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HALF TRACK ALL TRUCK
Page 62
Page 63
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CM headed over to the
Netherlands to check out an lveco 6x6 Trakker turned half-track and meet the man who invented this innovative all-terrain conversion.
When we meet Pieter Veldhuizen he is all over the place as his mobile rings or beeps all the time. He runs an Iveco dealership near Utrecht in Holland, which sells and rents Iveco light trucks.
Veldhuizen is also the man behind the Iveco I lover-Track. He reckons there's a market for trucks with more off-road capability than the usual all-wheel-drive offerings— a truck that keeps going where others stall.
Veldhuizen's idea is that a combination of front-wheel drive and tracks will get you through the roughest of rough terrain.
It's not a new concept,of course:Adolphe Kegresse experimented with the half-track concept way back in the early 1920s .
He converted a Citroen PI car and later the P4 into hal f-tracks.The Citroens were powered by a four-cylinder petrol .20hp engine and the tracks were driven by two standard Citroen tyres. Strength and power But the Hover-Track is a very different beast. It is based on an Iveco 6x6Trakker tipper and powered by a 13-litre 440hp Cursor engine. The chassis has been strengthened to a thickness of 100mm to withstand the torque and strain.Two16-tonne axles are installed on the back, and the gearbox is a manual ZF16. On a normal road the Hover-Track can reach 40km/h at 1,100rpm.
The track set-up was designed by Veldhuizen himsel LA widespread frame hinges on a subframe assembled in the chassis. It consists of rubber speed tracks, which are also used on the big Caterpillar and John Deere agricultural tractors.The tracks are driven by strengthened (13x22.5) tyres and wheels, assembled on Iveco 16tonne axles.The runners (running wheels) between the big tyres are rubber wheels normally used on stacker trucks working in terminals.The hubs come from ninetonne SAF axles and the front wheels are shod with big Michelin 24x20.5.5s.
The I lover-Track is equipped with an external tyre-pressure system.To get a bit more grip on the front, simply let out air to increase the footprint.The Hover-Track can wade through R/Omm of water,thanks to a modification of the differential vent plugs on the axles.
Impressive appearance The overall set-up with the tracks gives the Hover-Track an impressive appearance and the engine a distinctive sound as it plods through sticky mud. Veldhuizen uses mainly the second and third gears and. when necessary, splits up and down.
When Veldhuizen puts the pedal to the metal the Hover-Track leaps forward, displaying surprising acceleration.
This version of the multi-functional Hover Track is equipped with a 30-tonne Hyva hookloader system. When the terrain worsens most drivers hit the accelerator, but Veldhuizen prefers to hold the revs at around 1,000rpin which is where the real power is available.
You have to get used to driving the HoverTrack —watch the revs and don't get carried away by the beautiful rumble of the Cursor 13-litre turbo-diesel.
Whereas other 6x6 or I Oxl 0 trucks have to work hard, the Hover-Track seems to cruises through the mud. Even when it comes to rest, the driver has no problem accelerating away again. The test terrain is really boggy, more swamp-like really —just picture Camber Sands when the tide has just gone out —but the Hover-Track is up to it.
The future beckons After seeing the Hover-Track at work, we are impressed.Veldhuizen and his company plan to turn out three Hover-Tracks a year until 2008, then they hope to boost production to 10 units a year. Capacity will be extended further if the demand is there.
Veldhuizen can see lots of potential for the Hover-Track,such as beach work for local authorities, road building or other off-road activities. Until now he has stuck to lveco components. but in the future he might try other suppliers.
To move the Hover-Track over the road at a reasonable speed over longer distances Veldhuizen reverses it onto a small trailer. Through an ingenious system the trailer is secured to the Hover-Track. Put it in frontwheel drive and the truck then rolls away.
Veldhuizen is getting the whole set-up certified in the Netherlands through the Dutch Ministry ofTransport. After that, who knows'? We look forward to seeing what he comes up with next. •