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Oshkosh delivers to the front
Page 16
Page 17
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CM has long coveted a drive in one of the British Army's Oshkosh 8x8 tank transporters. Last week, we got our chance — and it was worth the wait.
Words / Images: Brian Weatherley
IT'S BEEN OVER four years since the British Army took delivery of its first Oshkosh 1070F heavy equipment transporters (HET). Today, 92 of the mighty 8x8s are in service and, together with their King GTS100 trailers, they're proving worthy successors to the ageing Scammell Commanders they replaced.
The Oshkosh HET fleet has a simple task: transport the Army's Challenger 2 main battle tanks, plus various other assorted armoured vehicles and selfpropelled guns, whenever and wherever they are needed. However, the fleet itself is owned, operated and maintained by Wiltshire-based firm Fasttrax, as part of a 20-year PF1 contract, which kicked off in the latter end of 2003.
Although the US Army has run Oshkosh 8x8 artics for several years, the UK version differs significantly. While in the past, the British Army has usually used its exemption from civilian Construction and Use rules whenever it has bought new vehicles (a right it still retains), for the HET contract, the MOD was adamant all vehicles had to be 'street legal', not just in terms of meeting all UK and European heavy haulage regs, but also in terms of exhaust emissions. So the UK Oshkosh 1070Fs have Euro-3 Caterpillar C18 engines, rather than the 8V92TA two-stroke V8 Detroit diesels fitted in US tractors.
The 18-litre Cat offers significantly more power — 700hp versus the 12-litre Detroit's 500hp — something the British Army demanded for its HETs.
CM has long wanted to drive an Oshkosh 1070F in the UK, and, thanks to John Rodell, Fasttrax's operations director, we got the chance, complete with a seven-axle King trailer.
On the day, the weather couldn't have been worse, and due to a series of events we were unable to load a tracked hulk on the trailer to give us something 'real' to haul. But that didn't stop us from taking it out on the road and across Salisbury Plain.
With a kerb weight of just over 46 tonnes, the 23m long rig still had a bit of work to do... At the risk of stating the obvious, the Oshkosh 1070F is a beast!
A military bearing
Climbing into the cabin requires thought, as well as the use of both hands to take full advantage of what few handholds there are. You won't be climbing in while clasping a bag.
Once inside, it obvious this is a military vehicle. The interior, with its enormous flat engine hump and slab dashboard is probably best described as 'extremely durable' (and also finished in trademark olive drab). However, it still holds some surprises.
We didn't expect the tacrograph — it is street legal after all. And it's also a sleeper cab. Granted, the 1070F might not look like one, but the rear full-width bench seat quickly converts into simple twin bunks.
Responsive steering
The all-wheel-drive artic has a sevenspeed Allison World Series auto box for easy two-pedal driving, and the modest, mechanically-sprung seats are surprisingly comfortable, too.
Firing up the C18 is simple enough. Should the tractor have a flat battery. the trailer's auxiliary power unit can offer a handy jump-start.
On the road, you do need to watch the extra 90mm of cab width (and that's before you even add on the truck's mirrors or the 2.89m wide trailer —3.47m with outriggers.
The monster steering wheel (think Routemaster bus) comes as a bit of a shock, too, but, despite a noticeable bit of play, it's still got good feedback and allows you to position the mighty rig well enough.
All-terrain adventures
With front and rear-steering on the tractor, and five of the seven axles steering on the King trailer, it's pretty road-friendly. You still need to watch for the trailer swing-out. Luckily, all UK HETs have Eaton's Vorad sidewayslooking anti-collision radar, which provides an extra pair of eyes in the nearside blindspot. and is also sensitive enough to detect approaching objects on the kerbside that protrude.
On a metalled road on Salisbury Plain. we were impressed by the general ride of the unladen tractor and its brisk acceleration, until we got carried away on an unmade-up track and hit a series of potholes that set up a run of bounces. We soon eased off the throttle and returned to the 20mph advisory limit!
Offroad, the Oshkosh has a dashoperated central tyre inflation system (CTIS) that adjusts tyre pressure depending on the terrain.
To move on to an offroad track, you press the 'CC' button on the dash display and then 'HWY' when returning to a metalled road. I
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