Photo: MAN Truck & Bus
MAN has introduced a van in Austria that's ready to devour any rough terrain. The TGE 3.180 4x4 combi van sports a special caterpillar drive, and no snow-covered slopes or muddy meadows can stand between it and its destination.
As the German manufacturer puts it, the 4x4 combi van is basically a MAN TGE converted to track drive. The conversion allows it to be used both during winter with the caterpillar drive and in the summer with regular tires. It can carry goods to supply remote alpine pastures and transport up to eight passengers to remote mountain resorts.
According to MAN, the conversion can be applied to its entire range of vans. Similar to a wheel change, the assembly and disassembly should take less than an hour to convert to the caterpillar drive. This adds an additional weight of about 300 kg (661 lbs). Plus, the TGE's width also increases by 2,400 mm (94.5 in).
The caterpillar drive can reach speeds between 25 and 50 kph (15 - 31 mph), with the eight-speed automatic transmission normally running between first and third gear. The Innsbruck crawler transporter has enough ground clearance to perform its tasks in extreme terrain thanks to the Seikel chassis, which is elevated by around 3 cm (1.18 in). Since the van is slowed by standard disc brakes, no adjustments were made there.
With its converted caterpillar drive, the TGE cannot go on public roads. It will still have to use its standard summer tires for that. The swapping processes should be simple thanks to an adapter plate that is secured with the original wheel bolts, much like switching the snow tires with the summer ones.
The TGE 3.180 4x4 combi van is designed for getting to mountain areas and hard-to-reach locations. Ski resorts, alpine pastures, muddy tracks, or hotels are the ideal places where the vehicle can be used for high-altitude transport.
According to MAN, the conversion can be applied to its entire range of vans. Similar to a wheel change, the assembly and disassembly should take less than an hour to convert to the caterpillar drive. This adds an additional weight of about 300 kg (661 lbs). Plus, the TGE's width also increases by 2,400 mm (94.5 in).
The caterpillar drive can reach speeds between 25 and 50 kph (15 - 31 mph), with the eight-speed automatic transmission normally running between first and third gear. The Innsbruck crawler transporter has enough ground clearance to perform its tasks in extreme terrain thanks to the Seikel chassis, which is elevated by around 3 cm (1.18 in). Since the van is slowed by standard disc brakes, no adjustments were made there.
With its converted caterpillar drive, the TGE cannot go on public roads. It will still have to use its standard summer tires for that. The swapping processes should be simple thanks to an adapter plate that is secured with the original wheel bolts, much like switching the snow tires with the summer ones.
The TGE 3.180 4x4 combi van is designed for getting to mountain areas and hard-to-reach locations. Ski resorts, alpine pastures, muddy tracks, or hotels are the ideal places where the vehicle can be used for high-altitude transport.
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