New-York tribune., 1918-10-13
Double Reduction Is
New Gear Drive in
White Truck

Three and five ton trucks hereafter
built by the White Company, of Clcve-
land, will have among other improve
mcnts a new drive system, known rs
"doublc reduction gear drive" in which
the usual side driving chains and
sprockets are replaced by = set of gears
inclosed in the rear wheels, running in
oil, and driven through live axle of
the floating type.
Tests Of the new trucks in various
kinds Of heavy duty work have shown
a reduction in operating cost. The de-
sign is Of special interest to truck
users, because in addition to showing
the solution of an important engineer
ing problem it keeps every advantage
of chain drive and has other advan-
tages of its own. which mean better
transportation for the business man.
This, the company states, is the only
result that would justify changes in
the design. Under the company's pol
icy not to make changes unless greater
efficiency is assured many new things
as innovations failed to measure up 10
its criterion Of efficiency.
Nearly three years ago, when the
company announced in published
statement that its heavy duty trucks
would continue to be chain driven
until a better form of drive was de-
veloped, the company was convinced
from its own tests that there was no
ether form of drive in a heavy duty
truck which operated as efficiently
under all circumstances as the chain
drive. 1t was this conviction that led
to the development Of the double re-
duction drive. The technical descrip-
ton follows:
Whether the drive in truck is by
sprocket and chain or by gears, it
must have the correct gear reduction
to operate easily and hexibly. The
chain and sprocket afforded a double
reduction system-one reduction in
q jackshaft and a second reduction
in the chain and sprocket wheels
thus giving q large range OF gear
ratios and consequently greater
tlexibility than can be had IN any
single reduction shaft drive, unless
the gear housing is made very large
and the rear axle, in consequence,
heavy and unwieldly. Chain drive
also has this advantages: power Is 1p-
piled to the rear wheels on sprocket
attached to them; power is thus ap-
piled nearer to the wheel rim ana by
rolling contact between the chain
and sprocket.
The new double reduction gear drive
accomphshcs the same result. There is
first reduction through the beve!
gear and drive pinion in the centre
OF the rear axle, from which the power
IS carried by live axle of the uout-
ing type through the centre of the
housing to gear at the wheel end
of the live axle. This gear. in turn,
meshes with a second gear Carried
on the housing of the live axle, but
inside the hub case of the rear whee),
and this second gear, in turn, meshes
with ring gear attached to the
wheel inside of the hub case.
In this, way OF applying power to
the wheel second reduction occurs
between these three gears in the huo
which takes place between tn.
sprocket wheels of a chain drive. The
power is applied at about the same
distance from the rim as it is in the
case OF the chain drive, thereby re-
tanning that advantage. This use of
gears makes q rolling contact through
out, without any elements to produce
friction.
The adoption of the floating tvne
OF rear axle and the train of gears
IN the hub case of the wheel enables
the whole mechanism to be entirely
lncascd and run in oil. The result is
comparatively frcton!ess runninc
axle that cannot be cramped or get
out Of line and has all of the operating
advantages of chain drive, with the
added advantage in point OF main
tenannce of being inclosed in dust.
proof case and running in oil.
Chain drive has further advan-
tage, over other types OF rear axle,
in the fact that its unsprunr weiphr
is considerably less. The double
new reduction rear axle has the same
advantage in that the inspiring weight
of the truck has not been increased
but IN fact. decreased a little. The
result VII be at once apparent in the
As IN chain drive, the whole de-
sl9n IL extremely simple. All parts