This axle beam is provided with a pair of horizontal plate sections separated vertically from and facing each other; and a vertical plate section extending vertically so as to connect intermediate sections, in a front-rear direction, of the pair of horizontal plate sections. The horizontal plate section on the upper side has a forwardly extending upper front plate section and a rearwardly extending upper rear plate section, and the horizontal plate section on the lower side has a forwardly extending lower front plate section and a rearwardly extending lower rear plate section. One of the upper front plate section, the upper rear plate section, the lower front plate section, and the lower rear plate section is set to have a smaller length in the front-rear direction than the other three plate sections, and among the other three plate sections, the two plate sections which are separated vertically from and facing each other are set to have substantially the same length in the front-rear direction.

A steering knuckle of a utility vehicle has a main body, a steering knuckle bearing for receiving in a rotating articulated manner a vehicle axle, a hub-type, cup-shaped receiving portion, open towards a rim of a vehicle wheel, in which portion an anti-friction bearing and a bearing journal can be received. The main body has an opening for receiving a drive shaft. The opening leads into the hub-type receiving portion. An axle assembly and a vehicle axle of a utility vehicle are also provided.

A protection device of a vehicle suspension device includes a vehicle body frame, a wheel, a knuckle that rotatably supports the wheel, a suspension arm that connects the vehicle body frame and the knuckle and is configured to be swingable up and down along with up-and-down movement of the wheel with an end portion attached to the vehicle body frame being a pivot point, a shock absorber that has an upper end attached to the vehicle body frame and a lower end attached to the suspension arm, and is configured to buffer swinging movement in an up-and-down direction of the suspension arm, and an absorber cover attached to the suspension arm and covering a periphery of the shock absorber.

A protection device of a vehicle suspension device includes a vehicle body frame, a wheel, a knuckle that rotatably supports the wheel, a suspension arm that connects the vehicle body frame and the knuckle and is configured to be swingable up and down along with up-and-down movement of the wheel with an end portion attached to the vehicle body frame being a pivot point, a shock absorber that has an upper end attached to the vehicle body frame and a lower end attached to the suspension arm, and buffers swinging movement in an up-and-down direction of the suspension arm, and an absorber cover attached to the suspension arm and covering the periphery of the shock absorber.

This axle beam is provided with a pair of horizontal plate sections separated vertically from and facing each other; and a vertical plate section extending vertically so as to connect intermediate sections, in a front-rear direction, of the pair of horizontal plate sections. The horizontal plate section on the upper side has a forwardly extending upper front plate section and a rearwardly extending upper rear plate section, and the horizontal plate section on the lower side has a forwardly extending lower front plate section and a rearwardly extending lower rear plate section. One of the upper front plate section, the upper rear plate section, the lower front plate section, and the lower rear plate section is set to have a smaller length in the front-rear direction than the other three plate sections, and among the other three plate sections, the two plate sections which are separated vertically from and facing each other are set to have substantially the same length in the front-rear direction.

An independent suspension for a vehicle includes a spring-link suspension structure which is made from a fibrous composite material, is substantially U-shaped when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Ends of upper and lower members are secured to the vehicle body or a carrier connected thereto. At least one of these securements has no rotational degree of freedom about an axis extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, while a wheel hub is connected to the base of the U-shaped spring-link suspension structure in order to secure a vehicle wheel. At least one of the members is secured to the vehicle body or to the carrier in a substantially rigid manner i.e. aside from low levels of elasticity, and no further wheel guiding suspension link is provided that substantially extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. As a result, in order to achieve a desired toe-in increase when braking, a recess is provided in at least one of the members. The recess extends from the point at which the wheel hub is secured to the base and across only a subregion of the member in the longitudinal direction thereof.