wrote:
On 22 Dec 2004 12:22:11 -0800, wrote:


This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website www.torvec.com


Please enlighten me about what makes this system so unique.
Differential steeting for tracked vehicles has been around since about
WWI. I assume this system is different somehow.

--RC
"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.

While the concept of a controlled differential has indeed been known
since "about W.W.I", they didn't come into common usage until well after
W.W.II. Few W.W.II tanks used the idea, most using various clutch and
brake systems, rather like most bulldozers (note that this, in a
primitive way, does 'control' the differential). The lack of a properly
"controlled differential", of course, usually made 'neutral steer'
turns impossible (though there ARE other ways to accomplish this). Many,
probably most, modern vehicles can execute such turns.

Dan Mitchell
============