Highway/rail trailer axle/suspension lift assembly

A lift assembly for an axle/suspension system of a vehicle, said lift assembly including:

• a) a coil torsion spring having a pair of generally D-shaped ends;
• b) means for capturing said spring ends, said means including a rotatable plate immovably mounted on a first hub, said hub being immovably mounted on a shaft, said shaft being rotatably mounted in a bearing which in turn is mounted on a stationary bracket, said bracket being mounted on a frame of said vehicle, said rotatable plate and said first hub cooperating to operatively engage a selected one of said D-shaped ends of said coil torsion spring;
• c) a stationary plate mounted on a hanger of said axle/suspension system and being immovably mounted on a second hub, said stationary plate and its respective hub cooperating to engage the other one of said D-shaped ends of said coil torsion spring for capturing the spring;
• and
• d) a substantially flexible strap having upper and lower ends, said strap upper end being adjustably attached to a selected one of a plurality of locations on said rotatable plate and being offset from a peripheral edge of the plate, each one of said locations being spaced thirty-degrees apart along the periphery of said plate, said strap lower end being attached to said axle, so that an air spring of said axle/suspension system can overcome the bias of said torsion spring to lower said system, and upon deflation of said air spring the torsion spring can lift the system to a desired height and maintain said system in said lifted position.