[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I wanted to add some information that I have accumulated:

"Marmon-Herrington manufactured conversions on Ford chassis as well as officially approved all-wheel drive chassis direct. In 1935 M.-H. established Canadian Traction Company Limited in Windsor, Ontario, for the conversion of Canadian Ford chassis, both cars and trucks. These used the M.-H. front axle which was based either on the standard Ford rear axle and differential or a Timken-Detroit Axle Corporation axle, with M.-H.’s own design of transfer case for a power split between the front and rear axles. It appears that even during the war the Marmon-Herrington conversions used Ford front axles, modified, and the company’s own transfer cases".

"Sid Swallow has commented that the pilot Ford 4 x 2 trucks used parts procured with the benefit of automotive suppliers’ parts books including Timken front axles, and the mudguards from a generator trailer manufacturer in Montreal". The reason for the use of Timken and thus GM style [i.e. as used by GM] was because the standard 1939 and even the stronger 1940 Ford front axles were not man enough for the DND-pattern trucks given the experience with the 1938 GS Chevrolet units.

" It is suggested that the pilot 4 x 4 F.15A truck in common with early production trucks was equipped with Chevrolet differentials on Chevrolet axles, with the Marmon-Herrington transfer case and Rzeppa C.V.J. [Constant Velocity joints] steering ends. The pilot C.15A may well have been similarly equipped although the Chevrolet-badged production units had Timken-Detroit Axle Corporation transfer case and Bendix-Weiss Universal joints [U.V.J.] steering ends. However, Ford’s Rzeppa design U.V.J. and axle shafts as fitted by to the front of their 4 x 4 Trucks were interchangeable with the Bendix-Weiss components, but Ottawa suggested that both right- and left-assemblies of the same type be fitted rather than mix-and-match! Sid Swallow in another interview stated that 47 early Ford F.15A trucks had a G.M. (McKinnon?) banjo-type rear axle and Ford split-type front axle, though other early Fords had banjo-type front and rear axles of G.M. manufacture. These must have used U.S.-sourced Rzeppa and Bendix-Weiss C.V. joints American Bendix Corporation], in Marmon-Herrington design front axles manufactured in Canada". The jury is still out incidentally as to whether there was ever a Chevrolet C15A pilot/prototype truck, although as there was most definitely a pilot C-GT, logic dictates that there must have been a pilot C15A that preceded it or accompanied it. My suggestion is that in view of Ford of Windsor's lead in the matter the GM truck would have used the same components as the Ford, and then McKinnon Industries Limited [St Catherines, Ontario] entered a licence agreement with GM's axle division in Flint, Michigan I think it was, who in turn used Timken-Detroit designs/components in their transfer cases for GMC and Chevrolet military trucks built in Pontiac, Michigan. Perhaps it can be clarified in due course whether GM produced their own transfer cases in the US under licence from T-D or used bought-in components. I can however state that McKinnons were approached by the DND in 1940 to produce indigenous 4 x 4 components and this they did using imported technology from the US. The Axle Division certainly produced series production transfer cases but T-D cases were also used.

GMC TRUCKS U.S.]:

CCW-353: 5-SPEED CLARK GEARBOX; TRANSFER CASE: ONE-SPEED MODIFIED GMC 591321; I-BEAM FRONT AXLE: TIMKEN-DETROIT MODEL 31116-H-X4 AS USED ON MODELS AC-502 AND CC-351; REAR AXLES, BANJO, TANDEM BOGIE WITH TORQUE RODS CHEVROLET 3665609 & 3665610.

ACK-353 AND ACKWX–353 USED TIMKEN-DETROIT SPLIT-TYPE AXLES FRONT AND REAR SERIES 31000.

CCKW[X]-352/253: 5-SPEED CLARK GEARBOX; TRANSFER CASE: 2-SPEED CHEVROLET 3659994; FRONT AXLE G.M. FULL-FLOATING WITH BANJO-TYPE HOUSING WITH BENDIX-WEISS OR RZEPPA C.V. JOINTS [NOTE!!] ; CHEVROLET 3663017 OR TIMKEN-DETROIT [MODEL 31116-H-X4?]/WISCONSIN T-79 TRANSFER CASE AND SPLIT-TYPE AXLES; REAR AXLES FULL-FLOATING, BANJO CHEVROLET 3665609 & 3665610.

The GMC and Chevrolet transfer cases were all listed as being manufactured by "Chevrolet". This must be when the Wisconsin part was not used. I think that this suggests that the Axle Division multi-sourced from either their own plant or from T-D Axle Corp.

A very meaty and not completely answered area this! Contributions/corrections welcome please.

One final comment is whether Ford of Windsor manufactured the Marmon-Herrington transfer cases under licence or bought them in from Canadian Traction, and thus from Detroit?