All Terrain Transport Vehicle

An all terrain transport vehicle is specified by the route rather than by the load. The machines in this range are built for tracks that are not maintained, crossings that flood in winter, and sections where the surface changes three times between the loading point and the tip. All four configurations here share the same frame, the same axles and the same body, so the differences are in the engine, the drive, the cab and how many tyres the machine runs on. This page sets out what each of those means on difficult ground.

What all-terrain means on a real route

The label is less useful than a description of the route. A machine working an unmade track across a field has a different problem from one crossing a rocky dry riverbed, and both differ from one working a site where the surface is soft because it has been worked wet. The questions worth answering before ordering are whether the route is soft, loose, rocky or steep, how much of it is level, and whether there is a section that floods. Those answers settle the tyres, the drive and the ground clearance more reliably than the name of the machine.

The front axle clutch and when it helps

Two of the four configurations — the 10.Upgraded and the 7.Upgraded — have a front axle clutch, which lets the driver disengage the front axle when the ground does not need it. On a route that alternates between a firm track and a soft section, that is the difference between a machine that wears its front tyres and driveline every day and one that only uses them when there is something to gain. On a route that is soft from end to end, the clutch is simply not used, and that is not a reason to avoid the configuration.

Four tyres or six

Tyre count is the clearest split in the range. The 10.Upgraded, the 12.Standard and the 7.Upgraded run four 700-16 mountain tyres; the 8.Luxury runs six. Six contact patches spread the weight across more ground, which is what keeps a loaded machine moving on soft fill and what limits the damage it does to the surface it crosses. Four tyres turn tighter and are easier to move between sites. On genuinely soft ground the six-wheel machine is the one that finishes the route rather than the one that has to be recovered.

Engines: three ratings across four machines

The engine choice is narrow here and easy to make. The 7.Upgraded and the 8.Luxury use a single-cylinder 28 hp diesel, the 10.Upgraded a single-cylinder 32 hp, and the 12.Standard a two-cylinder 38 hp. On a route that is difficult rather than long, the engine matters less than the drive and the tyres, because the limit is what the ground will carry rather than what the engine will pull. The two-cylinder is the one to specify where the route is long as well as difficult, or where the machine works a full day loaded.

Drive arrangements

Three of the four use a full-time gearbox with four-wheel drive: the 10.Upgraded, the 12.Standard and the 7.Upgraded. The 8.Luxury uses a part-time gearbox selectable between two- and four-wheel drive. Full-time drive suits a machine that is on difficult ground from the moment it leaves the yard, and it removes the decision from the driver. Selectable drive suits a machine that travels a firm road before reaching the difficult section. All four carry high and low range with a crawler gear.

What the four share

The shared platform is most of the machine. All four sit on the reinforced 60 x 140 mm square tube frame with a rear body 2.2 m long by 1.5 m wide and 0.45 m high, a front axle 212 and a rear axle 130, and a tailgate with a self-dumping function. Hydraulic power steering, twin hydraulic rams, a two-person comfort seat and twin-battery electric start are fitted across the range. That commonality is useful to a buyer with more than one machine, because the parts shelf and the service routine are the same whichever configuration is on site.

Brakes, cabs and the one air-braked machine

Three of the four use oil brakes and the 8.Luxury uses air cut-off brakes. On difficult ground with a loaded body, the practice matters as much as the hardware: plan the descent before the load goes in, choose the gear on the way up, and use the engine and the crawler gear on the way down. Cab specification splits three ways — a fully enclosed cab on the 10.Upgraded and the 7.Upgraded, an enclosed cab on the 8.Luxury, and a simple cab on the 12.Standard — and follows the hours and the weather rather than the terrain.

Crossing soft ground and shallow water

Soft ground is crossed rather than attacked. The technique that works is to keep the machine moving, to use low range rather than wheelspin, and to plan the route so a loaded machine is never required to restart on the worst section. Shallow water deserves the same caution: walk the crossing first if it is unfamiliar, cross slowly and steadily rather than fast, and check the brakes afterwards, because wet brakes do not respond the way dry ones do for the first few applications.

Steep sections and loaded descents

On steep ground the loaded descent is the part that deserves planning. Choose the gear on the way up, keep the machine in low range on the way down, and let the engine do the work rather than the brakes. A loaded machine should never be relying on its brakes alone on a loose surface. Where a route has a steep section that is used every day, grading it is worth more than any specification change, and it is usually the difference between a route that works and one that is abandoned after rain.

Working away from the yard

A machine on a remote route carries its own support. The checks that matter before leaving are tyre condition and pressures, fluid levels, brake response and the tailgate latch, and the driver should know what the machine will do if the route turns out worse than expected. Carrying a means of recovery is common sense on soft ground, and agreeing in advance who to call is the part that is usually forgotten until it is needed.

The tailgate and where the load lands

The body is lifted by twin hydraulic rams on every configuration, which is what allows a load that has shifted to one side to be lifted without twisting the body — and on a rough route, a load that has shifted is the normal case. Every configuration has a tailgate with a self-dumping function, and the 8.Luxury adds a side-opening tailgate, which lets the driver place material along an edge or into a trench instead of leaving a heap that has to be moved again.

Suspension and bonnet

Heavy-duty leaf springs are specified on the 8.Luxury, which is the machine carrying the larger body count of tyres and the air cut-off brakes. Springs matter more on difficult ground than on a smooth one, because a loaded body landing after a rough crossing puts an impact into the frame rather than a steady weight. Bonnet shape splits as well: the 12.Standard keeps the round-nose bonnet and the other three use the square-nose, which is the panel a driver sights over when placing the machine.

Daily checks after a hard route

A machine working difficult ground needs the walk-around more than one on a smooth site. At the start of each shift: the body and ram mountings, the hydraulic hoses where they run past the body, tyre condition and pressures, brake response and fluid levels, and the tailgate latch. Air filtration needs more frequent attention in dust, and after a water crossing the brakes should be checked before the machine is loaded. Those checks are what keep a remote machine working rather than stranded.

Parts, service and one driveline across a fleet

Because the four configurations share a platform, a buyer running more than one of them has one parts shelf and one service routine regardless of which machine is on site. The engine brand and the axle pattern are what decide how easily a machine is supported, and components the local network already carries are serviced from stock rather than ordered in. Where a fault is harder to find, remote diagnosis shortens it, since a walk-around on video with the panels open usually identifies the cause without waiting for a visit.

Packing, papers and pre-shipment checks

For export orders, packed dimensions, securing points and any dismantling required are settled before the machine leaves the factory, and the commercial invoice, the packing list and any certificate the destination requires are agreed at order stage, because papers that arrive incomplete delay clearance longer than the voyage takes. Before crating, each machine is run: the engine is brought to temperature, the tipping circuit is cycled under load, the brakes are tested with a load, and every function is checked against the build sheet that travels with it.

Which configuration to start from

The decision turns on how much of the route is difficult. A route that is soft or loose all day wants the six tyres of the 8.Luxury and, where the sections alternate, the front axle clutch of the 10.Upgraded or the 7.Upgraded. A route that is firm for most of its length and difficult at one end wants the selectable drive. Where the machine also works a long day loaded, the two-cylinder 38 hp of the 12.Standard is the one to specify.

For a specification discussion or a build sheet for this all terrain transport vehicle, contact sales@mingycn.com or reach us on LINE (ID: mingyicn).