Eight-wheel drive , often notated as 8WD or 8×8 , is a drivetrain configuration that allows all eight wheels of an eight-wheeled vehicle to be drive wheels simultaneously. Unlike four-wheel drive drivetrains, the configuration is largely confined to heavy-duty off-road and military vehicles, such as armored vehicles , tractor units or all-terrain vehicles such as the Argo Avenger .
12-561: The BTR-3 is an eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier developed in 2000 and 2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, Adcom Systems of Abu-Dhabi, UAE, and the State Scientific Technical Centre of Artillery & Rifle Arms of Ukraine. Although somewhat similar in appearance to
24-478: A maximum speed of 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph). One engine drives the four wheels on the left of the truck, while the other engine drives the four wheels on the right. The ZIL-135 has eight wheel drive, but only the front and rear axles are used for steering. It has a maximum cruising range of 500 kilometres (310 mi). The cab of the ZIL-135 is NBC protected, allowing the rockets to be fired without exposing
36-471: A vehicle only has eight wheels by definition all are driven. When it has twelve – with two pairs of dual wheels on each rear axle – all are also driven but the 8×8 designation remains. Very occasionally, the two front axles are fitted with dual wheels, such as on the Sterling T26 . For most military applications where traction/mobility are considered more important than payload, single wheels on each axle are
48-486: Is versatile, but can also be used with another turret. BTR-3DA has BM-3M Shturm-M weapon station armed with ZTM-1 30mm autocannon, KT-7,62 machine gun, KBA-117 30mm grenade launcher, six smoke grenade launchers 902B Tucha, and ATGM system, Barrier. The standard equipment of the BTR-3U also includes hydraulically amplified powered steering on the front four road wheels and a central tire-pressure regulation system that allows
60-585: The Soviet Union starting in 1959. Its purpose was to carry and launch a Luna-M ( NATO : Frog-7) surface-to-surface artillery rocket . The ZIL-135 was widely exported to other communist countries, most notably North Korea , where it is a common sight in films and military marches. It also served as the TEL for the BM-27 Uragan artillery rocket system. This vehicle has two gasoline engines that power its 20 tonnes to
72-569: The Deutz AG and the Allison Transmission companies. The engine compartment is fitted with an automatic double-action fire extinguishing system. The vehicle is fully amphibious , propelled when afloat by a single water jet mounted at the rear of the hull . To prepare the vehicle for water, the driver erects a trim vane and switches on the bilge pumps from within the vehicle. The troop compartment accommodates six soldiers who enter and leave
84-535: The Soviet BTR-80 , the BTR-3U is an all-new production vehicle rather than an update of the existing in-service vehicle. The BTR-3U is fitted with the one-person KBA-105 "Shkval" unified fighting module which can accommodate 30mm gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, 30mm automatic grenade launcher and anti-tank guided weapons. This module was developed by the State Scientific Technical Centre of Artillery & Rifle Arms of Ukraine. The Shkval fighting module design
96-498: The driver to adjust the tire-pressure to suit the terrain being crossed. The BTR-3U is fitted with French Michelin tires . The BTR-3U engine compartment consists of a Deutz BF6M1015 diesel developing 326 hp coupled to an Allison MD3066 fully automatic transmission. The power pack and transmission are fitted by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau with the technical assistance of
108-581: The front pair steering . Occasionally a single front and three rear (tridem) axles are seen, an example being the Oshkosh M1070 tank transporter . In such configurations, the frontmost and rearmost axle usually steer. Other wheel groupings include that of the ZIL-135 . Many wheeled armored vehicles have an 8x8 drivetrain, with the axles (which usually have independent suspension) more evenly spaced. Latest generation 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles have steering on
120-454: The norm. On some vehicles, usually recovery trucks or heavy tractor units , the rear axles will have wider tires than the front axles. Heavy hauler and ballast tractor 8×8s have had a long history as prime movers in both the military (as tank transports and artillery tractors ), as well as commercially in logging and heavy equipment hauling both on- and off-road. Most eight-wheel drive trucks have two front and two rear axles, with only
132-463: The rearmost axle to improve maneuverability. In the case of both truck and armored vehicle applications, drive may be limited to the rear two axles for on-road use, thus reducing drivetrain stress and tire wear, and increasing fuel efficiency . ZIL-135 The ZIL-135 is a large eight-wheeled military transport and self-propelled artillery truck manufactured by ZiL during the Cold War from
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#1732924305854144-409: The vehicle by a door in either side of the hull. The lower part of the door folds downward to form a step, with the upper part opening forwards. There are also hatches in the roof and firing ports with associated vision devices provided in the sides and front of the vehicle. An air conditioning system is fitted as standard to ensure crew comfort in hot conditions. Eight-wheel drive When such
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