The invention relates to structural components of vehicles, and more particularly to the suspension of both conventional and special vehicles, such as ambulances, baby carriages and wheelchairs. The suspension comprises a quadrangular frame with a pair of arms attached thereto, where the ends of said arms are configured to be connected to the hubs of the respective wheels, and the suspension of the present invention comprises two pairs of armsa pair of identical transverse arms and a pair of identical longitudinal arms with the ends of the longitudinal arms configured to be connected to the hubs of the respective wheels, wherein each arm is rotatably attached by its central zone to the central portion of the corresponding side of a quadrangular frame through rubber-metal joint, wherein the arms contact surfaces are cylindrical, they are adapted for mechanical coupling of arms to each other and are oriented as follows: longitudinal left and right arms have their contact surfaces oriented upwards, while transverse front and back arms have their contact surfaces oriented downwards, contact surfaces of each arm are tangent to the plane extending through the axis of rotation of the arm and are located on one side of it, while each side of the quadrangular frame rests upon the hubs of two wheels through the corresponding arm. Each transverse and longitudinal arm is made as a pair of arms spaced apart and connected by at least one connecting rod, and each such spaced arm has the form of a parallelogram. The invention is based on the objective to provide the suspension, which is more reliable due to lower level of mechanical stresses in the suspension mechanisms, which results from creation of the conditions where the function of the mechanism for changing the direction of rotation is performed by a transverse arm having a length equal to the width of the suspension.

A method of packing a vehicle in a crate for shipment is disclosed where a full vehicle height is greater than an internal height of the crate. The method includes placing the vehicle on a bottom side of the crate; compressing the vehicle into a packing configuration by compressing front and rear suspension assemblies; and connecting crate side walls and a top side of the crate to the crate bottom, the internal height being measured from a top surface of the bottom side of the crate to the top side of the crate, the top surface of the bottom side of the crate to a highest point of a roll cage being less than or equal to the internal height when the vehicle is in the packing configuration and is placed on the bottom side of the crate, the roll cage and tires still being installed on the vehicle.

A retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly for an amphibian comprising an actuator, a retraction linkage assembly movable between a protracted position and a retracted position, a suspension assembly at least partially connected to the retraction linkage assembly and movable between a protracted position and a retracted position, and at least one wheel and/or track drive, wherein when the retraction linkage assembly and the suspension assembly are protracted then the retraction linkage and/or suspension assembly supports and/or holds at least one wheel and/or track drive in a ground engaging position for use on land.

A retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly for an amphibian comprising an actuator, a retraction linkage assembly movable between a protracted position and a retracted position, a suspension assembly at least partially connected to the retraction linkage assembly and movable between a protracted position and a retracted position, and at least one wheel and/or track drive, wherein when the retraction linkage assembly and the suspension assembly are protracted then the retraction linkage and/or suspension assembly supports and/or holds at least one wheel and/or track drive in a ground engaging position for use on land.

A utility vehicle includes a frame, a first ground-engaging element coupled to a first portion of the frame, a second ground-engaging element coupled to a second portion of the frame, an operator platform supported by the frame, and a suspension system coupled between the operator platform and the frame to accommodate motion of the frame relative to the operator platform. The suspension system includes a first linkage assembly coupled to the operator platform and operable to accommodate motion of the second portion of the frame relative to the operator platform and a second linkage assembly having a first end coupled to the frame to secure the suspension system to the frame and a second end coupled to the first linkage assembly. The second linkage assembly being operable independent of the first linkage assembly to accommodate motion of the first portion of the frame relative to the operator platform.

A utility vehicle includes a frame, a first ground-engaging element coupled to a first portion of the frame, a second ground-engaging element coupled to a second portion of the frame, an operator platform supported by the frame, and a suspension system coupled between the operator platform and the frame to accommodate motion of the frame relative to the operator platform. The suspension system includes a first linkage assembly coupled to the operator platform and operable to accommodate motion of the second portion of the frame relative to the operator platform and a second linkage assembly having a first end coupled to the frame to secure the suspension system to the frame and a second end coupled to the first linkage assembly. The second linkage assembly being operable independent of the first linkage assembly to accommodate motion of the first portion of the frame relative to the operator platform.

Some embodiments are directed to a suspension assembly of a vehicle having a frame and an engine. The suspension assembly can include a trailing arm having first and second ends and configured to extend from the frame at the first end. The suspension assembly can further include a knuckle connected to the second end of the trailing arm. The suspension assembly can include an arm assembly configured to extend from the frame to support the knuckle and facilitate translational movement of the knuckle relative to the frame in at least one predetermined direction. The suspension assembly can include a damper and a connecting link configured to extend from the frame and connected to the trailing arm. The suspension assembly can include a stabilizer bar connected to the connecting link and extending rearward around the engine.

A dual bearing strut assembly for a vehicle suspension system includes a strut with a shock absorber comprising a damper cylinder and a piston rod, and a coil spring disposed around the shock absorber. The damper cylinder may be affixed to a knuckle of a vehicle wheel assembly and the piston rod may be affixed to a top strut mount. An upper bearing assembly and a lower bearing assembly are included. The coil spring has an upper end seated to the upper bearing assembly and a lower end seated to the lower bearing assembly. The lower end of the coil spring freely rotates about the damper cylinder when the coil spring is compressed thereby reducing torque on the damper cylinder and reducing bump steer of the vehicle steering system.

A dual bearing strut assembly for a vehicle suspension system includes a strut with a shock absorber comprising a damper cylinder and a piston rod, and a coil spring disposed around the shock absorber. The damper cylinder may be affixed to a knuckle of a vehicle wheel assembly and the piston rod may be affixed to a top strut mount. An upper bearing assembly and a lower bearing assembly are included. The coil spring has an upper end seated to the upper bearing assembly and a lower end seated to the lower bearing assembly. The lower end of the coil spring freely rotates about the damper cylinder when the coil spring is compressed thereby reducing torque on the damper cylinder and reducing bump steer of the vehicle steering system.

A suspension system includes: a trailing arm and a lower arm which are turnably connected to a chassis and are joined in such a way as to be displaceable relative to each other through a hinge mechanism; and a stabilizer. The suspension system includes a stabilizer link which connects the stabilizer to the trailing arm. A fitting point of the stabilizer link to the trailing arm is located behind a center axis of the hinge mechanism in a vehicle front-back direction, and a fastening point of the stabilizer and the stabilizer link is located above the fitting point in a vehicle up-down direction and inside the fitting point in a vehicle width direction.