A Fiat Six wheeler
Page 80
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ASIX-WHEELED vehicle, powered on all wheels, is described in patent No, 874,707. The layout of the transmission, which enables the vehicle to be kept reasonably short, is the chief point of the patent. (Fiat Societa per Azioni, 200 Corso Giovanni, Turin, Italy.)
The reduction gear, transfer box and differentials are all fixed to the frame and universally jointed half-shafts take the drive to the rear wheels, which are mounted on beam axles.
Referring to the drawing, the engine. clutch and gearbox are incorporated in the unit (1). A cardan shaft takes the drive to a reduction gear and transfer box (2) feeding a first differential (3). This divides the drive between the lead
ing bogie wheels and is connected to a differential (4) driving the rearmost bogie wheels. A power take-off (5) is fitted to the rearmost differential. A propeller shaft (6) conveys the drive to the front axle.
A cross-beam (7) is mounted on leaf springs (8) and carries equal izing beams (9) pivoted at the ends. This has the effect of maintaining the bogie wheels in parallel planes when running on uneven ground.
A feature of the scheme is that the main transmission units run at a rela
tively high speed which is reduced epicyclic gearing in the wheel hubs. gearing is used on the rear axles, bui front utilizes bevels; this abolishes need for universal joints for steering permits a much wider angle of lock