Trucking Milestones: 1982 – desert specialists
Series: Trucking Milestones
In Algeria’s desert, short-bonnet trucks revamped into buses stand the test of time.
Up to 85 per cent of Algeria consists of desert. If you don’t have an extremely robust vehicle, then the cards are stacked against you. The situation for travellers, however, improved in 1971 when the newly founded Société Nationale Transport des Voyageurs (SNTV) established their fleet.
The network of routes is gigantic – it measures a total of 125.000 kilometres, the longest single route being almost 2.000 kilometres. Some can only be conquered with special vehicles, for example with a Mercedes‑Benz L 1924, LA 1924 or LA 2624, which have been equipped with special bus superstructures by Ernst Hartmann since 1973.
With tropical roof and other extras.
Besides the mogul slopes, the vehicles have to stand the heat – temperatures of 45°C and above are not seldom. A tropical roof is mounted onto the actual roof, the extension itself consists of sandwich panels with an insulating, thermoplastic core.
An elaborately spring-cushioned auxiliary frame is mounted on the longitudinal supports of the vehicles – this saves the body from torsional stress and the passengers from getting bruises on the bumpy trip.
Additional special features: enhanced engine, radiator and cabin suspension, enlarged radiators and tropical thermostats. Almost a decade later the 32-seater desert ships are still serving their purpose reliably and diligently.
Photos: Daimler Truck AG
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6 comments
Die Fahrgestelle u. Motoren von Mercedes waren für solche Expeditionsreisen u. entsprechende Aufbauten einfach besonders robust ausgelegt u. konnten halt so ziemlich überall (auch in "Afrikas Impro-Werkstätten") noch mit relativ einfachen Mitteln repariert werden - was mit heutigen Generationen u. all der Elektronik nicht mehr funktioniert.
Die Fahrgestelle u. Motoren von Mercedes waren für solche Expeditionsreisen u. entsprechende Aufbauten einfach besonders robust ausgelegt u. konnten halt so ziemlich überall (auch in "Afrikas Impro-Werkstätten") noch mit relativ einfachen Mitteln repariert werden - was mit heutigen Generationen u. all der Elektronik nicht mehr funktioniert.
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