A SURGE in counterfeit rocker, equaliser and radius or torque arm bushes in South Africa is posing a significant threat to truckers and road users as fake parts can lead to catastrophic suspension failures.
Rob Russell, managing director of local polyurethane processor Polyflex Urethanes, the originator of the Polyurethane suspension bushes, has warned truckers saying the flood of fake components are often marketed as durable polyurethane products at a cost that is usually far below the market price.
“In recent times it seems the strong demand for polyurethane bushes has caught the attention of syndicates who have begun flooding the market with counterfeit or similar-looking inferior products. In the worst of these instances what we are seeing is not polyurethane at all. It is plasticised PVC which looks similar to genuine polyurethane bushes but lacks the key properties required for dynamic applications required from truck suspensions.
“PVC is fine for gum boots or certain static applications, such as plumbing or electrical components, but it’s not designed to withstand the stresses of mechanical suspension systems,” he says.
Failed bushes can result in the following:
- Accelerated tyre wear due to the resultant misalignment that occurs.
This misalignment contributes to increased rolling resistance that not only rapidly wears the tyres but also contributes to increased fuel consumption. - Damage to the suspension which can result in the need to replace the rocker pins, rocker boxes, springs and even repairs to the chassis.
This can cripple a truck and lead to significant costs to salvage the cargo and repair the damage which could be anywhere along the roadside in South Africa or across the borders where salvage may be near impossible.
A small saving can result in huge costs
The managing director of Rig-A-Line, a leading truck align specialists, Sergio Moreira is regularly having to carry out unnecessary and costly repairs to trailers owing to operators falling victim to these inferior bushes. With the cheap products looking so similar to the genuine items, it can be very deceiving, especially to those untrained in the various material types and who let cheap pricing be their guide. But the materials used in the inferior items lack memory, load-bearing capabilities, cut and tear and other properties essential for proper performance.
