Life, 1918-04-18 · page 31 of 40
Life — April 18, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for the Torbensen Internal Gear Drive, a truck rear-axle component manufactured by The Torbensen Axle Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. The page features technical diagrams and mechanical specifications explaining the product's engineering advantages: the I-Beam design distributes load more efficiently, adds ground clearance for off-road conditions, reduces tire wear by 20%, and simplifies maintenance through accessible design. Key selling points include the weight-to-load ratio analogy ("1 lb. on the axle equals 9 lbs. on springs") and a two-year guarantee on internal gears. The tagline declares Torbensen the "Largest Builder in the World of Rear Axles for Motor Trucks." This represents typical early-20th-century industrial advertising in *Life* magazine, targeting commercial fleet operators and truck owners with detailed product information rather than humor or satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RBENSEN INTERNAL GEAR :| EB Truck look for C) rned me | What it does is is k This I-Beam makes Torbensen Torbensen Drive adds 45 per- Drive lighter and stronger than cent to rear axle road clearance. ao ordinary drives. It carriesall Where streets or roads are torn up rer?“ | the load. It makes Torbensen or muddy; when the truck has to my! ? | Drive last as long as any truck. go ’cross country; when deep n | It makes rear tires give 20 per- snow drifts are encountered; cent more mileage. It is pat- this extra road clearance often rd ented and is probably the main marks the difference between a wae reason for Torbensen leadership. stalled truckand free,clear driving. v of aie he date «| prices, om, vurante has Here you see how Torbensen Drive works. You can see how the sturdy I-Beam passes through the wheel hub and how it sup- ports the differential housing. This construction absolutely separates the functions of the load-carrying and driving parts, yet it holds them in practically perfect, permanent alignment. Simplicity isthe keynote of Torben- sen Internal Gear Drive. Powerisap- plied to the wheels through internal gearsat the wheel and near the rim. This gives Torbensen Drive great leverage for driving just where it is needed. It increases pulling power and saves gas and oil. These gears are guaranteed for two years—two years of faultless rear axle service. Unusual accessibility makes it easy for any driver to keep Torbensen Drive thoroughly lubricated and finely adjusted. Torbensen Drive is exceptionally free from mechanical troubles. It is made so readily accessible to cut down the time and cost of repairs or adjustments, should they ever become necessary. One pound of dead-weight equals nine pounds of weight carried on springs, in its effect on truck life. When you figure on this basis, knowing that Torbensen Drive is half as heavy as other types of equal capacity, you have very strong reasons for a 20 percent in- crease in rear tire mileage and big savings in gasoline, oil and repairs. THE TORBENSEN AXLE CO. Cleveland, Ohio Bond Guarantee that the I-Beam axle and spindles will last as Torbensen Drive is made to last. Every owner gets a see long as the truck and the internal gears at least two years. ODRIVE Ilb.on the axle equals 9]bs. on springs 1 Largest Builder in the World of Rear Axles for Motor Trucks comicbooks.com