This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Two wheel drive is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Powertrain. () |
Two wheel drive or 2WD describes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.
Contents |
Four wheeled vehicles
For four-wheeled vehicles, this term is used to describe vehicles that are able to power at most two wheels, referred to as either front or rear-wheel drive. The term 4x2 is also used, to denote four total wheels with two being driven.
For vehicles that have part-time four wheel drive, the term refers to the mode when 4WD is deactivated and power is applied to only two wheels.
Two-wheeled vehicles
For two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles, the term is used to describe vehicles which can power the front as well as the back wheel. The term 2x2 is also used to denote two total wheels with both being driven. 2x2 vehicles are typically either mechanically driven via chain or shaft or are hydraulic driven. This scheme greatly improves offroad performance, but is quite complicated and requires more power to operate, thus most 2WD machines are either "exotic" bikes for enthusiasts or created with special uses in mind. This is also including miata's and colorado's.
Manufacturers who have one in production include Rokon. Manufacturers who are working or have worked on a prototype include ZID, Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda.
Two-wheeled drive with sidecars
For three-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles with sidecars, the term is used to describe vehicles which can power the sidecar as well as the back wheel. Sidecar drive vehicles are typically mechanically driven via a shaft and may or may not have a differential. This scheme greatly improves offroad performance, but is more complicated and requires more power to operate, thus most 2WD machines are vehicles created with special uses in mind such as trials or military use. The first use of sidecar drive appears in 1928 with the apparent independent invention of Baughan in the UK, and Mokharov in the USSR.citation needed
External links
- A brief history of 2x2 motorcycles
- The Dryvtech 2x2x2 Experimental, a 2x2 motorcycle with two-wheel steering
|
|||||||||||
.JPG){kind=small}
This motorcycle, scooter, or moped-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 21:21.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Two wheel drive".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.