Today, it is impossible to imagine life without trucks – big trucks capable of carrying a multi-ton load with the wildest speed. I use them in various spheres of human activity, and if tomorrow there were no such machines, then many human needs would remain unsatisfied: fresh food will not be delivered to the nearest supermarket, the construction site in the house being built will stop, and fuel will disappear at gas stations, etc.etc. This list is endless and all that remains is to say thanks to those who once came up with the first truck. By the way, who invented a tractor trailer, and how did the miracle of the automotive industry happen?
Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach
These names are well known to the world, because it is they who are the leaders in the creation of an ordinary passenger car with an internal combustion engine. Once these people on their brainchild managed to triumphantly overcome the first race and become wildly famous at the end of the 19th century.
When was first tractor trailer invented? It should be noted that Daimler was restless and before the creation of the car, he attached more than a hundred internal combustion engines to a bicycle, a boat and, you will not believe, a balloon. But after 1886, when a patent was received for the production of a four-wheeled car, he devoted all his time to creating only them. His first brainchild had 264 cm3 in volume, with a capacity of no more than 1.1 hp, which drove the carriage at a speed of 18 km/h. But, without ceasing to work tirelessly, Gottlieb was able to demonstrate incredible progress four years later.
The power unit, dubbed “Daimler Phoenix”, had two cylinders arranged in a row, but located in a single block. The volume increased to 1.5 liters. For the first time, the engine was in front rather than in the back, and the closely mounted cylinders reduced torque. Amazed at his brainchild, the creator decided to conduct an unthinkable test drive, installing the motor on a heavy frame. So the first truck appeared, which easily took up to 1.5 tons.
Technical characteristics of the first truck
The car looked more like a horse-drawn cart, which can go without animal power. She received four wheels from solid wood. The axles were mounted on ellipsoidal springs and springs, which smoothed out uneven roads for those in the car and protected the motor itself from mechanical damage.
The transmission had three gears – 2 forward and 1 reverse. The driver’s cab was open and in front of the front axle. The power of the rear axle engine was transmitted by a whole belt system.
After modifications, the trucks came out in four versions from 4 to 10 hp, which gave a maximum of 12 km/h. But the carrying capacity pleased – up to 5 thousand kg.
With use, the “filling” of the machine was modernized: the engine began to be cooled by a tubular radiator and “moved under the driver, it was decided to equip the rear axle with a starting chain, and the gear transmission began to respond to rotation. But they came to the classic version of a modern truck when they placed the engine under the hood above the front axle.
Where did trucks find their first application?
Surprisingly, at the very beginning, they gained popularity among firefighters, who were finally able to go to an incident with a whole brigade at once, taking the necessary equipment with them. The years of the First World War showed a great demand for power machines, after which Europeans used trucks as public transport for a long time.