Abstract: Welded axle housings with hollow axles are manufactured by providing the edges of the axle housing with beadings and finishing the fitting and abutment surfaces thereof as well as of the hollow axles, assembling the axle housing and the hollow axles, clamping in the assembly and connecting its parts by electron beam welding along frontal abutment faces on said beadings.

Abstract: In a planetary transmission wheel drive mechanism, particularly for applying driving torque to the driving wheels of heavy duty ground engaging vehicles such as trucks, tractors and the like a pair of planetary gear sets are employed in series connection in such a manner that one of the planetary gear sets has its sun gear on a drive shaft and its planetary carrier rotatably mounted in a stationary hub. Planetary pinion gears supported by the planetary carrier mesh with a gear ring which is fixed to the aforesaid hub. The other planetary gear set consists of a sun gear which is supported by an extension of the planetary carrier of the first mentioned planetary gear set. The sun gear of the second planetary gear set meshes with planetary pinion gears which, in turn, engage with a gear ring.