Itinerant Air-Cooled

Why aren't they 1:1?

I would assume that any time you're going to have a gearset it may as well change the ratio... seems wasteful to simply use them strictly for the height advantage. Everything "inboard" of the portals (axles, trans, etc) can be "smaller" since it's carrying less torque, too. Just my thoughts.

I always assumed their main purpose was increased clearance, but with a moment's thought after reading your post, it makes sense: Splitties had to do a lot with a little, so reducing the gears means more torque at the wheel, though a lower top speed (and who cares about that in 1961). Increased clearance was a useful spandrel.

whc03grady wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:10 pm

I always assumed their main purpose was increased clearance, but with a moment's thought after reading your post, it makes sense: Splitties had to do a lot with a little, so reducing the gears means more torque at the wheel, though a lower top speed (and who cares about that in 1961). Increased clearance was a useful spandrel.

The reduction boxes on the splitties were totally required for ground clearance with the engine sitting so much higher in the chassis and having only the early technology of fulcrum plates for the axle artickilation. The bays dropped the entire drivetrain a good six inches and used them fancy CVs for the first time.

The ratio of the first reduction boxes was because the early buses used drop-in bug transaxles that had to deal with far greater payloads.
Colin