All Wheel Drive ?

[Mike Cecil]

A discussion with friends last evening who are looking for a new vehicle, spiked my curiosity about the phrase 'All Wheel Drive', or 'AWD'. It appears in the marketing and on many modern vehicles (like it was something new), but when was the term first used?

I can remember the cowl plate that came with the Marmon-Herrington conversion kit for Ford trucks in the late 1930s which had 'All Wheel Drive' on it, but was the term used in any official and/or commercial sense before that? What terminology did, say, Jeffrey and FWD use to market their vehicles back in the 1910s and 1920s?

I'm hoping the collective wisdom of MLU can come up with a reasonable answer!

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

Just spent half an hour searching hundreds of ads and pictures.

FWD obviously only ever seemed to use "four wheel drive"

Both Jeffery and Nash used "quad" and "four wheel drive" in their advertising.

The expression "all wheel drive" seemed to start arising with the experimental multi-wheel vehicles of the late war to early 50's period both military and oil field machines.

I did find a mention in a Studebaker ad about their WW2 trucks. They talked about their 6x4 trucks carrying supplies then said "Our boys in the rugged conditions of the front line love our all wheel drive 6x6 workhorse"

I think these days the AWD expression is a marketing thing to differentiate sophisticated cars and light SUV's from the public perception "four wheel drive" is a rough off-road working machine.

I found some sales discussion saying something like "our SUV is "all wheel drive" for safety in wet or icy conditions, for those requiring heavy off road capability we have our strong "four wheel drive" line of vehicles.

All marketing double-speak!

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Lang, that is interesting.

That seems to confirm that, thus far, MH were the 'original' users of the term 'All Wheel Drive' on both their placarding on the scuttle of Fords equipped with the MH drive system, and in their handbooks and technical data. Attached is an MH technical manual which is dated January 1939, and uses the term both on the front cover and throughout the text.

This website seems to provide a reasonable differentiation between the two systems in terms of current usage, but on reading the MH manual, it seems they (ie MH) used it in a different sense: a conventional system which would cover both their 4x4 and 6x6 applications.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/w...l-wheel-drive/


Mike

[Lang]

Thanks Mike.

My comments above about Studebaker seem to indicate two bob each way with the expression "all wheel drive 6x6".

Maybe "all wheel drive" was not any type of official designation but just a simple use of the English language at the time like "flat bed" or "cab over engine" which simply accurately described a feature and was not any sort of marketing catch phrase. MH produced both 4x4 and 6x6 and the phrase covered both systems.

I think the motoring journalist in your link is trying too hard. They are all 4x4, four wheel drive or all wheel drive - what about "part time four wheel drive" and "full time four wheel drive"? The only difference is how they get the power to the wheels and there are so many combinations and system mixes. I am certain AWD and Four Wheel Drive are purely marketing terms that have come to mean generally a description for sporty cars and soft-roaders or a description for off-roaders. Any attempt to claim they are two entirely different animals is BS.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Yep, you are spot on I think, Lang.

Mike

[jack neville]

I wonder how many 4x4 or 6x6 vehicles produced by various countries were full time all wheel drive. Most have a transfer case to disconnect the front drive. Could this have something to do with MH AWD claim.
The later Ford Marmon Herrington gun tractors were fitted with a ‘compensator’ transfer case to eliminate windup in the driveline. A primitive centre diff.
For an Australian built vehicle to have full time AWD was quite unusual I’m thinking.

[Lang]

Jack

I will check but I think both FWD and Nash were full time four wheel drive back in WW1. Aren't the WW2 (if not forever) FWD trucks full time four wheel drive?


Well, we had to have some rules somewhere! This puts the kybosh on motoring writers flights of fancy about different systems - they are all "All Wheel Drive" - this also includes one we have not mentioned IWD (Individual Wheel Drive ie hydraulic or electric motors on each wheel such as Tesla)

SAE Recommended Practices
Per the SAE International standard J1952, AWD is the preferred term for all the systems described. The standard subdivides AWD systems into three categories

Part-Time AWD systems require driver intervention to couple and decouple the secondary axle from the primarily driven axle and these systems do not have a center differential (or similar device). The definition notes that part-time systems may have a low range.

Full-Time AWD systems drive both front and rear axles at all times via a center (inter-axle) differential. The torque split of that differential may be fixed or variable depending on the type of center differential. This system can be used on any surface at any speed. The definition does not address inclusion or exclusion of a low range gear.

On-Demand AWD systems drive the secondary axle via an active or passive coupling device or "by an independently powered drive system". The standard notes that in some cases the secondary drive system may also provide the primary vehicle propulsion. An example is a hybrid AWD vehicle where the primary axle is driven by a internal combustion engine and secondary axle is driven by an electric motor. When the internal combustion engine is shut off the secondary, electrically driven axle is the only driven axle. On-demand systems function primarily with only one powered axle until torque is required by the second axle. At that point either a passive or active coupling sends torque to the secondary axle.

In addition to the above primary classifications the J1952 standard notes secondary classifications resulting in a total of eight system designations:

Part-Time Non Synchro System
Part-Time Synchro System
Full-Time Fixed Torque System
Full-Time Variable Torque Passive System
Full-Time Variable Torque Active System
On-Demand Synchro Variable Torque Passive System
On-Demand Synchro Variable Torque Active System
On-Demand Independently Powered Variable Torque Active System
Lang

[Mike Cecil]

I think the White M3A1 Scout Car 4x4 was full time FWD?

The MH compensator system in the transfer case that you mention, Jack, appears to have been standard on MH conversions - it is included in the January 1939 manual I have (front cover in a previous post). The Aust Dingo Scout Car also included it, and it is referred to in the handbook for that vehicle.

I'm pretty sure the FWD Model B of WW1 was selectable 4x2 or 4x4 with a high-low range selection as well. A cab lever engaged the front drive shaft into the transfer case: been a while since I had a good look at one, though, so the memory may have failed!

Mike

[Mike K]

Early Land Rovers have a weird system up until 1951 . There is a free wheel clutch on the front transfer case drive to the front axle. Basically the vehicle is in 4X4 mode permanently but the clutch only engages and provides drive under certain conditions ie when accelerating under load in muddy off road driving. Its great in theory but as with many of these drawing board ideas they found out it had major drawbacks. Driving up/down steep hills you would lose the 4x4 effect just when you needed it . Driving in reverse, you pulled a ring in the floor and doing this would lock the clutch in drive but this lead to other problems if you left the clutch locked . They ditched the whole idea and changed over the tried and proven conventional methods

[Lang]

The humble 4x4 started in France when manufacture Latil began making front wheel drive vehicles and then making the natural shift to 4x4s before the turn of the century. The first 4x4s were tractors and gun tractors.

1900 – 1910
A lot happened during this time frame – the first battery powered vehicle is brought out with a battery powering each wheel. This was later expanded to a petrol engine driving a dynamo and electric motors to power the wheels but it was too expensive and didn’t take off.

The Spyker was built, making the first full-time four wheel drive car to be created. Caldwell Vale 4x4 trucks were created by Felix and Norman Caldwell, introducing trucks with four wheel drive and four wheel steering.

1911 – 1920
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Co (FWD) was launched and started selling 4x4 vehicles. During World War One there was a huge increase in the amount of four wheel drive, all-terrain vehicles being manufactured. Jeffery Quad started producing 4x4 trucks, the Big Lizzie was launched in 1915 and the first Oshkosh four wheel drive truck was made.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Two of three plated vehicles at my house have some form of selectable front and rear wheel drive.

The angular green one has a four-speed transmission and a lever to engage the front axle from the transfer case. A previous green occupant of the covered shelter went further to have a three-speed transmission, a two-speed transfer case, and selectable front axle drive. I would term these vehicles as Four-Wheel Drive or FWD. (Never mind the complicating concept of non-locking differentials.)

The shiny silver one reserved for the Residential Sergeant Major, normally is front wheel drive, also abbreviated as FWD for some. It also has a rear axle driveline that may be engaged for slippery or uncertain traction. [I, of course am forbidden to leave the hard surface roads to do any sort of true loose surface performance testing.] The corporate descendant of Henry Ford's organization refers to this capability variously as 'all-wheel drive', in lower case, and in company literature as 'Front-wheel drive and All-Wheel drive', in mixed case.

The only distinction that I can draw between the green vehicles is their second axle is deliberately engaged, while the shiny one has some sort of wizzardly magic crystals that decide when to play and when to simply watch the action. That and marketing puffery.

[Lang]

Mike K

I had a 1948 Landrover when I was a kid and the yellow knob lever had to be pushed down to get reverse in four wheel drive.

I joined the 11 Field Regiment CMF at 17 and when beginning my driver training course on Series 2 Landrovers rolled my eyes and pointed to my old Landrover in the car park when the instructor asked if I knew how to get it into four wheel drive. I was immediately branded as a smart arse when I looked down and saw all these strange levers poking through the floor.

Lang

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I think the White M3A1 Scout Car 4x4 was full time FWD?

The MH compensator system in the transfer case that you mention, Jack, appears to have been standard on MH conversions - it is included in the January 1939 manual I have (front cover in a previous post). The Aust Dingo Scout Car also included it, and it is referred to in the handbook for that vehicle.

I'm pretty sure the FWD Model B of WW1 was selectable 4x2 or 4x4 with a high-low range selection as well. A cab lever engaged the front drive shaft into the transfer case: been a while since I had a good look at one, though, so the memory may have failed!

Mike

Yes Mike, the M3A1 White Scout Car is in constant 4 wheel drive. The strain on the drive is colossal. I have backed into my garage and jacked up a wheel and unwound 3 or 4 inched of twist out of the drive.

The Dingo has the M-H 'J' series transfer case with a compensating gear which you have to engage to select 4 wheel drive reverse.

Of course, we all know that the Ferret, Saracen and Saladin also have all wheel drive at all times with just the diff to help compensate.

Regards Rick.

[Grant Bowker]

Another vehicle that doesn't seem to fit the SAE classifications given above is the M135. Basically full time power to all wheels with an over-running clutch to the front axle that was locked automatically in reverse.

[Lang]

Grant is this not an "On Demand" system. It gives power when driven and lays idle when not? There are thousands of ways to achieve this result in the gearbox, transfer case, centre differential or front axle as in the M135

Lang

[Lang]

This is interesting as Timkin claim to be the first driver selectable four wheel drive in 1934.This leads to the conclusion everything before then was either fixed or had some sort of centre differential or over run device.

Also the Russians and Japanese were years ahead of the Americans with a military jeep-like vehicle.

1930s–1944[
The American Marmon-Herrington Company was founded in 1931 to serve a growing market for moderately priced four-wheel-drive vehicles. Marmon-Herrington specialized in converting Ford trucks to four-wheel drive and got off to a successful start by procuring contracts for military aircraft refueling trucks, 4×4 chassis for towing light weaponry, commercial aircraft refueling trucks, and an order from the Iraqi Pipeline Company for what were the largest trucks ever built at the time.

Dodge developed its first four-wheel drive truck in 1934 — a military 1½ ton designated K-39-X-4(USA), of which 796 units were built for the U.S. Army in several configurations. Timken supplied front axles and transfer-cases, added to militarized a civilian truck. The Timken transfer case was the first part-time design,that allowed the driver to engage or disengage four-wheel drive using a lever inside the cabin.[In spite of the limited 1930s U.S. military budgets, the ’34 truck was liked well-enough that a more modern 1½ tonner was developed, and 1,700 RF-40-X-4(USA) trucks were produced in 1938, and 292 TF-40-X-4(USA) in 1939.]

Starting in 1936, Japanese company Tokyu Kurogane Kogyo built approximately 4,700 four-wheel-drive roadsters, called the Kurogane Type 95 reconnaissance car, used by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1937 until 1944, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Three different bodystyles were manufactured; a 2-door roadster, a 2-door pickup truck and a 4-door phaeton, all equipped with a transfer case that engaged the front wheels, powered by a 1.3 litre, 2-cylinder, air-cooled OHV V-twin engine.

The 1937 Mercedes-Benz G5 and BMW 325 4×4 featured full-time four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, three locking differentials, and fully independent suspension. They were produced because of a government demand for a four-wheel-drive passenger vehicle. The modern G-series/Wolf such as the G500 and G55 AMG still feature some of the attributes, with the exception of fully independent suspension since it can compromise ground clearance. The Unimog is also a result of Mercedes 4x4 technology.

The first Russian produced four-wheel-drive vehicle, also in part for civilian use, was the GAZ-61, developed in the Soviet Union in 1938. "Civilian use" may be a bit of a misnomer, as most if not all were used by the Soviet government and military (as command cars), but the GAZ-61-73 version is the first four-wheel drive vehicle with a normal closed sedan body. Elements of the chassis were used in subsequent military vehicles such as the 1940 GAZ-64 and the 1943 GAZ-67, as well as the post-war GAZ-69, and the properly civilian GAZ-M-72, based on the rear-wheel drive GAZ-20 "Victory" and built from 1955-1958. Soviet civilian life did not allow the proliferation of civilian products such as the Jeep in North America, but through the 1960s the technology of Soviet 4×4 vehicles stayed on par with British, German, and American models, even exceeding it in some aspects, and for military purposes just as actively developed, produced and used.

It was not until "go-anywhere" vehicles were needed for the military on a large scale, that four-wheel drive found its place. The World War II Jeep, originally developed by American Bantam but mass-produced by Willys and Ford, became the best-known four-wheel-drive vehicle in the world during the war.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Lang

Mike K

I had a 1948 Landrover when I was a kid and the yellow knob lever had to be pushed down to get reverse in four wheel drive.


Lang

Lang

Your 1948 LR would have been a late 1950 model see here: Early land Rover chassis numbers begin with the model year eg 8 = 1948 0 = 1950 1 = 1951

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachmen...se-changes.pdf

There was a short production run where the later 1950 models had the free wheel system locked for reverse by a yellow knob control. Before the yellow knob, the 1948 to 50 models had a chain through the floor panel with a ring pull , rather like an old dunny chain !

[jack neville]

I wonder how many 4x4 or 6x6 vehicles produced by various countries were full time all wheel drive. Most have a transfer case to disconnect the front drive. Could this have something to do with MH AWD claim.
The later Ford Marmon Herrington gun tractors were fitted with a ‘compensator’ transfer case to eliminate windup in the driveline. A primitive centre diff.
For an Australian built vehicle to have full time AWD was quite unusual I’m thinking.

[Grant Bowker]

Going back to the M135, all of the SAE terms:
On-Demand Synchro Variable Torque Passive System
On-Demand Synchro Variable Torque Active System
On-Demand Independently Powered Variable Torque Active System
seem awfully fancy compared to a system that was of the same vintage as the early LandRover described above (only slightly fancier in being linked to the reverse shift position, the truck had an automatic transmission as well to simplify driving). The variable torque of the M135 is basically binary, either engaged or not.
It would seem that the SAE J1952 standard was first published 1991,(well after the M135 and LandRover were designed) https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j1952_199101/ and to be a bit picky is only intended to apply to light trucks up to class 3 which seems to top out at 14000 pounds GVW. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_classification It isn't clear if this is the same class 3 definition SAE is using.
I could facetiously claim the 4wd system on my F350 is also "on demand" - when I demand power to the front wheels by moving the floor mounted shift lever, power is delivered.

I wasn't trying to tell anyone they were wrong, only to suggest that are a large variety of systems that can't all be neatly pigeon holed.

[Lang]

Grant

I was not suggesting you are wrong just that the SAE main descriptions are general names for the only three possibilities to achieve all wheel drive. Even then one could argue "on demand" is really a part time system. How they are arrived at is only limited by the imagination of the engineers and how complicated and expensive the manufacturers are willing to pursue development of the weird and wonderful.

I think the 3 general descriptions (part time, full time and on-demand) cover everything possible but the sub-list of methods and designs to achieve one of those 3 results will go on expanding forever.

It is still hard to pigeon hole a design. What about a vehicle that normally runs 90% rear and 10% front - got to be full time. But if it has sensors that detect rear wheel slip and feeds power to the front axle until there is a 50/50 sharing it has got to be on demand? And if you can turn the four wheel drive off completely it has to be part time?

Lang

[Lang]

Mike K

Thanks for the Landrover info.

Lang

[Mike Cecil]

Just love these wandering discussions .... just like asking 'what hat do we wear on ANZAC Day?' at a VMVC meeting!

Very interesting stuff, guys. I figured the collective wisdom would provide a veritable bounty on interesting replies: thank you all.

Mike

[Ken Smith]

Don't forget International called their 4 x 4 trucks, including our own teaspoon tippers All Wheel Drive. They had a nice little badge on both mudguards/fenders.
The badge was on AA series and the AB series as far as I know, and the same badge was used on the four cylinder Scouts from the early sixties.
Ken

[Hanno Spoelstra]

A lot is written about this subject already, but I’d like to add that Marmon-Herrington’s core business, since 1931, is the design and production of All-Wheel Drive conversion kits (they built complete vehicles, even tanks, as well).

“All-Wheel Drive” was incorporated in their old logo, and the term was actively marketed by them.



Maybe they had it trademarked or patented? That is what I would have to look into. For now, I leave you with a link to my old M-H website:

http://www.mapleleafup.nl/marmonherrington/

HTH,
Hanno

[Lang]

Here is an interesting Quad story.

http://archive.commercialmotor.com/a...ment-for-mules

[Lang]

Hanno

I doubt very much if MH could have patented the expression "All Wheel Drive" as it had been in common use for half a century. They certainly could have patented their badge but not the stand alone words.

Everybody was doing it.

The all-wheel-drive history of Daimler AG begins in 1903
Commercial vehicles are the main beneficiaries of all-wheel drive
Experience with the first four-wheel drive commercial vehicles lead to the ‘Dernburg-Wagen’ in 1907
The all-wheel-drive history of Daimler AG began around the turn of the century. During his time as Technical Manager of the Austrian Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Vienna-Neustadt, Paul Daimler had already ‘produced the basis of a four-wheel-drive design in 1903,’ as the publication Illustrierte Zeitung reported in issue 3846 in 1917. As is often the case with technical developments, it was the military that provided the initial impetus. The first such vehicle to be designed was an all-wheel drive armoured reconnaissance vehicle, which was tested successfully in 1905 before being delivered to the Austrian army. Powered by an 8.5-litre, four-cylinder engine developing 50 hp (37 kW) at 1000 rpm, it had a ground clearance of 335 millimetres and an indicated climbing ability of 18 per cent.
1905/06 saw production of armoured vehicles with all-wheel drive. ‘The vehicles were equipped with a 30 hp engine, and as trials demonstrated, these were capable of overcoming considerable gradients, even over rough ground and when fully laden,’ wrote the Illustrierte Zeitung. ‘ They are also capable of moving at considerable speed over different types of terrain.’ In addition to four-wheel drive, the vehicles were fitted with a cable winch to haul themselves over obstacles.
After these first vehicles, the Prussian army purchased two all-wheel-drive trucks from DMG for suitability trials in 1907. These were powered by a model F 6 six-cylinder engine developing 70 hp (51 kW) at 820 rpm from a displacement of 12.7 litres. These vehicles particularly proved their worth in comparison with rear-wheel-drive equivalents during a Berlin–Glatz–Berlin test run, and reports show that gradients or unfavourable road surfaces presented no problem. The claimed climbing ability was 25 per cent unladen and 12 per cent with two trailers. The iron wheels (with wooden spokes) tended to distort after prolonged use, however. Despite these predominantly positive results these early all-wheel-drive vehicles did not remain with the military, probably because the amy authorities were still wedded to horse-drawn wagons; the two trucks were sold to Krupp AG. But in subsequent years all-wheel-drive vehicles for special purposes became gradually established with the military in the form of tractor units, dropsiders or ambulances.
On the basis of this know-how, DMG built the ‘Dernburg’ in 1907, an all-wheel-drive car with all-wheel steering. Commercial vehicles with four driven wheels were also produced for use in the colonies. There was a tractor unit destined for Portuguese South Africa in 1908, for example, which possessed an extremely good climbing ability of 45 per cent when unladen, and still managed 20 per cent when laden.

[Lang]

Here is the Dain All Wheel Drive tractor (later John Deere)

https://books.google.com.au/books?id...201917&f=false