Anyone have one of these bad boys?

[roscoe]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZQNBI5hvqM[/media]

I saw something like this on ebay a while back but it looked pretty phony. Anyone actually have one?

 

[StreetbikeDepot]

Interesting......obviously it skid steers, so what really is the purpose of the front wheel. I thought at first the track skid was controlled by the movement of the handlebar but near the end of the video you clearly see the handlebars cocked to one side while its moving straight.

 

[Stalwart]

The front wheel does help in shallow turns and for sharper turns one track starts braking. There are two of these locally but most likely less than 10 in the US. My wife has driven one, I haven't . . .

 

[roscoe]

Yea, I never quite got this setup.

 

[B3.3T]

They were developed for towing light artillery through mud and snow (Soviet Union) and perform excellently in those conditions. Awesome actually. Later, used commonly for towing aircraft on soft grass airfields. Think of it as a tow vehicle.

 

[SETOYOTA]

A few were made after the war minus the front wheel.

 

[roscoe]

They were developed for towing light artillery through mud and snow (Soviet Union) and perform excellently in those conditions. Awesome actually. Later, used commonly for towing aircraft on soft grass airfields. Think of it as a tow vehicle.

Interesting they had this idea of a small tracted vehicle back then and just within the past 10 years or so small tracted machines have become popular again.

 

[roscoe]

The front wheel does help in shallow turns and for sharper turns one track starts braking. There are two of these locally but most likely less than 10 in the US. My wife has driven one, I haven't . . .

Somehow I missed your post. Thanks for the informarion. How are the tracts controlled?

 

[Texas Manny]

That vehicle is Der Deutschen Kettenkraftrad. It was developed originally for the Luftwaffe as a means of towing their planes out from the tarmac onto the runways. They were especially helpful when the planes bogged down in the mud.

The Wehrmacht immediately saw good use for them and incorporated them into the light artillery and flak batteries. They were also used as ammunition carriers along with a host of other duties. I'd love to have one. They are awesome!

 

[jluv1185]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF2Ia1SVvUM&feature=related[/media]

Thought you would want to see one in color. LOL check out the passengers.

 

[Stalwart]

My wife had a blast on one.

 

[roscoe]

My wife had a blast on one.

Is it foot controls for the tracts? Or is it in the grips.

 

[Milbikes]

I got a ride on one at an AMCA cycle meet. It sounded just like the movie! The guy was driving it crazy, over dirt piles, through holes, it was unstoppable. He said they built it with the motorcycle front to make it more familiar and easy for the troops to drive...seeing as how many of them were trained on and used to motorcycles. He also said that the handlebar steering actually controls the tracks like a skid steer, rather than the front wheel actually steering the machine. He said they were so popular as tugs that they were allowed to produce them after the war, perhaps into the early 1950's. It was used in agriculture and was not considered a weapon, and it employed Germans at a time of financial hardship in Germany. He said the wartime versions had nastier welds (Done by young kids or women, while the experienced men were fighting). Post-war units have nice welds. The wartime ones are more valuable to collectors, but I sure would take a post-war one in a heartbeat! Now if we could get somebody to reproduce them cheaply.....

 

[roscoe]

I got a ride on one at an AMCA cycle meet. It sounded just like the movie! The guy was driving it crazy, over dirt piles, through holes, it was unstoppable. He said they built it with the motorcycle front to make it more familiar and easy for the troops to drive...seeing as how many of them were trained on and used to motorcycles. He also said that the handlebar steering actually controls the tracks like a skid steer, rather than the front wheel actually steering the machine. He said they were so popular as tugs that they were allowed to produce them after the war, perhaps into the early 1950's. It was used in agriculture and was not considered a weapon, and it employed Germans at a time of financial hardship in Germany. He said the wartime versions had nastier welds (Done by young kids or women, while the experienced men were fighting). Post-war units have nice welds. The wartime ones are more valuable to collectors, but I sure would take a post-war one in a heartbeat! Now if we could get somebody to reproduce them cheaply.....

Thats pretty interesting, I figured the tracks would be controlled with pedals. It would be neat to see it tugging something. I seen some more recent videos of it going through the mud and its impressive. The story of its post war ag use reminds me of the willys jeep.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

They were developed for towing light artillery through mud and snow (Soviet Union) and perform excellently in those conditions. Awesome actually. Later, used commonly for towing aircraft on soft grass airfields. Think of it as a tow vehicle.

Yea, I have read that the primary use was as a light tow vehicle, too.

 

[SETOYOTA]

the welds were sloppy due to the use of slave labor. Never forget how awful the Nazi were/are.