The Roadless 109" or 'Forest Rover'
Around the end of the 1950s the Hounslow company Roadless Traction focused its attention on the Land Rover. The Forestry Commission was having some difficulty with its use of conventional Land Rovers, which were prone to getting stuck on rutted forest tracks and were hampered by fallen trees in cross-country use. The Machinery Research Officer for the Forestry Commission, Colonel Shaw, suggested that tractor-type 25 X 70cm/ 10 X 28in wheels should be fitted to the Land Rover. A prototype was built and evaluated in the Alice Holt Forest in Hampshire, England. The machine had potential but required further development in order to be viable. A 109 inch wheelbase Land Rover was despatched to Roadless for a redesigned and properly engineered conversion to be effected. Roadless used a combination of components to make the machine functional: it retained the original gear-and transfer boxes and coupled them to a pair of Studebaker axles with GKN-Kirkstall planetary hub reductions and the same tractor type wheels that had been used before. The front axle has a track 35cm/14in wider than the rear in order to give sufficient steering lock to retain the vehicle's manoeuvrability. The turning circle was approximately 12m/40ft. In order to accommodate the large wheels and tyres, the normal Land Rover front wings were removed and replaced with huge flat wings while the rear ones were fabricated in the manner of tractor rear wheel arches. With the change in gear ratios and wheel diameter the complete machine was capable of approximately 48kph/30mph. This machine was despatched to the Forestry Commission's test site at the Alice Holt Forest.
Roadless prepared a second prototype that was sent to the Special Projects Department of Rover. It was thoroughly tested, reportedly at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) cross-country course at Lindley. Roadless made some further modifications to the Land Rover, including strengthening the chassis and altering the axle clearances, and after a couple of years of tests, Rover approved the conversion.
An early Roadless 109" 'Forest Rover'
This approval meant that the converted Land Rover could be marketed as the Roadless 109 from 1961. In December of the same year the 2.25 litre petrol engined model retailed at £1558 and the diesel variant at £1658. A special pick-up body was listed as an extra at £172. The Roadless was capable of returning 16kpg/10mpg and had a 68 litre/15 gallon tank. Tests showed that the machine understeered when cornering at 24kph/15mph. The steering was found to be heavy at low speeds (and a little agitated at 'high' speeds). The machine was very capable of deep wading. This latter fact was one of the features that Roadless Traction Ltd mentioned in its advertisements, also pointing out that the wide track ensured stability on side slopes : a useful asset for forestry work. The Land Rover project was something of a side-show for Roadless, as only around 20 examples were produced. Roadless were also known for their pioneering work on half-track vehicle technology and 4x4 tractor conversions.
Robert Williams Wrote:
The rover shown on your site, BNB 615 B is from the rheidol hydro scheme in mid wales.
It was used by all departments, especialy the electrical department for line repairs up in the mountains of plymlumon.
I myself having driven it many times, I can tell you that it was capable of 40mph on the road if you could hold on to the steering wheel.
It is in C.E.G.B. livery.
Roadless 109" 'Forest Rover' BNB 615 B.
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More Pictures
Roadless 109" 'Forest Rover' Pic. D Neeson Driffield 2008.
