Sandwich design of four bag suspension for bus and coach rear drive axles

A suspension assembly, comprising:

• a first spring, a second spring, a third spring, and a fourth spring spaced at four distinct locations;
• a first plate extending to support each of said first, second, third and fourth springs at each of said four distinct locations;
• a second plate spaced from said first plate extending to support each of said first, second, third and fourth springs at each of said four distinct locations, said second plate being generally parallel to said first plate and wherein each of said first and second plates comprise a first lateral portion, a second lateral portion longitudinally spaced from said first lateral portion, a first transverse portion, and a second transverse portion laterally spaced from said first transverse portion, wherein said first lateral portion extends from said first spring to said second spring, said second lateral portion extends from said third spring to said fourth spring, said first transverse portion extends from said first spring to said third spring, and said second transverse portion extends from said second to said fourth spring, said first transverse portion and said second transverse portion intersecting said first lateral portion and said second lateral portion transversely;
• a support extending between said first plate and said second plate, said support mounting said first plate to said second plate;
• and
• an axle mounted to at least one of said first and second plates, said axle being disposed between said first lateral portion and said second lateral portion and crossing over said first transverse portion and said second transverse portion.

A method of manufacturing a suspension assembly, comprising the steps of:

• spacing at least four springs from each other at four different locations wherein the at least four springs comprise at least a first spring, a second spring, a third spring, and a fourth spring;
• forming a first plate sized to extend to each of the four different locations;
• forming a second plate sized to extend to each of the four different locations;
• forming the first and second plates as mirror images of each other with each of the first and second plates having
• a first lateral portion,
• a second lateral portion longitudinally spaced from the first lateral portion,
• a first transverse portion, and
• a second transverse portion laterally spaced from the first transverse portion, wherein the first lateral portion extends from the first spring to the second spring, the second lateral portion extends from the third spring to the fourth spring, the first transverse portion extends from the first spring to the third spring, and the second transverse portion extends from the second spring to the fourth spring, the first transverse portion and the second transverse portion intersecting the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion transversely;
• spacing the first plate from the second plate in a generally parallel relationship;
• mounting the first plate to the second plate by welding a support structure to the first plate and the second plate;
• and
• fixing an axle to at least one of the first and second plates with the axle being disposed between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion and crossing over the first transverse portion and the second transverse portion.