# When Was the SUA Model of The Four Wheel Drive Co. Manufactured?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-sua-model-of-the-four-wheel-drive-co-manufactured/748728>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2016, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-sua-model-of-the-four-wheel-drive-co-manufactured/748728 "2016-03-12T07:50:01Z")\
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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-sua-model-of-the-four-wheel-drive-co-manufactured/748728/1 "2016-03-12T07:50:01Z")

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When Was the SUA Model of The Four Wheel Drive Co. Manufactured?

> **[Four Wheel Drive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Wheel_Drive)**
>
> The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive (FWD), was a pioneering American company that developed and produced all-wheel drive vehicles. It was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich. The first production facility was built in 1911 and was designed by architect Wallace W. DeLong of Appleton, Wisconsin.
> FWD renamed FWD Corporation and its associates Seagrave, Baker Aerialscope, and...

I am guessing 1920s to 1930s. Hopefully someone here knows?

Is SUA an abbreviation for something? The only abbreviation I can find which looks reasonable is Spring under Axle (automotive suspension design). When was that developed?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-sua-model-of-the-four-wheel-drive-co-manufactured/748728/2 "2016-03-12T10:19:31Z")

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Dr. William Thomson’s observations were made in a 1901 edition of the Journal of Medicine where he stated:

" I have found my drives to improve my general health. The jolting which occurs when a motor car is driven at fair speed conduces to healthy agitation that acts on the liver. This aids the peristaltic movements of the bowels and promotes the performance of their functions"

However, spring suspension had been in use from the 1800’s and its not clear the “under axle” or “over axle” could be considered an invention of FWD previously BADGER . no one knows who switched around … it seems to be something you’d try and might do it one way for one model and the other for another, just to make it cheaper or something.