"My word if that isn't a peculiar truck - one for you snow-bound poms" says Biglorryblog's 'Good Man in Africa' Jerry Burley--and I bet he's glad he's there too...! Anyway this example of an extreme snow-clearing machine (it's a snow-blower) is from the excellent http://www.worldwideplant.com/ website which features this in its 'other' section....and for a pie can anyone tell me what the truck is? Meanwhile, I'm most grateful to Richard Norris at Worldwide for kindly allowing me to use the pictures. And click through here for more to help you identify the mystery motor....
Sharp-eyed BLB regulars will already be thinking 'Eastern Bloc or even Russian' and I look forward to comments from my East European readers...
And this shows just how well set up this snow-blower is...it even has a nautical type rotating 'clear-screen' to make sure you can still see the way ahead when the snow flakes are really flying! Interesting that it's a right-hooker too....
Here's a shot under the bonnet...again looks like something from the East...and I am sure Richard could tell you more about it if you call him on 07770 721666 or e-mail him on info@worldwideplant.com
Last but not least it's got a decent-size body on the back too for tools and equipment....in fact given the current situation regarding the weather I would have thought this was just what a hard-pressed local authority or small airport could do with! Check out the Worldwide site as it's got some other very impressive transport kit on it too---which is no doubt why Jerry passed it on to me. However, I think that even he'll struggle to find a use for it in Uganda....
The truck is a special built by AWD of Camberley for the MOD and other government departments, I think it is 6x6 (axles 2 and 3 are driven and 1 may be). The truck has a Perkins P6 Diesel and an Airflow Streamlines cab as used on the Commer Superpoise and Dodge Kew. The large Dorman Diesel is fitted in the van body to drive the blower which I think was made by Rolba and would not fit any standard British chassis, hence these AWDs were designed to fit the blower.
Think that the chassis was built by either AWD or Douglas. The engine that you show will be the power plant for the snow blower and is in the box at the back
Looks like one of those Russki "Commers"
I maybe wrong but it looks like a commer from late 50s and 60s when I worked in car breaking in the 60s we had an ex london evening news walk thru van similar to this with humber super snipe 6 pot pettol it went like stink but loved a drop petrol, and is that a military bedford TM next to it
found the machine incl.picture in the observer's militaire vehicles from 1945 (from the late Bart Vanderveen) on page 211
It reads:Snow removalunit SP 5-ton Rotary (Allwheeldrive S4) Perkins P6 6cyl diesel 83 hp, 4F1Rx2(= 2speed creeper gearbox) PAS on both front axles 12 cyl-210 bhp plough driven engine mounted in rearbody BLSP can (as used by Commer Dodge etc) with Kent "clearvu" rotating dics in in windscreen
For me this book is like the Bible. You will always in this issue en the sister issue before 1945
Further to earlier comment
GB company All Wheel Drive ltd built these machine during 1958-63
(source : as before)
I remember one of these vehicles being stationed at RAF Binbrook, Linc's in the early 1970's and was used to clear the runway
Worked on one of these when i was at RAF West Raynham, i'm sure the air force called it a t54.
The were famous for eating bicycles and i recall a mini. Used to shake like hell when the rear engine was fired up.
A snow blower like the picture was parked in a detereorating state at Gamston Airfield,Retford 2006,where I used fly a light plane from. It was built by AWD(David Brown,I believe) a mixture of British truck parts,Perkins engine,Dorman Diesel for the blower,Rootes(looked like a Dodge)cab. The blower was interchange able for a brush system for cleaning runways!I believe the axles were Bedford!!