[H.TECHNICAL
PROCEDURE
TRAILER SUSPENSION SYSTEMS
SUBJECT: Alignment Procedure
LIT NO: L579
DATE: May 2014

REVISION: E

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Conventions Applied in this Document ................................................................................................... 2
Explanation al Signal Words ............................................................................................................. 2
Links .............................................................................................................................................. 2
General Service Notes.......................................................................................................................... 2
During Service: ................................................................................................................................ 2
Important Safety Notices ................................................................................................................... 2
Contacting Hendrickson .................................................................................................................... 4
Relative literature .............................................................................................................................. 4
Preparing Trailer for Service ............................................................................................................... 5
Tools And Equipment............................................................................................................................. 6
Torx® Sockets .................................................... :............................................................................. 6
Pivot Connection Hardware ............................................................................................................... 7
QUIK-ALIGN® Pivot Connection .......................................................................................................... 8
AdVANtage Pivot Connection ............................................................................................................. 8
SmartRide Style Pivot Connection ....................................................................................................... 9
Welded Collar Pivot Connection ......................................................................................................... 9
Alignment Preparations ....................................................................................................................... 12
Select The Alignment Area ............................................................................................................... 12
Pertorm Tire Inspection ................................................................................................................... 12
Set Suspension Ride Height ............................................................................................................. 12
Properly Position The Trailer ............................................................................................................ 13
Set Designed Kingpin Height ........................................................................................................... 13
Check Initial Axle Alignment ............................................................................................................. 13
Axle Alignment ................................................................................................................................... 18
QUIK-ALIGN® Pivot Connection ........................................................................................................ 18
AdVANtage Pivot Connection ........................................................................................................... 21
SmartRide Pivot Connection ............................................................................................................ 22
Welded Collar Pivot Connection ....................................................................................................... 24
Appendix A: Pivot Connection Hardware Troubleshooting ...................................................................... 27
Wedged Pivot-Connection Hardware ................................................................................................ 27
Appendix B: Front And Rear Axle Target Value Sample Calculation ....................................................... 27

~HENDRICKSON
~ /P"'t».H~f«es Oh Us®

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CONVENTIONS APPLIED IN THIS
DOCUMENT

GENERAL SERVICE NOTES
IMPORTANT: Special attention should be paid to the
information included in EXPLANATION
OF SIGNAL WORDS.

This section explains the techniques used in this
document to convey important information, safety
issues, how to contact Hendrickson and how to apply
hyperlinks.

Before you begin:
Read, understand and comply with:
• All instructions and procedures.
• All signal word (CAUTION, WARNING and
DANGER) statements to help avoid personal injury
or property damage.
• Company's maintenance, service, installation and
diagnostic practices.
• Vehicle manufacturer's safety instructions when
working on the vehicle.
• Vehicle manufacturer's instructions for
recommended practices not described in this
manual.
• Local safety regulations.

EXPLANATION OF SIGNAL WORDS
Hazard signal words (such as DANGER, WARNING
or CAUTION) appear in various locations throughout
this publication. Information accented by one of these
signal words must be observed at all times. Additional
notes are utilized to emphasize areas of procedural
importance and provide suggestions for ease of repair.
The following definitions comply with ANSI 2535.4
and indicate the use of safety signal words as they
appear throughout the publication.
&DANGER: INDICATES IMMEDIATE HAZARDS
WHICH WILL RESULT IN SEVERE
PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.
&WARNING: Indicates hazards or unsafe practices
which could result in severe personal
injury or death.

DURING SERVICE:
• Work must be carried out by trained personnel.
• Sudden release of tensioned springs (e.g. the
spring brake part of the brake chamber or the brake
return spring) may cause injury.
• Use recommended tools only.
• Before releasing trailer back into service, perform
operational checks and test the trailer to make sure
brakes are working correctly.

&CAUTION: Indicates a hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, could result in
minor or moderate injury.
NOTICE: Indicates hazards or unsafe practices
which could result in damage to
machine or equipment.

Hendrickson reserves the right to make changes and
improvements to its products and publications at any
time. Consult the Hendrickson website
(www.hendrickson-intl.com) for the latest version of
this manual.

IMPORTANT: An operating procedure, practice
or condition that is essential to
emphasize.

&

Safety alert symbol used to indicate
a condition exists that may result in
personal injury or harm to individuals.
II must be applied to DANGER,
WARNING and CAUTION statements,
which emphasize severity.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICES
Proper installation, maintenance, service and
repair is important to the reliable operation of the
suspension system. The procedures recommended
by Hendrickson and described in this publication
are methods of performing inspection, maintenance,
service and repair.

LINKS
Links are identified by a dark grey line under the
linked text. Internal links allow the reader to jump to a
heading, step or page in this document. External links
open the website or document referenced.

The warnings and cautions should be read carefully
to help prevent personal injury and to assure that
proper methods are used. Improper maintenance,
service or repair can cause damage to the vehicle and
other property, personal injury, an unsafe operating
condition or void the manufacturer's warranty.
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Carefully read, understand and follow all safety related
information within this publication.

• While Hendrickson does not offer
asbestos brake linings, long term
affects of some non-asbestos
fibers have not been determined.
current OSHA Regulations
cover exposure levels to some
components of non-asbestos
linings but not all. The following
precautions and considerations
must be applied when handling
these materials:

&WARNING: DO NOT modify or rework pans.
Use ONLY Hendrickson authorized
replacement pans. Use of substitute,
modified or replacement pans not
authorized by Hendrickson may not
meet Hendrickson's specifications. II
can also result in failure of the part,
loss of vehicle control and possible
personal injury or propeny damage.
Do not modify pans without written
authorization from Hendrickson.

• Compressed air or dry brushing
must never be used for cleaning
brake assemblies or work area.

&WARNING: Always wear proper eye protection
and other required PPE (personal
protective equipment) when
performing vehicle maintenance,
repair or service.

• Hendrickson recommends that
workers doing brake work must
take steps to minimize exposure
to airborne brake lining panicles.
Proper procedures to reduce
exposure include working in well
ventilated area, segregation of
areas where brake work is done,
use of local filtered ventilation
systems or use of enclosed cells
with filtered vacuums.

&WARNING: Solvent cleaners can be flammable,
poisonous and can cause burns. To
help avoid serious personal injury,
carefully follow the manufacturer's
product instructions and guidelines
and the following procedures:

• Respirators approved by the Mine
Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA) or National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) should be worn at all
times during brake servicing.

• Wear proper eye protection
• Wear clothing that protects your
skin
• Work in a well ventilated area
• DO NOT use gasoline, or solvents
that contain gasoline. Gasoline
can explode.

• Workers must wash before eating,
drinking or smoking; shower after
working and should not wear work
clothes home. Work clothes should
be vacuumed and laundered
separately with out shaking.

• Hot solution tanks or alkaline
solutions must be used correctly.
Follow the manufacturer's
recommended instructions and
guidelines carefully to help
prevent personal accident or
injury.

• OSHA Regulations regarding
testing, disposal of waste and
methods of reducing exposure for
asbestos are set fonh in 29 Code
of Federal Regulations§ 1910.00.1.
These Regulations provide
valuable information which can
be utilized to reduce exposure to
airborne panicles.

&WARNING: Avoid creating dust. Dust from brake
pads and/or pans is a possible cancer
and lung disease hazard.

• Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS) on this product, as
required by OSHA, are available
from Hendrickson.
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.&CAUTION: A mechanic using a service
procedure or tool which has not been
recommended by Hendrickson must
first satisfy himself that neither his
safety nor the vehicle's safety will
be jeopardized by the method or
tool selected. Individuals deviating
in any manner from the provided
instructions assume all risks of
consequential personal injury or
damage to equipment.

•

.&CAUTION: Brake lining contains non asbestos
fibers. Wear approved eye protection
and respirator when working on or
near the brakes to prevent a possible
health hazard.

•

NOTICE: When welding to or on the axle, take
every caution to prevent bearing
damage. When grounding welding
equipment to axle, prevent current
from passing through the wheel
bearings

•
•
•

- VIN (vehicle identification number)
- In-service date 1
If applicable, description of the system problem,
part number and/or part description of the reported
non-functioning part.
- Date of failure
- Where applicable: location of problem on
suspension I trailer; e.g., road side, front axle,
rear axle, curb side rear, etc
- Symptoms" Systems, components or function effected by
failure.
" When does failure occur?
1> How often do they occur?
» Etc ...
What troubleshooting and/or measurements have
been pertormed?
What service data literature do you have or need?
Digital photos of suspension and damaged areas.
Special application approval documentation
(if applicable).

PHONE
Contact Hendrickson directly in United States
at 866-RIDEAIR (743-3247) or in Canada at
800-668-5360. From the menu, select:
• Technical Services/Warranty for technical
information.
• other selections include:
- Aftermarket Sales for replacement parts
information and ordering.
- Original Equipment Sales for parts inquires and
ordering for trailer manufactures.

A connection that places a wheel
bearing between the ground cable
connection and the weld area can
damage the bearing by electric
arcing.

CONTACTING HENDRICKSON
Contact Hendrickson Trailer Technical Services for
technical assistance as needed. To do so, several
options are available.
Prior to contacting Technical Services, it may be
best to have the following information about your
Hendrickson suspension available (all that apply):
• Suspension ID Tag information (Refer to
Hendrickson Lit. No. L977 ID Guide, page 2 for tag
location and details):
- Suspension model number
- Suspension serial number
- Approximate number of suspension miles.
• Vehicle VIN number. Refer to trailer OEM manual for
VIN plate location.
- Trailer Type (van, reefer, flat bed, etc ... )
- Manufacturer

EMAIL
For Hendrickson Trailer Technical Services, use the
following e-mail address:
htts@hendrickson-intl.com

RELATIVE LITERATURE
If you suspect your version of this or any other
Hendrickson manual is not 'Up-to-Date', the most
current version is free online at:
www.hendrickson-intl.com/literature/
1

If the in-service date is unknown or not available, the vehicle dote of
manufacture can be substituted.

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Available Hendrickson documentation con be viewed
or downloaded from this site.

PREPARING TRAILER FOR SERVICE
NOTE: DO NOT service a suspension or any
components that is under warranty
without first contacting Hendrickson
Technical Services. Refer to CONTACTING
tlJNDRICKSON for d.etails.

All Hendrickson online documentation are PDF files
that require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. This is a
free application downloadable from Adobe's home
page (http://get.adobe.com/reader/).
other relative literature may include:
NAME

&WARNING: To prevent serious eye injury, always
wear safety glasses when performing
trailer maintenance and service.

DESCRIPTION

L459

Checking Trailer Ride Height

L583

Comprehensive Warranty Statement

L785

Pre-aligned VANTRAAX• Warranty Update

L87 4

Pre-aligned VANTRAAX Alignment Verification
Procedure

L926

Factory-torqued Curbside Pivot Connection

L1072

Pivot Connection Fastener Information
Table 1: Relative Literature

Figure 1: Trailer preparation

Before beginning any work on a trailer suspension
system, the following steps help to ensure conditions
are safe. Refer to GENERAL SERVICE NOTES on
page 2.
1. Park the trailer on a level, debris-free surface.
2. Set the trailer parking brakes.
3. To prevent the trailer from moving, chock the
wheels of an axle not being raised.
4. Exhaust the air from the trailer suspension.
5. Release the trailer parking brakes.
6. Using a jack, raise trailer until wheels clear the
work surface.
7. Support the raised trailer with safety stands.

&WARNING: Do not work under a trailer supported
only by jacks. Jacks can slip or fall
over, resulting in serious personal
Injury.

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TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

---

-

-

-

TORX®
SOCKET SIZE

The following tools and equipment are necessary to
complete the procedure within this publication:
• 50 foot (minimum) steel tape measure with lh2
inch or millimeter increments
• 12 foot (minimum) steel tape measure with 1/32
inch or millimeter increments, or a trammel bar
• Tape tensioning device; consisting of:
- Fish (or engineering) scale
- Clamp
- String - used to fasten the clamp to the fish
scale
• Kingpin adapter or kingpin extender (pogo stick)
• Level - used to plumb the kingpin extender
• Wheel-end (or spindle) extenders
• Y2 inch breaker bar or ratchet
• E20 or E22 Torx® socket; l inch drive
recommended (refer to the section titled IORX®
SOCKETS for more Torx socket details)
• Impact wrench with a minimum torque capability
of 600 fl. lbs. (813 N•m)
• P/16 inch shallow impact socket
• P/16 inch combination wrench
• Tire changing equipment (as needed)

- -

-

DRIVE
PIVOT
SIZE CONNECTION

COMMENTS
--

E20
(part#
A-24303)

%in.

QUIK-ALIGN®

For occasional use
(not recommended
far high-volume
trailer production
environments)

E20
(part#
A-24536)

1 in.

QUIK-ALIGN•

For medium-duty
use (dealers, repair
facilities, etc.)

QUIK-ALIGN®

For high-volume
trailer production
environments or
manufacturing
facilities. The sleeve
provides greater
operator control.

AdVANtage

For AdVANtage style
pivot connections
in high-volume
trailer production
environments or
manufacturing