Has a vehicle ever come with dual driveshafts?

I was at a stoplight watching a loaded semi truck accelerating and twisting over from the torque through the driveshaft.

Has there ever been a vehicle that came with two driveshafts with opposing directions?

 

That torque twist is from the engine twisting against the frame/mounts to turn the driveline. It's not from the driveline twisting the truck.

 

And what is the engine twisting against? Go rev a semi in neutral and how much it twists. There is a small amount of torsion from acceleration of the engine but it's very very minimal.

 

Wut? It’s not even Friday

 

Drove them for years, and they'll twist plenty in place.

Drivelines sap power. Nobody has ran two because you can just use a smaller engine if you want less power getting to the ground. That's the simple answer.

 

It's my Friday. Does that count?

 

I don't mean two engines. I mean two driveshafts off the transmission. Let me be clear, I'm not suggesting this is by any means a good idea. Of all the crazy inventions over the years, I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually tried this.

 

I didn't think engines. No worries there. I was referring to driveline as well.

There might have been somebody who would have tried a long time ago, but I doubt it. Nothing I've heard of, at least.

 

I know of several people who tried a bluetooth drive shaft. Great on reducing vibrations and axle wrap, not very good on acceleration.

 

The majority of twisting cones from the same source as what you see on a pickup. It's the resistance experienced between a stopped tire and the differential that causes axle wrap and lopsided suspension flex, which in turn transfers that twist to the frame rails.

Dual shafts would mean dual differentials. This would be an engineering nightmare of complicated design and a whole host of added weak links to the drivetrain chain, all at a huge cost... for not a lot of benefit.

 

Engineering nightmare without a doubt but it wouldn't be the dumbest thing ever done.

 

Regardless of how the resistance gets from the tires to the engine (one driveshaft, two driveshafts, chain, belt, whatever) the engine is going to put torque on the mounts in relation to how it is spinning.

Even if you spun a second flywheel off the first one, with it's own transmission, everything, there is still one spinning point and one main twisting moment on the engine.

The answer, obviously, is two counter-rotating engines (complete with drivetrains). They can both flex and stress the frame between them, but you wouldn't see the whole truck flexing like you do now.

 

I can't tell you why, but the story of GM's decades-long repeated attempts at cylinder deactivation just flashed into my brain.

 

By that logic, it's Friday for me everyday which means shit posts for everyone

 

As if you needed that excuse

 

Make that 60,520 excuses

 

I don't think my original description was adequate. Hopefully my amazing drawing skills will help. Jut imagine a chinook but instead of props attached to each mast, you connect the rotor mast to a drive shaft. There are 6 gears in this picture that are all blue. Again, I'm not saying this is a good idea, I'm just surprised no one tried back 50 year ago or whatever.

 

Op your answer is yes...

yes, yes there has been a dual driveshaft vehicle, made with legos...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6M_xQW6zU

 

thanks for that. yes that was exactly what I was imagining.