A vehicle has an engine, a limited slip differential (LSD) mounted on an axle driven by the engine, and left and right wheels operably connected to the LSD. At least one parameter indicative of a riding condition of the vehicle is determined. A slippery driving condition is detected based on the at least one parameter. The LSD is selectively locked in response to the detection. The slippery driving condition is detected when a torque requested by a user is above a load line of the engine, upon successive wheel slips occurrences, and/or when a wheel slip is detected while a preload is applied to the LSD.

An actuator is used to longitudinally move a spline sleeve for controlling drive mode of a differential on an off-road vehicle. The actuator's motor rotates an eccentric knob through a drive train including intermediate gears and a worm gear. The eccentic knob is linked to the spline sleeve through a torsion spring carried on a pivot plate, with legs of the torsion spring pushing a slide block, transferring a moment provided by the eccentric knob into a linear slide force. The pivot plate and torsion spring are jointly mounted on the actuator housing by a hub, opposite the rotational axis of the eccentric knob from the slide block. The slide block includes a contact which completes a circuit through conductive pads on the actuator housing, so the position of the slide block can be directly sensed.

Methods of controlling a tandem axle assembly in a vehicle, the tandem axle assembly including an inter-axle differential (IAD), one or more side gears, and a front tandem axle assembly having a pair of front tandem axle half shafts selectively connected to a pair of front tandem axle wheel hub assemblies. When a determined speed of the vehicle is greater or equal to a predetermined speed, the IAD may be locked, the tandem axle wheel hub assemblies may be disconnected from their respective tandem axle shafts, and/or the IAD may be moved out of engagement with the one or more side gears. When a determined speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed, the IAD may be unlocked, the tandem axle wheel hub assemblies may be connected to their respective tandem axle shafts, and/or the IAD may be engaged with the one or more side gears.

A driving force control system for a vehicle is provided to control a torque vectoring device is provided. A controller is configured to bring the torque vectoring device into a preparatory state in which the differential torque and the differential limit torque are equalized to each other when shifting the operating mode between the differential mode and the differential limit mode, and to shift the operating mode of the torque vectoring device by gradually reducing a difference between the differential torque and the differential limit torque.

A vehicle includes a trailer hitch, an axle having an electronic limited slip differential, and a controller. The electronic limited slip differential includes a variable torque capacity lockup clutch. The controller is programmed to, in response to detecting the presence of a trailer connected to the trailer hitch and an increase in vehicle speed, increase the lockup clutch torque by a first torque adjustment.

A hydrostatic traction drive includes a first hydraulic machine that is coupled to a drive unit. The first hydraulic machine is hydraulically arranged in a hydraulic circuit with a second hydraulic machine. The second hydraulic machine has a drive shaft that is connected in a rotationally fixed fashion to a lockable differential. The traction drive has a control unit that is configured so as to control at least one measure for traction control as a function of a rotational speed of the second hydraulic machine. The at least one measure includes one or more of a measure for detecting a loss of traction and a measure for overcoming the loss of traction. A method for controlling the traction drive includes eliminating a loss of traction of the traction drive with use of the control unit as a function of the rotational speed of the second hydraulic machine.

Systems and methods for an interaxle differential (IAD) are provided. In one example, the IAD comprises a locking assembly that includes a friction clutch, the friction clutch includes a clutch pack that comprises plurality of plates configured to engage and disengage to inhibit and permit speed differentiation between a first axle differential and a second axle differential. The IAD further includes a supply lubrication passage that comprises an inlet that receives a lubricant from an enclosure surrounding an input gear of an axle differential and a first outlet flowing the lubricant to a gear coupled to the clutch pack.

A vehicle having a four-wheel-drive system including an auxiliary portion that has an auxiliary driveshaft and drive means between the auxiliary driveshaft arranged to releasably connect a second group of wheels to the driveline via a releasable torque transmitting device. The releasable torque transmitting device is operable to allow slippage of the input portion with respect to the output portions, thereby to vary an amount of torque that is transmitted to the second group of wheels.

A power transmission assembly for tandem axles of a vehicle, the assembly including an input axle, a first drive axle, a second drive axle, a plurality of engagement/disengagement devices, a locking device, and a differential unit. The differential unit being set for power distribution between the drive axles of the vehicle, from which, in cooperation with the engagement/disengagement devices and the locking device, enables configurations of the drive axles in which the first and the second drive axles are driven, one of the drive axles is driven and the other drive axle is not driven, or all the drive axles are not driven.

A method for controlling the safe operation of a rear axle of a set of combined axles powered by a motor vehicle, particularly for a vehicle designed to carry loads and which have 6×4, 8×4 or 10×4 type traction configurations, or tridem models formed by three drive axles. The method includes a set of steps and activities that ensure proper and safe operation of systems and mechanisms for uncoupling and raising a rear axle of a vehicle, and more specifically checking a status of certain operating parameters of the rear axle and of the vehicle itself in order to permit or prevent uncoupling and coupling, as well as raising and lowering of the rear axle of the vehicle.