The Bell Front Comfort Ride Suspension (FCRS) system, offered standard on large Bell E-series Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs) sold in America and Western Europe, is a unique and class-leading feature that improves productivity by reducing operator fatigue and improving comfort throughout the entire cycle.
Bell Equipment’s Product Manager, Brad Castle, explains that “because ADTs operate in such varying environments and load states on a single haul, there are many factors that need to be considered to make it a comfortable ride. Customers are looking for a vehicle with a comfortable seat, minimal articulation roll, and good handling and stability in the faster sections of the haul, and Bell FCRS ticks all the boxes.”
An ADT is a sophisticated machine, and Bell FCRS takes into consideration the intricate set of conditions that influence the suspension design, such as the difference in movement when loaded and unloaded, articulation roll, uneven weight transfer in rough terrain and varying operational speeds in various zones of the haul.
Bell ADTs address all these issues by using a fully adaptive hydraulic suspension on the front axle and a simple but effective double-stage sandwich block system on the rear axle. The ADT continuously evaluates payload, steering angle, and groundspeed and adapts in real-time by raising and lowering the front left and right suspension struts independently, as required. This delivers optimised compression and rebound travel at any speed or payload.
The sophisticated system can also vary its spring rate to switch between ‘Comfort’ and ‘Stability’ suspension profiles while the mechanical system on the rear improves the ride while the truck is unladen.
Bell FCRS is a well proven having been first introduced in 2009 as an option on Bell Equipment’s D-series ADTs. “It proved to be such an invaluable differentiator that our European operations opted to include the feature as standard on E-series trucks in about 2019 and we’re pleased that our American operation has followed suit due to the many benefits,” says Brad.
“We’ve found that having the Front Comfort Ride Suspension ensures minimal whole body vibration exposure and superior ride quality for the operator. On long, bumpy hauls greater comfort allows the operator to travel faster, particularly while unladen, which leads to significantly reduced cycle times and increased productivity. In a shootout in 2019, a Bell B30E outperformed all the competitor machines with a faster top speed due to operator comfort and confidence. This resulted in more cycles being achieved during the test period thus more tonnages.”
He explains that the FCRS system is also geared to provide increased cost effectiveness and reduced maintenance, including haul road maintenance. “The Comfort Ride suspension has oil-filled only struts and nitrogen-filled accumulators mounted to the chassis. The oil-filled only struts are less likely to leak from chrome rod or seal damage as the tolerances of oil are higher than nitrogen-filled struts. Furthermore, oil in the suspension system is circulated through the hydraulic system as it pumps the suspension struts up and down. This helps to dissipate heat generated in the strut during rough road driving and constantly flushes the strut resulting in less wear on the seals and rod.”
Brad concludes, “At Bell, we prioritise the operator’s experience and understand how critical comfort is to efficiency and safety. By expanding this feature across more models, we’re confident it will help our customers achieve greater productivity and lower operating costs, reinforcing our reputation as a leader in ADT innovation.”
