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Six-wheeler that Arches Its Back

23rd January 1959
Page 48
Page 48, 23rd January 1959 — Six-wheeler that Arches Its Back
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A NEW type of six-wheeler now being developed in Switzerland by r-1E. Meili, Schaffhausen, is claimed to have almost Tank-like abilities when it comes to negotiating obstructions. The vehicle is known as the Metrac and is a 6 x 6, the front and rear wheels being carried on four swinging arms pivoted on the centre axle. These arms are hollow and act as cases for the chains which drive the front and rear wheels.

In addition to allowing independent movement of the wheels, the load-carrying section at the rear of the vehicle can swing about the centre axle independently of the front end. There is clearance between the front and rear wheels and the body, so that the wheels can be raised or towered relative to the body by four vertical double-acting hydraulic jacks. There are also two horizontal jacks connecting the front and rear halves of the vehicle, the whole system enabling it to assume a V form, arch its back, or lift any of the front, centre or rear wheels off the ground.

A When descending into deep ditches, which would cause the radiator of a normal vehicle to be driven into the opposite bank, the front end of the Metrac can be lifted clear by the jacks. The jacks can also be used to hold the vehicle rigid when crossing narrow ditches, and it can traverse steep slopes at an even keel by extending the frontand rear-wheel jacks on the down-slope side.

The vehicle can be turned in its own length by lifting the front or rear wheels from the ground, unlocking the differential, and braking one of the centre-axle wheels by a lever alongside the driver. For normal cross-country running the outfit travels with the hydraulic fluid circling freely through the vertical jacks, which exert a dampingeffect. For road use, the horizontal jacks are extended until the centre axle is lifted clear of the ground, and the vehicle runs on the front and rear pairs of wheels.

Suspension is then provided by volute springs incorporated in the hydraulic jacks, but flexibility is deliberately restricted in order to ensure adequate Lateral stability.

The prototype Metrac is powered by a Chevrolet six-cylindered petrol engine, driving through a four-speed gearbox and a single lockable differential on the centre axle.

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