factory system to deliver an improved ride quality regardless of the number of occupants. The rubber shear springs are mounted in such a way to allow the standard leaf springs to achieve up to two inches of additional suspension travel in a full jounce or rebound. This technology translates to a softer ride for all of your passengers, and your bus will no longer ride like a truck.

These rubber suspension systems are engineered to provide improved ride quality for each vehicle make and model. The systems can be ordered and installed with your next new unit from the bus manufacturer, or installed as an aftermarket upgrade on most models already in operation.

To learn more about how the MORryde rubber suspension system can soften the ride of your bus, contact MORryde customer service at 574-293-1581 or visit www.morryde.com.

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