Worm drive axle

[Steve mutch]

I wonder if you can shed any light on my mystery axle ? I  realise that you have issues with COVID at present but perhaps at some point you may find time to look.

I have been searching for an answer for some time and have been looking at mostly British built vehicles as I live in north East Scotland and found the axle nearby.

 

I have a vintage axle that I am struggling to identify and wondered if Anyone may be able to help.

I have looked on the internet and vintage books but I'm struggling to find out what it was originally fitted to but it may be from a 1910s /20s car or small commercial vehicle ?

It has a top mounted worm drive diff, top mounted leaf spring brackets, cute rear mounted oil filler with swing lid, 9 inch brake drums with 2 sets of shoes each side and the cam levers mounted at the front. It also has 5 wheel studs and would have had artillery wheels fitted but they are badly corroded. There is very little in the way of identification as the screw on hub/bearing caps are missing. The worm gear differential has a "DBS" in a circle mark which is the patent stamp of David Brown & Son ,they would have made the worm gear but who would have made the axle and  what vehicle was it fitted to ?

The only other name I have found is one on the brass diff drain plug that is stamped with "Showells Strichley". A West Midlands company that made all things brass until mid 1900,s but I cannot find a link to a vehicle maker.

I have attached a picture.

 

 

 

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Kind regards 

Steve Mutch 

[monty2]

I think by looking at it that it is a later axel most early axels are much Heavier made

[David Herbert]

I would guess it is from a British 1930s light truck. The bigger manufacturers tended to make their own (particularly Ford) so that just leaves a couple of hundred possibilities. Someone will really need it but how do you find them ?

David

[Steve mutch]

Thanks guys, I’m thinking 20s/30s due to the fact that it still has rod brakes and not hydraulic. But the thing that gets me is that it seems to be very well made with twin brakes and the filling spout With swing lid 🤔

[Kent Transport History]

The hubs look way too heavy for anything small on the road.. It's not an axle from some small loading or service vehicle? The gear ratio would be a big teller