Vipex HMA and LWA

Vipex Off-Road Artic

Details: Category: Specialist Conversions; Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 March 2011 19:35; Written by Site Admin; Hits: 2484

For those of you who haven't heard of Vipex, they are a family business based in Nottinghamshire, England, which builds specialist vehicles. One project they're working on at the moment was brought to my attention by a helpful site visitor, which prompted me to contact the company to find out more.

I soon found myself in touch with project designer and company director Calvin Townsend, who told me a bit about how the Vipex HMA High mobility off-road Artic and LWA lightweight articulated transport system project came about.

Having suffered the guilt ridden “please give cash” based appeals for help, on TV and the media, he always pondered on just how much of that money is going to help the people on the ground, and how much more effective charitable help could be if it didn't involve just giving guilt money.

Enter one Alison B. Lowndes, the soul proprietor of an organisation called AVIF, whose primary concern is the provision of voluntary labour to the African continent, specifically Kenya. Calvin said "To suggest that is person is enthusiastic is somewhat of an understatement. We both share the love of motorbikes so we got on like a house on fire.
Over a couple of emails we hatched a plan to provide non-financial help to that area, with the
supply of specialist knowledge I had acquired over the many years of operating Vipex. Both Alison and I visited the offices of Nabuur in Amsterdam, who offered the service of their field officers on the ground to research the potential problems that we may be able to assist with. The answers came back loud and clear.

1) Educate the masses in the nature of major diseases and how to avoid them.
2) Test the bloods, and report back quickly.
3) Provide a quick and simple clinical inspection processes for general health.
4) Provide medical supplies for assistance with general health.
5) Provide antenatal care and education.
6) Stitch all the lost communities back together again.
7) Raise the general level of public health, allowing more people to work and pay taxes,
thus adding to the general wealth of the countries concerned.
8) Provide a disaster recovery scenario which can be flown in at a moments notice.

The light bulb of possibilities shone brightly, this is possible and I set out to find out how. So
the next step was to interview doctors who have operated 'in the field' so to speak. Once all
the equipment was listed it was possible to work out how much weight had to be carried."

With a deep desire to help those who really need it, to back the underdog, Calvin did further research into the idea. It seemed so simple, but the more he dug the more complicated it
became, with tradition, politics, corruption and even self doubt slowing the process to a
crawl.

Calvin added "As I understand it the A.I.D.S. epidemic in Africa is effectively wiping out the middle strata of the population, causing economic melt down as the dependants i.e. the young and the old are putting more and more strain of the economical capabilities of the government of Kenya and other African countries. This in turn makes the country less economically capable of running essential services, and in turn leads to poverty, completing the downward spiral. The major contributing factor is the isolated nature of some of the population, in both rural and urban districts. So the education in disease avoidance and the checking on the general heath of the remote tribes, reporting results back via mobile internet, seem to be a feasible long term solution to the suffering that they have to endure now."

The plan

The initial plan was to put together blueprints for a mobile clinic, and take it to the local area
and teach the native people the skills to build it, using local materials and local labour, generating with it local benefits. Sadly, the pressing need to survive massively outweighs the need to build complex vehicles, and it soon became clear that this idea could not yet work as intended.

A transport system which could deliver the educational, clinical and blood testing facilities,
whilst coping with the terrain of the Kenyan Bush, does actually exist but it is either too small
or too big and too expensive. So Calvin has set out to research and develop a system to do the job, combining the best from both of the existing systems.

Motorcycles

The Riders for Health operate a courier service which greatly speeds up the testing of blood
samples on a very reasonable cost per head basis. The self supporting financial nature of this operation is paramount to the success of their whole project. They do a fantastic job, but there is only so much you can do with a motorcycle.

Trucks

Trucks do have the interior space to accommodate the testing, clinical inspections and storage, but at hundreds of thousands of pounds in both capital and operational expenditure, meaning all but the richest countries could not afford this option. Munching fuel and consumables at an alarming rate, devastating the bush as it passes through. So the truck is not the ideal method, which is why it hasn’t been universally taken up.

Sitting between these two existing methods is a third option, a lighter, cheaper, better, bigger, tougher all together more suitable solution, the Off Road Artic. It benefits from increased grip from the Semi Trailer applying traction as an when the coupling is under load. As opposed to a standard trailer which has the opposite effect of lifting the steering wheels under load. Calvin looked at all the available vehicles for conversion, and the one which shone over and above the rest was the Land Rover Defender. Its modular construction made it ideal. Its capacity as a road train is unrivalled and so the two Hi-Capacity 110 and 130 variants were chosen for their gross train weight of 6,550kg - more than enough for the task.

There is another contender for the crown in the shape of the much larger Toyota Tundra which for political reasons is more palatable to some Non-Government Organisations but the smaller Land Rover derivative is the ideal choice.

Standard or custom drive train

So 6x6 or standard 4x4? Well its just a matter of economics. The 6x6 option with the extra driven axle comes in at a hefty 10k conversion cost with the extra weight coming directly off the GTW, negatives not entirely recovered by the positive of the extra grip available. Also after creating a full size three dimensional model of both formats and running them both over an obstacle course, the horrendous problem of ground clearance inherent with traversing
difficult terrain became clear. It was obvious that there was no semi trailer which could cope or offer these clearances so the Vipex design team created one. Of course it does have its limits, but a managed system will have local knowledge, making this system able to shave days and even weeks off a tour of duty by driving straight to the venue rather than having to find roads to it.

The Vipex HMA

The HMA is a Lightweight Articulated Tractor Unit, which is an Off Road capable 4x4 with a lightweight structurally reinforced Semi-Trailer. This combination has been specifically designed to carry high volumes with low mass across rough terrain whilst resisting accident damage and the heat of the desert. It has a two inch suspension lift with upgraded capacity, skids and body armour to protect it from rocks. With its small dimensions, it can also negotiate small tracks and even shallow rivers with no special preparation.

Available in Truck Cab or Crew Cab configurations, the HMA differs from any other truck available with its ability to climb and descend at near impossible angles. This is made possible with the clearances between tractor and trailer. Created to be robust and effective, the HMA Venturer range has has the ability to transform and adapt to become all things to all users. The off-road semi-trailer system, utilising a modified 110 or 130 Defender tractor unit, provides an evolutionary and dynamic transportation alternative.

Vipex HMA

The Vipex LWA

The LWA is a small tractor unit which would spend the majority of it's time on the road, but still retains it's 4x4 drive system, making it operable in snow and ice. It has shed the armour of the HMA to allow greater load capacity. It also runs at standard height to lower the centre of gravity. Its Semi-Trailers are aerodynamic and again have shed their protective layers to achieve greater carrying capacity. It has a gross train weight of 7,000kg and an estimated unladen weight of just 3,600kg. Retaining its 4x4 system does allow it to run across rough terrain. Available in Truck Cab or Crew Cab configurations, The Vipex LWA range is perfect for organisations like the emergency services to reach incidents which were previously inaccessible.

Vipex LWA