Thornton-Welles locking differential

[Ganmain Tony]

Funny thing Tony, I have just done exactly what you did.

Then proceeded to Google and it directed me to this thread. Which appears to have no replies.

Thought I'd dig it up again - hopefully for a response.

Anyone know anything about the Locking Diff??

[Tony Smith]

Or any wartime designs of locking differentials, either Manual or Automatic?

I understand the Thornton locking differential was also used in the International Harvester M-5H-6 for the US Marines.

[gjamo]

http://www.worldcat.org/title/welles...oclc/506077010

[cliff]

I am not sure where these 3 photos came from but these are photos of the Thornton-Welles conversion which converted 2 & 4 wheel drive trucks to 6X4 and 6X6 versions.

Hope this helps

Just noticed the photos are labelled as Welles-Thornton not Thornton-Welles

[cliff]

Photos came from

http://www.warfare.altervista.org/Ma...truck_cdn.html

where there are other photos and information as well

[Lynn Eades]

Some Ford tandem drives had "Thornton drive" Back ends in them. I'm guessing that's them. Now having looked:
In my book "Military vehicles produced by Ford Motor Company of Canada, Windsor, Ontario" there are listed
Ford-Thornton refueling unit 6x4
and Ford -Thornton-Marmon Herrington Crash Tender 6x6
There is also a Ford- Warford Crash Tender 6x4.
Is this any help?

[gjamo]

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...=&threadid=989

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by cliff

Photos came from

http://www.warfare.altervista.org/Ma...truck_cdn.html

where there are other photos and information as well

Erm, err, actually, that is my Marmon-Herrington website, copied without my consent to another server when Geocities closed down.

Please go here to find the originals: http://www.mapleleafup.nl/marmonherr...truck_cdn.html

Thanks,
Hanno

[Tony Smith]

Whoa, slow down a little. The thread seems to have shot off on a tangent here.

The FGT Parts book is not talking about a 6x6/Tandem drive to convert a vehicle by utilising a Welles-Thornton rear bogie. The book is discussing an optional locking differential centre to be used in a 4x4 FGT.

C11Q-4299 Thornton-Welles Automatic Locking Differential (Optional, when specified).

The only other allied vehicle I can find reference to in WW2 having any kind of locking differential is the IH M-5H-6 6x6 trucks, with Thornton diffs. Are these the locking centres, or the tandem bogie arrangement? See: http://www.onallcylinders.com/2013/1...erential-town/

Curious the variations of Thornton-Welles and Welles-Thornton, which seem to relate to the US Supplier/Canadian Distributor relationship rather than any trade name or patent right (which seems to lie solely with Ray Thornton).

(Funny how this thread has sat dormant for 12 years and suddenly springs to life again.)