The French Connection and Technology Transfer: The History of the Trufault Shock Absorber

 Source: Motor Age, July 22, 1909, p. 47.

Individuals play the key role in the process of technology transfer. This is a story of one such an event. It involves a Frenchman by the name of Trufault,  an American, E.V. Hartford, and the shock absorber. The tale shows the importance of transnational relationships, and the role of bicycle technology in early automotive history. In sum,  it is one illustration of  how the automobile was "European by Birth, American by Adoption."

In the fall of 1897, E.V. Hartford, interested in automobile mechanics, traveled to France to learn about the industry. A year later, the marquis de Dion sent Hartford back to the U.S., with the mission of setting up an American company. Hartford failed, and returned to France in the spring of 1899. He subsequently went to a race at Versailles, where he witnessed the superiority of a spring equipped fork attached to a Darracq tricycle powered by a 12 horsepower, two cylinder engine. In those days motorcycles were far faster than automobiles, and so in this case it was speed that stimulated invention.

Hartford followed up on what he saw, and visited a shop run by Trufault and his two sons in Paris. He described Trufault as "a pure inventor," a man who had invented the hollow bicycle rim but had not profited for his labor. Later Hartford had Trufault install a springed fork on his 2.5 horsepower de Dion tricycle, and subsequently worked with the frenchman on automotive applications.

Back in the U.S., Hartford tried to interest automakers in this invention. He then bought a 6 horsepower Oldsmobile and then sent the vehicle over to France. It became the first automobile to be equipped with shock absorbers. American engineers could not comprehend the reasoning behind this device. They "could not understand why we wanted to brake the action of the spring with friction, and thought we should rather put ball bearings all around to let the spring give its maximum oscillation." Hartford then took the vehicle to Thomas Edison in Orange, New Jersey, but Edison, while interested, never followed up. 

Hartford then went to a large New York motor car manufacturer. He (? who was he) was interested enough that Hartford brought over Trufault for two weeks. A demonstration followed tin which stiff springs were replaced with more supple ones, and shock absorbers were installed.  This trial proved successful, and the manufacturer offered the pair $1000 for the patent. Trufault was not happy with such a deal, returned to France, and struck a deal with Peugeot. 

The key to Trufault's success, however, lay with auto racer Thery, who equipped his Richard Braser vehicle with the shocks for the Gordon Bennet event in June. The devices kept the vehicle on the ground, and saved the tires chassis from wear and tear. Demand in France soared, and in the U.S. Hartford ordered 25 sets of Trufault shocks to be made at the Garvin Machine Shop. Later a small shop was set up in New York City. That venture grew to the point where in 1909, 50,000 shock absorbers were made annually.