South-West Africa.
Page 15
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About a twelvemonth ago, the Neue Automobil-Gesellschaft in Berlin despatched a number of heavy motor tractors to German South-West Africa for the use of the troops employed in suppressing the native rising, and our pictures show them at their destination, In spite of the excessive heaviness of the roads—if mere stretches of sand merit the name—these tractors have fully come up to the expectations formed of them on the basis of very severe tests at home.
When tried on the Berlin cavalry drill-ground, each tractor carried a load of 3,000 kilos., or half the trailer's load. The angle-irons fixed to the driving-wheels, of themselves particularly broad and strong (25-30 centimetres, i.e., t0-121n.), doubled their breadth, and besides, converted them into cogwheels, the rack appertaining to the cogs being furnished by the sand pressed together under the weight of the wheels. This angle-iron, which can be seen in one of the pictures, is removed where the tractor has to tackle a tolerably firm road and an easy gradient. In order to subject the company's engine to the sharpest practical test, the sandiest portion of the drill-ground was chosen. It will be noticed that. the tractor is fitted with a hauling drum. The haulage material consists of steel-cable. As soon as the tractor was set going, this cable began to unwind itself from the drum. After some ;coo yards had been paid out, the tractor was brought to a standstill, block-brakes being applied to the back wheels to prevent any retrograde movement. Of course, the trailer, to which one end of the cable was coupled, had in the meantime remained stationary. A pull at a lever sufficed to switch the engine on to the drum, which revolved and wound up the cable again, thus hauling the trailer along in the tracks of the motor. To strip the driving wheels of their " sand-5h005" and couple up for ordinary haulage on ground where the rims could bite was the work of about half an hour. The British agents for these vehicles are Messrs. the N.A.G. Co., Ltd., iv, Great Portland Street, London, W. We gave a technical description in our Show report upon pages 39 and 40 of last week's issue of a similar type of lorry.