Hitachi ZW180 Technical Manual page 351

Function
•
Purpose of Differential
When the vehicle body is steered, as the inner
wheel turns with a smaller radius, the outer wheel
needs to rotate faster for smooth steering.
Suppose driving the rear wheel by directly installing
the gear to the propeller shaft with a shaft having no
differential.
In this case, the outer wheel and the inner wheel
rotate the same amount. In other words, when the
vehicle body is steered, the outer wheel cannot ro-
tate more than the inner wheel, and skidding side-
ways or tire wear takes place. As the axle shaft is
subjected to torsional stress, transmission of drive
force becomes unstable.
On the other hand, in case a differential is installed,
as the inner and the outer wheels can rotate at dif-
ferent rotating speeds, the problem mentioned
above can be eliminated.
COMPONENT OPERATION / Axle
In Turning of Vehicle Body
Extension Line of
Rear Wheel Centers
In Traveling of Vehicle Body on Rough Roads
T3-10-3
T202-03-05-005