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101 Six Wheeler


Bigwood

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Having read the March isue of LRO International with intrest regarding the 60 year article it reminds me of a posable forgotten vehicle. Whislt serving my army apreticeship in the early seventys we were taken to the comertial vehicle show in London. On the Landrover stand was the new 101 or one tonner as we later called it . This was to be the gun tractor for the new guns to be coming into service later in the seventies. One vertion of this was 101 with a powered trailer making it 6x6 for caring amunition and supplys. I dont think the vehicle ever came into service but I was never atached to the Artillery but from my time in the Army I never saw one. After the late 2A/ Series 3 the V8 permanant 4x4 was quite revalutionary. My only consern was the amount of metal in front of your knees. You could tell the FFR ( Fitted for Radio) 101,s as they leaned to the right due to the radios and battery behind the offside front seat (LHD) .The only other V8 I can remember was the old Fordson trucks. They had the Ford Pilot side valve V8. This may show my age but who cares. :huh:

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Certainly not forgotten. Did enter service but the powered trailer caused 'handling' problems in that it could make the old bus lie on its back with its legs in the air!!! :P Was in service in gs variant as a gun tractor and many were converted to either ambulances or radio vehicles. Has now been fully withdrawn from service (though rumour has it there may still be one or two about) in favour of 130s and Pinzgauers (sp?). Out of the 2500 or so that were made there appear to be about 2000 still in existence ... not a bad track record for a vehicle that apparently saw service in Iraq and the Falklands!

For the 'avid collector' or as most refer to me 'mad scrap man' ;) they are a love or hate vehicle ... they are freezing cold, boiling hot, draughty, stuffy, claustrophobic and enormous all at the same time ... But if you can cope with them they give more smiles to the gallon than any other Land Rover I know :lol: .

AndyG

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I really liked the idea of the powered trailer but what it really needed was a method of slowing down the drive to the trailer in proportion to the sharpness of the corner being taken to prevent a 'push' over. The easiest way would be to use a hydraulic drive that was controlled by the articulation of the tow hitch and also the amount of pull/push it experiences. That way it reduces its power if it is cornering and the power is applied forwards when the hitch experiences a pull and backwards when the hitch experiences a push for braking and reversing.

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nope, a 4 wheel 101 with a powered axle sankey type trailer, which makes it a 6x6 which bends at the tow/driven hitch .

Being atachd to mostly armoured units in Germany I must have missed them. I can see why they were not to popular from what you said. I was happy with vehicles that you had a nice warm bed on the back and a V12 underneath to warm youre boots for morning. :rolleyes:

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I found this about the powered trailer system.

Thats the system. Never went into service but the joint services east west sahara crossing used a couple. Very rare now, Dunsfold have one with a 105mm light gun, one fully restored in US and that aussie example are the only ones I know of.

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I'm sure I've seen video of it in action, there was also some of a trailer that unhitched itself on the end of a winch line and then automatically got winched back in and re-hitched as the thing carried on.

Once I've got my hydro PTO on a powered Sankey could be quite cool although I'm not sure the result would justify the effort. Probably easier with an electric drive for those few times you're so stuck a push from the trailer would help.

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