Twin engine drive

[adamzz2005]

Is there a way to link two engines side by side so the drive shafts drive a third main drive shaft that is powered by both engines?

 

[amorrison]

Input power at each of a differentials axels -remove power at the single "driveshaft".

Was used by american tanks in WW2 which used two radial "aircraft" engines for power.

 

[adamzz2005]

Is there any website on the web that show a diagram or have more info?

 

[amorrison]

Not many good sites from Googling but here are some

http://www.dupuyinstitute.org/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000044.html

http://198.65.138.161/military/systems/aircraft/v-22-propulsion.htm

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/standards/areas/drive_train.html

http://www.teamtriumphtexas.com/2004summary.htm

Hopefully others will find better sites.

 

[amorrison]

Also

http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawlers-and-trawlering/2003-December/067973.html

http://www.irbs.com/lists/trawlerworld/0312/1032.html

 

[DesignOutsourcing]

How about using the sprockets and chain from a transfer case to link the two engines and then driving your third shaft off one of the two (mated) cranks?

Most 4x4 tranfer cases use chains so they are cheap and easy to find in scrap yards. If you google images of transfer case chain you'll see what I mean. It will be lighter than using a diff and you won't have to reverse the one engine (or drive off the "wrong" end of one engine.

cheers, derek

Join us at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/opensourcecars

 

[magnograil]

Porsche's 917 used basically two 911 engines end to end with gears driving a common output shaft below the cranks. Reduced the torsional problems of a long flat 12 crank.