Shock absorbers are a crucial yet easy-to-overlook part of fleet operations. While they may not require as much regular upkeep as other components, faults here can lead to significant damage elsewhere.
Shock absorbers limit vertical motion, which is important for a few reasons. First, they ensure a smoother driving experience. While that may not seem like a mission-critical concern, reduced vibrations reduce the risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder. Transportation has the fourth-highest rate of such injuries of any industry, so a little prevention can make a big difference.
Next, minimizing vertical movement also protects the goods you transport. You’ll be less likely to damage products in transit, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Finally, proper shock absorber maintenance prevents costly repairs. Like any part of a vehicle, proactive shock care lets you fix issues before they require more expensive and time-consuming replacements. Ignoring suspension problems for too long can damage your wheel assemblies and undercarriages and may result in uneven tire grip, limiting fuel efficiency.
How to care for fleet shock absorbers
Given the risks, shock absorber care should become part of your regular maintenance routine if it isn’t already. You can make the most of this upkeep by following these steps.
Understand the kinds of shocks you use
First, you must know what types of shocks your vehicles use. Different systems have various requirements, so recognizing the what’s unique is key to an optimal repair strategy.
Hydraulic shocks are the most common. As such, they’re relatively affordable to install and maintain. You won’t have trouble finding replacement parts should you need them, leading to less downtime during repairs. However, they don’t provide the same performance as some alternatives, so you may need frequent upkeep to maintain the same efficiency and safety.
Air shocks, by contrast, are expensive but absorb bumps and vibrations more effectively, leading to lower fuel and damage-related costs. You can also adjust these to fit different drives and loads. At the same time, their complexity means larger, costlier breakdowns may be a bigger concern.
Look for signs of wear
Once you understand your shocks’ maintenance needs, you can look for relevant warning signs. Loose fasteners are the most typical source of damage across all suspension types, so check nuts and washers during regular inspections for under-torquing or cracks.
Improper vehicle height—especially if it’s sagging to one side—is another telltale sign of suspension wear. Leaking fluid in hydraulic systems or hissing noises in air ride trucks are other common symptoms of damage.
Read more: In search of a smooth ride: Image examples of suspension wear and damage
Be sure to talk to drivers about their experience as well. They’ll be the first to notice things like an unusually bumpy or noisy ride, which could suggest worn-out shock absorbers.
Pay attention to springs
While your shocks and springs are separate systems, they work closely together. As a result, you should always inspect a vehicle’s coils when checking out its shock absorbers. Your springs protect struts from premature damage, so addressing issues here can prevent larger problems in your suspension system.
It’s often best to replace your springs any time you replace your shocks. However, sometimes unusual circumstances will affect the struts before your springs, and in these cases, it makes sense to keep the same coils until they wear out. Alternatively, you may be able to stretch your shocks longer by replacing the springs first.
Consider predictive maintenance
As with any part of your vehicle, shock absorbers benefit from predictive maintenance. This tech-forward practice of predicting component degradation through connected sensors is expensive upfront but the most effective way to prevent costly breakdowns.
Several companies now offer ready-made predictive maintenance programs. This software lets you avoid the costs and complexity of building your own artificial intelligence model. Still, it’s most cost effective if you have a large enough fleet that shock absorber problems represent a significant expense.
It’s important to only embrace this method if you have enough data to make it accurate. Low-maturity solutions yield less than 10% of the benefits of a more data-intensive but well-rounded system.
Emerging trends in shock absorbers
As the fleet and vehicle technology industries grow, new opportunities are arising in shock absorbers. Material innovations are the most notable of these developments. Manufacturers are embracing a wider range of resources, like carbon fiber, recycled steel, and nanomaterial-based composites, to reduce shock weight while increasing its strength or to boost sustainability.
Many newer shock absorbers are more expensive. Consequently, it may be best to stick with older options until the costs come down. However, if you must replace your suspension fairly frequently, paying for a longer-lasting alternative will save you money in the long run.
You could find shock absorbers with built-in sensors as predictive maintenance grows. These will certainly cost more but may make repairs easier to implement.
You can’t ensure a safe and damage-free drive without well-maintained shock absorbers. While these systems may be easy to overlook in light of other concerns, they deserve your attention. Following these steps and learning to make the most of shock maintenance will result in better fleet management.
