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Hotchkiss drive
 
 
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The Hotchkiss drive is a system of power transmission
Power transmission

Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful Mechanical work....
. It was the dominant form of power transmission for front-engine, rear-drive cars
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 in the 20th century. The name comes from the French automobile firm of Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss et Cie

Soci?t? Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B....
, and dates to the earliest use of the system, although it is clear that other makers (such as Peerless
Peerless

Peerless was a United States automobile produced by the Peerless Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The company was known for building high-quality, precision luxury automobiles....
) used similar systems before Hotchkiss.

During the early part of the 20th century the two major competing systems of power transmission were the shaft-drive and chain-drive
Chain drive

Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles....
 configurations.






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The Hotchkiss drive is a system of power transmission
Power transmission

Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful Mechanical work....
. It was the dominant form of power transmission for front-engine, rear-drive cars
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 in the 20th century. The name comes from the French automobile firm of Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss et Cie

Soci?t? Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie was a French arms and car company established by United States engineer Benjamin B....
, and dates to the earliest use of the system, although it is clear that other makers (such as Peerless
Peerless

Peerless was a United States automobile produced by the Peerless Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The company was known for building high-quality, precision luxury automobiles....
) used similar systems before Hotchkiss.

During the early part of the 20th century the two major competing systems of power transmission were the shaft-drive and chain-drive
Chain drive

Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles....
 configurations. The Hotchkiss drive is a shaft-drive system (another type of direct-drive transmission system is the torque tube
Torque tube

A torque tube system is an automobile driveshaft technology, used in cars with a front engine and rear drive. It is not as widespread as the Hotchkiss drive, but is still occasionally used to this day....
, which was also popular until the 1950s).

All shaft-drive systems consist of a driveshaft
Driveshaft

A drive shaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Universal joint#History shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them....
 (also called a "propeller shaft" or Cardan
Cardan

Cardan may refer to:* Gerolamo Cardano or Jerome Cardan , a Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer, and gambler* A universal joint, U joint or Cardan joint, a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction...
 shaft) extending from the transmission
Transmission (mechanics)

Using the principle of mechanical advantage, transmissions provide a speed-torque conversion from a higher speed motor to a slower but more forceful output or vice-versa....
 in front to the differential
Differential (mechanics)

A differential is a device, usually but not necessarily employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways....
 in the rear. The differentiating characteristic of the Hotchkiss drive is the fact that it uses universal joint
Universal joint

A universal joint, U joint, Gerolamo Cardano joint, Hardy-Clarence W. Spicer joint, or Hooke's joint is a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction, and is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion....
s at both ends of the driveshaft, which is not enclosed. The use of two universal joints, properly phased and with parallel alignment of the drive and driven shafts, allows the use of simple cross-type universals. (In a torque tube arrangement only a single universal is used at the end of the transmission tailshaft, and this universal should be a constant velocity joint.) In the Hotchkiss drive, splines eliminate thrust transmitted back up the driveshaft from the wheels, allowing simple rear-axle positioning using parallel leaf spring
Leaf spring

Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring , commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles....
s. (In the torque tube type this thrust is taken by the torque tube to the transmission and thence to the transmission and motor mounts to the frame. While the torque tube type requires additional locating elements, such as a Panhard rod
Panhard rod

A Panhard rod is a component of a automobile suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle. Originally invented by the Panhard automobile company of France in the early twentieth century, this device has been widely used ever since....
, this allows the use of coil springs.)

Some Hotchkiss driveshafts are made in two pieces with another universal joint in the center for greater flexibility, typically in truck
Truck

File:Red truck USA.JPGA truck is a type of motor vehicle commonly used for carrying goods and materials. Some light trucks are relatively small, similar in size to a passenger automobile....
s and specialty vehicles built on truck frames. Some installations use rubber
Rubber

Natural rubber is an elastomer?an Elasticity_ hydrocarbon polymer?that was originally derived from a milky colloidal suspension, or latex , found in the sap of some plants....
 mounts to isolate noise and vibration. The 1984-1987 RWD Toyota Corolla (i.e., Corolla SR5 and GT-S) coupe is another example of a car that uses a 2-part Hotchkiss driveshaft with a rubber-mounted center bearing.

This design was the main form of power transmission for most cars from the 1920s through the 1970s. Presently (circa 2008), it remains common in pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle

A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing description for a vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on or off-road ability, some SUVs include the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan....
s (while front-wheel drive with a transverse mounted engine and transaxle, connected to the front wheels through axles with CV joints to allow steering, is most common for sedans and minivans.)