Truck Wars: The Birth of 4WD | History

[@donellmuniz590]

When I was a kid, in the 70's, there was a lime green 1940s FWD truck about a block from my house. I'm back living in the same house. I wish the truck was still there.

[@codenamegear9102]

Was not expecting to see Stacy David on here that’s awesome

[@johnhaehl3336]

We used FWD Tractioneers as ready mix trucks during the 60s and 70s. They were almost impossible to get stuck . The first ones were powered with IH 501 gas engines. The later ones were powered by Detroit Diesel 6V 71’s. The diesels were “real trucks”.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

I restored a 1968 FWD 6x6.. I replaced the Red Diamond 501 engine with a Brand new 3208 Cat 250 HP Turbo engine.. It has way more power and torque then a V-6-71 Detroit Diesel. Too bad FDW's break so much parts prices went from double the price of other truck parts to triple to 10 times what normal truck parts cost.. Now days you can't even get FWD parts anymore.. That's why I have like 7 spare parts Trucks.. I had a guy who wanted to buy one and restore it , but he would not even pay the $240.00 per ton I can sell it to the scrap yard for.

[@markdanielczyk944]

Our local ready mix companies also ran them, not sure what they were powered with.

[@ronaldfazekas6492]

What is not mentioned was that the WWI FWD trucks could NOT go into 2-wheel drive--it wasn't until the 1934 Dodge 1 1/2 ton army trucks that a true transfer case was incorporated that could take the vehicle out of 4-wheel drive--By the way--your photo researcher should be fired--the supposed WWI FWD trucks shown (with one exception) were actually WWII models--including a British WWII truck!

[@mikeskidmore6754]

Most FWD are all wheel Drive .. they have a differential in the Transfer case too .. My FWD Trucks are always in 6 wheel drive and 8 wheel drive and no wind up because of the torque proportioned differential in the transfer case .. The Power Dividers called the Drive throughs were torque proportioned in the 8 wheel drive trucks too .. by varying the number of drive and driven gears in the planetary differentials . Walter Trucks were all wheel drive too and they transferred more torque to the wheels with more tr4action.. The worm differential that Walter patented is still used in Corvettes and Ferraris today ..

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

@@mikeskidmore6754 Sort of like a later NP203 Transfer case for light trucks. Those also have a differential in the case.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

@@TheLionAndTheLamb777 I forgot what model Transfer case my 1979 Chevy 1/2 ton truck had, but it was all wheel drive. Though some one changed the gear rations from 2:70 to 3:55 and installed lock put hubs in front.. In the summer I would unlock the front hubs and drive the truck in high range and lock When I ran it in all wheel drive with the front hubs locked in , it was much less likely to spin a rear tire on take off on a slipper surface..

[@garyclark6281]

Four wheel drive vehicles were first introduced to farmers, The Lansing steam traction engine of 1884 had four wheel drive, the Wood Taber & Morse steam tractor of 1885, had four wheel drive. Not too many were sold as they were expensive at the time. The WTM is in the henry ford musuem, the Lansing belongs to a private collector.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

I never heard of the Lansing Steam Tractor before, I just found a photo of one. I can see a chaine drive for the front axle but I can't see how they steered it. My Great Grandfather and his Neighbors owned a Port Huron Steam Thresher.. My Neighbor in Vicksburg MI built a 1/3 scale and a 1/6 scale models of the 60 HP case Steam Traction engine. I just looked up his Obituary as he moved from MI to NC.. They said he built a 1/2 Scale case down there. Plus he made Violin's and Flint Lock Muzzle loaders.. and a 1/4 scale 4 cylinder Caterpillar gasoline engine that he ran on Propane..

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

I think one of our English engine builders also produced a four-wheel-drive traction engine - possibly Avelling or Fowler, but would need to look it up. There were a lot of experimental designs tried out in the 1880's and 90's.

[@davewaters2841]

I'm familiar with Wood Taber and Morse as they were located in my home town in the 1800's. They came up with the belvel gear which made 4 wheel drive possible...wild I saw this reference...

[@VintageCarHistory]

A good video, yet I'm quite surprised that you didn't mention the first 4wd car- the Spyker of 1903, nor the Caldwell-Vale trucks of Sydney, Australia- both of which predated FWD.

[@57WillysCJ]

Kind of left off that Oshkosh was started from FWD. William Besserdich left FWD and with Bernhard Mosling formed Oshkosh Corperation. Nor was mentioned that the first licensed female truck driver worked for FWD. They were also designed to run on railroad tracks. All FWD assets were sold in 2003 to anvestment company headed by a former American LaFrance executive. Basically Oskosh took over FWD's heavy equipment and Wausau Plow took over the snow removal part. FWD was always a small company and did not have the funding of the big 3.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

They are still custom building Seagrave Fire Trucks in Clintonville .. Oshkosh bought out Pierce Fire Trucks I think it was. Oshkosh Trucks were a lot heavier and more Reliable but the FWD Tractions could go places the Oshkosh Trucks got stuck and the FWD's could push more snow too .

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Interesting to learn that Seagrave are still around - we've heard of their quality fire ppliances over here in Limeyland too.

[@raygale4198]

We have one of the early FWD trucks at our military vehicles museum in Adelaide Australia, from memory it's a 1917 model? Powered by a cast Aluminium crankcase 4 cylinder Hercules ( I think) gasoline engine. It's down in the WW1 section, I tend to work on and maintain WW2 era vehicles and machinery.

[@freddykhd]

The Dutch 'Spyker' car companie had built a 4wd in 1903 with the first 6 cilinder engine, ever built in a car and the first gasoline engine with 4wd and on every wheel a brake. The Dutch car factory 'Daf' was the the inventor of the 'CVT' transmission. How about that ?!

[@gdmurphey]

Nicely done Robert Gabrick!!

[@gauravsinha6060]

Can somebody help me by providing the full video's link? 😊

[@ka4172]

There also a 4x4 kit for the Thin Lizzy.

[@southwestvirginiarailfan729]

Pretty cool.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Quite interesting, and for me any old vehicle films are interesting, even if they're a tadge modern.

[@lancemichaletz7248]

Big Wow, never actually thought of where my fun was born, THANKS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED

[@cynthiaayers7696]

Sure I can imagine a world without four-wheel drive, I lived it. So big whoop.

[@justinmyslive4108]

And your point is Karen?????????????

[@donellmuniz590]

I'd expect that from a chick 🙄. How did ya ever survive without a cell phone, or a 4-slice toaster?🤣

[@donellmuniz590]

@@justinmyslive4108 😂😝👍

[@johncarlberg4481]

0:06 giggity

[@benjamingolimbievsky8370]

Wow nice vid

[@zachmena1700]

Is no one going to mention how the company that made and was know for 4wd uses the same abreviation as front whell drive?

[@KDoyle4]

The Jeffery / Nash Quad was more useful during WWI

[@Soshstar999]

And now we have awd

[@morganwright224]

I don't hear a word about the Nash Quad who built the Quads for the army in WWI. I'm sure the FWD company didn't build anything, they had no automobile factory, they were just blacksmiths, and the army never builds anything, they were made by Nash. Nash bought the Thomas B. Jeffrey Rambler company of Kenosha Wisconsin in 1917 and got the Quad technology from them, the Jeffrey Quad was around even before that. I don't hear a word about the tie in between FWD and Nash

[@jefferykeeper9034]

The problem with 4 wheel drive is that most are not ture 4 wheel drive, I have seen this problem with mine Owen eyes.

[@CajunReaper95]

Learn English and try that sentence again, also most if not all truck and SUV manufacturers CALL IT 4x4 and regardless, also how do you figure it’s not true 4WD drive because it’s ability to be switched on and off? You do understand what you’re thinking of is all wheel drive, which is much different from 4WD in the fact that AWD is on all the time in all driving conditions while 4WD/4x4 isn’t on all the time and is only used when it’s needed for things like mud and snow you should probably learn about vehicles before blindly spewing incorrect and misleading information!

[@satyanarayansah6894]

Qatar.

[@heatherstrong964]

Wow, you didn't even mention Olen. I know I have better footage.

[@denvandenende6562]

I would assume a chanel like this one would investigate facts.. As in the comments already, the Dutch brand Spyker made a 4WD car with a 6 cylinder petrol engine already in1903 and won races with it. So, sorry, but it was not American... The Dutch beat you to it.

[@ITZnova367]

0:06 giggity