A vehicular Pegasus for public utilities
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David Wilcox delves into the multi uses of the hard to pin down Multicar from East Germany
TRYING to categorise the Multicar is difficult — it is a sort of vehicular Pegasus.
The Multicar is about the same length and width as a Ford Escort 1.1L, but it is 0.76m (30in) taller, has a much smaller turning circle and an engine that develops rather less power. However, it has a plated weight of 3.5 tonnes, a cab that tilts through 40 degrees and loadsensing on the rear brakes.
The Multicar 25 was first imported into the UK in June 1982 by a Swindon-based haulier, Howard Tenens Services. Shortly afterwards the company was taken over and the Multicar operation sold off as a separate entity. Last November forklift manufacturer Lansing Bagnall bought a 75 per cent share of Multicar (UK), which is now based on an industrial estate in Andover.
Multicars are built in Waltershausen, East Germany, by 1FA and the model 25 was developed about seven years ago. Although relatively new to the UK it is no stranger to many other countries; Multicars are common in most Eastern Bloc countries and are also exported to France, Belgium, Holland, West Germany and the Middle East.
Its proportions are similar to a Honda Act', but there the similarity ends — the Acty has a payload capacity of about 0.5tonne whereas the Multicar can take about 1.6 tonnes, depending on the body fitted.
In German Multicar means "multi body" and this gives a clue to one of these vehicles' major features. Its chassis cab is designed to readily accept a wide range of bodies that can be simply bolted to the flat-topped chassis. Multicar (UK) imports 17 East German-built body types, which are interchangeable.
The standard chassis cab has a wheelbase of 1,970mm (78in) although there is also a longwheelbase version at 2,675mm (105in). This longer model has little appeal because only a platform dropside body is made for it.
Looking at the range of '17 body types the simpler styles such as the platform dropside, the boxvan and the end tipper are quite frankly of limited attraction. Conventional 3.5tonne-gvw vans like the Transit, Sherpa, Bedford CF, and so on all offer superior load volume, payload capacity and performance.
But the more specialised bodies are an interesting proposition. There are 200 Multicars on the road in this country and the top seller (accounting for 50 per cent of the sales) is the skiploader. This carries a 1.1cum steel mini-skip and offers a payload of 1.63 tonnes.
Many of the other body styles are angled towards the public works/municipal market. Their marrow width and 9m (30ft) wall-to-wall turning circle are useful where space is tight — in pedestrian areas, subways, housing estates, alleys, parks and hospital grounds. East German-built bodywork for these applications include a snow olough/gritter, a washing and spraying truck for cleaning roads and pavements and a spray rotary sweeper, There is also a refuse collection truck with a lOcum bulk capacity. Its hopper incorporates a compactor which compresses the refuse against the rear door.
Three local authorities that have bought Multicars are Newcastle, Harrogate and Middlesbrough. Harrogate is utilising the body interchangeability and has a Multicar with a three-way tipper body which is replaced by a snow plough/gritter body during the winter.
More recently, Multicar (UK) has started to import the vehicles in chassis-cab form for British bodywork to be fitted. Whale Tankers has developed a 1,136-litre (250 gallon) gully emptier for the long-wheelbase Multicar and RJP Engineering of Marden, Kent, is building a Sca rab Minor suction sweeper on the Multicar. Springwood Engineering of Reading will build a white-lining machine on the chassis and Vaile Bodies can supply a milk-float or tipper body if required.
The Multicar 25 is clearly a product from an Eastern Bloc country — it has all the characteristic& The simple, pressed steel chassis looks strong and robust, even if it is at the expense of weight — the standard wheelbase chassis cab weighs 1,500kg. It has a design gvw of 3,950kg although UK models are plated for 3,500kg to keep them below operators' licensing.
Multicar (UK) general manager John Saunders acknowledges that the vehicle's cab lacks showroom appeal. A sumptious cab would be out of place on a utilitarian vehicle like the Multicar, but it could have a better detail finish. In its favour, the driver's seat is mechanically sprung and fabric-faced. Left or right-hand drive is available.
Fourteen-inch wheels (twin at the back) are used with radial ply tyres and the rear drum brakes are load dependent. A differential lock is standard.
The engine is an IFA two-litre water-cooled four-cylinder diesel which develops 33kW (44bhp) at 3,000rpm. The gearbox is a four-speed unit, but a crawler option is available for applications such as road sweepers.
With such a low power output for a 3.5-tonner the gearing is necessarily low and the top speed is quoted as 60km/h (37mph). John Saunders reports that 11.3 1/100km (25mpg) is a typical consumption figure for most Multicar operations although this varies with the use of the engine-driven, hydraulically powered attatchments. On the open road he says that 8-7 1/100km (35-40mph) is attainable.
A major feature of the Multicar is its in-built engine-driven hydraulic pump which provides the power for the range of attachments such as the snowplough blade oi rotary sweeper.
Briefly, driving the Multicar immediately demonstrated its impressive manoeuvrability which is so necessary in its roles as road sweeper or gully emptier. At low speeds the steering is a touch on the heavy side and the addition of a power-steering option is being considered. Visibility is good via the deep windscreen and generous glass area in the cab, although the header rail seems rather low.
Changing gear with the sur
prisingly stubby lever was quite sticky on the new example I tried but Multicar sales manager Chris Kennedy assured me that it loosens up with use. Unladen, the Multicar pulled away from rest in third gear without protest. The electrics are 12 volt and the battery looks a real heavy-duty affair. Apparently, a substantial number of Multicars are sold to Russia as small snow ploughs and so their coldstarting ability should be beyond question.
The outstanding East European feature of the Multicar is its price; it is cheap. Comparisons are difficult because it has no direct rivals, falling somewhere between conventional 3.5tonne-gvw chassis cabs like Transits, and the specialised cleaners/sweepers like the diesel-powered Schmidt or the electric Cabac. The versatility given by the Multicar's body interchangeability counts in its favour and should endow it with year-round utilisation.
The standard wheelbase chassis cab costs £4,550 (excluding vat) and the long-wheelbase version is £4,690. Petrol-engined 3.5-tonne-gvw chassis cabs like the Transit or Sherpa are around £7,000 for which you get far superior performance and load space but less versatility.
The skip loader complete costs £7,310 and the snow plough/gritter is £8,690. With its short-wheelbase, fairly good ground clearance (170mm to the bottom of the differential) and good angles of attack and departure the Multicar should be able to tackle some rough terrain; lack of power would be a limiting factor.
However, Multicar (UK) has just brought the first four-wheeldrive version into the UK. The engine's capacity has been increased to 2,238cc and servo assistance added to the brakes.
John Saunders believes there is a "vast, untapped potential" for the Multicar and feels sales should begin to pick up now that he has got a dealer network well on its way to completion — 23 out of a proposed 30 dealers have been appointed — and says there is a good stock of spares held at Andover.
Although local authorities are an obvious market for the Multicar, John Saunders came up with plenty of other potential customers and uses; hospital grounds, factory premises, airports, holiday camps, golf courses, motorway service areas... He believes the crosscountry ability and ruggedness of the four-wheel-drive version could make it attractive to the farming community.
All in all, Multicar (UK) has set what John Saunders calls a "realistic or even slightly conservative target" of 201 sales in 1985.