Life, 1918-06-27 · page 29 of 37
Life — June 27, 1918 — page 29: 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 Axle Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The page promotes the Torbensen Internal Gear Drive, a rear axle system for motor trucks. The company claims superiority based on a patented I-Beam design that serves as the load-carrying component. The advertisement includes technical diagrams showing how the differential, jack shaft, and internal gears work together, with labels explaining each part's function. The sales pitch emphasizes the I-Beam's strength, lightweight construction, and reliability—backed by a "Gold Bond Guarantee." The copy argues this design cannot be imitated because the I-Beam is patented. This represents early-20th-century industrial marketing in *Life* magazine, targeting commercial truck buyers with technical specifications and competitive claims 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 a0 €XODRIVE Which Rear Axle—and Why? The most authoritative statistics prove the growing use of internal gear drive for motor trucks, Just as internal gear drive, generally, has developed with such stea so Torbensen Drive has become the recognized leader of internal gear drives. Im: the parts shown here, put together as the arrows indicate. Then you have Torbei Internal Gear Drive. It is an exceptionally simple rear axle drive. Its simplest part—and the part that has contribt ted most to the Torbensen success—is the strong, forged-steel I-Beam, shown below. Beam is the Joad carrier. Its construction makes it extra strong, though very light in weight. The same time-tried engineering experience that has made the I-Beam standard for front axles, dictated an I-Beam for the rear. We patented this I-Beam. We have protected it completely. No other rear axle drive has or can have it. is the outstanding feature of Torbensen Drive—the one form of internal gear application to rear axles that cannot be imitated. It is the backbone of Torbensen Drive—the foremost reason for its leadership. This I-Beam makes Torbensen Drive strong and secure under any and all service con- ditions. Its great strength—its absolute reliability—makes possible our generous Gold Bond Guarantee. Any Torbensen-equipped truck provides you with our written guarantee of honest rear axle service. eat orlengestbetrenhvendibe THE TORBENSEN AXLE CO. Exons Cleveland, Ohio ‘This I-Beam member takes all the load in Torben- sen Drive. It has nothing whatever to do driving. This makes Torbensen Drive last i aN i a } The differential, jack shale } } The alferentisl houslag Sia andinternalgearsdoallthe | | fmto the expanded centre o the I-Beam. It ts held to do with fond carrying. pon Adon org 3 ( ler engagemen This relieves the driving } parte are joined in practically partsof all carryingstrains i Perfect, permanent alignment i M | comicbooks:com