The Tatra 815 and its extreme positive camber. No, it's not broken.
Posted by StrategyMore5356@reddit | WeirdWheels | View on Reddit | 81 comments
Posted by StrategyMore5356@reddit | WeirdWheels | View on Reddit | 81 comments
heilhortler420@reddit
Im guessing thats for extremely heavy loads or for offroading
Ponklemoose@reddit
Yeah, I’m guessing the swing axles are stronger and cheaper than the fancier independent systems were used to.
heilhortler420@reddit
That looks like some form of ex-soviet plate so most likely just cheaper
Most modern HGVs run air suspension now mostly for stabillity
Ponklemoose@reddit
It is a soviet era design, so the design would be older and cruder.
tula23@reddit
Tatra has been using swing axles since 1911 (in Austria-Hungary) and still does. Not because it’s cheaper but to allow for an ultra-reliable impediment suspension without the use of universal joints
Ponklemoose@reddit
I'm curious: other swing axle designs all seem to use some manner of U-joint in the inboard end of the axle. How does Tatra get around that?
If they are using one, then I question the virtue of not having a second.
I'd also suggest that if getting rid of u-joints is important then something like the Unimog's live portal axles are probably better than a swing axle.
But those two options are more expensive to manufacture than a swing axle. However the Soviets didn't have nearly the same fraction of their roads paved as the west, so that offsets one big disadvantage of a swing axle.
scaled2913@reddit
Tatra gets around the inner U joint by using only gears. A gear on the central driveshaft is coupled directly to each outgoing axle at the axles pivot point. It's pretty ingenious!
PanVidla@reddit
I was in Estonia two years ago and visited a museum that had mostly old Soviet cars in it. Even the copies of American muscle cars from the 1950's and 60's (for the top ranking members of the party only, of course) had crazy high ride height, so they were nearly as tall as me. It was to brave the badly maintained, mostly unpaved roads.
JCDU@reddit
Tatra are still making them like this - a central tubular backbone that's super strong, the driveshafts run down the centre and it's modular - you can add/remove axles or tubes to vary the length.
It doesn't twist off-road like a regular truck and they are generally tough as hell - they have a good record in the Dakar and are beloved of the off-road Truck Trial crowd.
TheVojta@reddit
Many off-road, military and firefighting vehicles are running Tatra chassis today, but sure, go off
heilhortler420@reddit
And are doing to be much newer than the rickets truck pictured
Kriffer123@reddit
My understanding is the backbone and swing axle system starts out relatively expensive but is incredibly easy to scale up. I’m not sure you can really find a fully independent setup for this kind of vehicle outside of some niche military trucks, but it’s probably cheaper per vehicle than an Oshkosh MTVR? Every axle is driven and has locking differentials, standard order vehicles range(d?) from 4x4 to 12x12 afaik but they can get even bigger:
Kotvic2@reddit
This one has leaf spring suspension, so it has camber like this when it is "empty" and opposite camber when it is overloaded.
Also, Tatra trucks are among the best off-road trucks available on the market. They are also able to build you special trucks for your needs. More driven axles? More steering axles? Steering driven axles? 10 driven axles, where 6 of them are steerable? 25m long truck? No problem for Tatra.
Look at this Truck Trial video (or search for more on YouTube): https://youtu.be/b1URimqHiNM
or look at photo gallery there: https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/ekonomika/auto/extremni-vozy-tatra/r~ed873196a63b11ee82b7ac1f6b220ee8/
Atrus2g@reddit
Ty for the link 🫡
JCDU@reddit
Look up Tatra 813 / 815 off-road on youtube, they are insanely capable and tough.
TheKayakingPyro@reddit
Both
HorizonSniper@reddit
Many Tatras are like this. It's a quirk of its construction
restingracer@reddit
Why they are still doing it I don't understand, straight axles are better for payload and simpler. And if extreme offroad community everyone also everyone uses straight axles. Tatra have been stubborn for century, if they made a standard passanger vehicle, not a air cooled V8 lump in the rear up to 00s, I bet they would still be making cars. Same goes for trucks, the usage is unclear and I don't see a benefit in general application
Parker55555@reddit
,
Not_another_DL88p155@reddit
This type of rig was in a old school Jean Claude Van Danm movie, can't remember which one. Anyway the rig goes off a jump and you get to see the underside of the chassy and suspension and the camber looks like something from back to the future.
RowdyCOT@reddit
Universal Soldier
E28forever@reddit
Van Damme…
T5-R@reddit
Universal Soldier?
WhyWouldYouBother@reddit
I used to see that rig at the junkyard all the time back in the day https://manlymovie.net/2020/05/a-look-back-at-universal-soldier-truck.html
T5-R@reddit
Such a cool looking truck. those offroading style wheels really help set it off.
Not_another_DL88p155@reddit
I think that's it. I was like 10 but vividly remember that scene, and explosions.
ChampionshipCool4614@reddit
May be you are referring to a yellow truck from Double team, where it jumps over a train?
Dolstruvon@reddit
The war rig from Mad Max fury road was also a Tatra actually
Camblor@reddit
Yeah with different hubcaps
resistBat@reddit
You can see the swing axles moving in this shot here
resistBat@reddit
These things are nuts mechanically. The driveshaft for the rear pair of wheels runs inside the driveshaft for the middle left wheel, which runs inside the shaft for the middle right wheel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAXoiSQUCJc
HenshinHero11@reddit
I fucking love Czechnology.
MeltingDog@reddit
Someone once described Czech car development like Madagascar. Broke away from the main continent early on and developed all these weird things in isolation.
ArcticBiologist@reddit
Was that the one that was so aerodynamically advanced, that it went faster than the suspension could handle and killed a bunch of nazi officers as a result?
resistBat@reddit
I think it was mostly a product of the giant air cooled V8 in the back - a tradition they continued until the end of the production of the 700 in 1999.
MeltingDog@reddit
Yep. Good design but tail heavy causing issues with understeer.
Seibert-@reddit
r/brandnewsentence
MisterDings@reddit
C3chnokogia czechnologia czechnologia
Cauvinus@reddit
That’s my favorite new word today.
RecentRegal@reddit
It looks to be a single drive shaft with 4 drive gears/power take offs, one for each axle. I’m not seeing the driveshaft in a driveshaft in a driveshaft you mention…
resistBat@reddit
They all act as one shaft if the differentials are locked, but they need to be able to move independently otherwise.
YourLastFate@reddit
The purple and pinks are the takeoffs. They spin on the exterior, correct, driven by the green planetary’s, but the green planetary’s are all driven by the same central output/drive shaft in orange. In theory, you could extend the orange central driveshaft and add additional axles by just attaching more planetary’s to it. Still all drawing its power from the same outlet shaft though.
E28forever@reddit
This guy shafts.
AnonOldGuy3@reddit
Single tube frame. All the mechanic inside the tube.
Modo44@reddit
Time to service anything: Yes.
Sapper12D@reddit
I needed that video to actually comprehend wtf you were saying.
That is insane. Thanks
racinjason44@reddit
That's insane. There has to be simpler ways to do that, right?
Modo44@reddit
This is the simplest, actually. The high camber comes from not including wheel levelling in the design, thus lowering its complexity.
hattori_h@reddit
Simpler? Yes. Better? Not really.
iowajosh@reddit
https://youtu.be/b1URimqHiNM?si=BHfA9Oz656uXQGoT
But look what it can do. Holy crap.
GlockAF@reddit
Awesome video, thanks for posting the link. Hard to believe the entire suspension is airbagged
Red_Icnivad@reddit
Ironically, the version in the video you shared has air suspension, which does not have the camber problem that earlier spring suspension versions did.
BBQQA@reddit
That's WILD, thanks for posting that.
firmly_confused@reddit
Thats pretty neat, looks expensive to fix.
airfryerfuntime@reddit
Apparently they're not too bad because it's all modular. You can take out a chunk and just replace it.
sarg7ant@reddit
what a mess!!!!
ralph442000@reddit
Wow, that’s the coolest thing I’m going to see all day! Thanks for sharing!
berkakar@reddit
this tech is a work of art.
berkakar@reddit
fun fact: ferdinand porsche stole beetle design from tatra, then tatra filed a lawsuit, then hitler occupied czechoslovakia.
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Tatra and Praga were always weird with air cooled engines, positive chamber, and unusually good off-road preformance.
They basically went against the mainstream of modifying a good road truck to be an off-roader. Instead they made a true off-roader modified to be roadworthy for users outside mining, forestry and military use.
the_crazy_pigeon_1@reddit
Wait till you see what cars they made, in my opinion Tatra made the coolest cars behind the iron curtain. Sad they don't make anymore cars honestly.
xqk13@reddit
I love Tatra, they also somehow made a Euro 5 air cooled diesel engine, they are likely the last manufacturer still focusing on air cooled truck engines
PandaCasserole@reddit
Got to go to their museum and even a mine to watch them compete. These are my Family's favorite vehicles. Sooo awesome. And so many weird vehicles that they have produced.
DaTwistedAnimator@reddit
God i love the Tatra Phoenix, and Tatra's in general!
A_Line_A_Day@reddit
Which family has a favourite vehicle?
Global_Number_1387@reddit
very idiotic term to use-weird... you mean unique and highly capable or specific
yodas_sidekick@reddit
Very idiotic way to interact with people… you are being a jerk for no reason.
JP147@reddit
I don’t know about this exact truck but others I have seen of this model have air bag suspension which will automatically level out so normally there isn’t much camber.
yowhywouldyoudothat@reddit
Wouldn’t that just obliterate those tires?
ciko2283@reddit
It's not really a truck you drive on a highway. It's made for extreme terrain like mud, sand...
RandomflyerOTR@reddit
Let me guess. Swing axles? That's a trademark of Czech vehicles
Dr1ver4@reddit
Correct. They're built with a modularcentral tube/backbone chassis with swing axles
1453_@reddit
A few local fat chicks in the cab will even it out.
Maleficent-Door6461@reddit
its probably designed to be like that for heavy loads, that container probably isnt very heavy
PaddyBoy1994@reddit
Yep. You got it.
sodium_hydride@reddit
I've noticed the same thing with Tatra's military 6x6 and 8x8 trucks as well.
ScottaHemi@reddit
I thought that goes away when it's loaded?
Maleficent-Door6461@reddit
it likely does when its loaded with more than 10k pounds lol
BadWolfRU@reddit
It should have a normal camber when fully loaded, also for this Tatra if you flatten one of the front wheels you just dismount it and continue driving at 5 wheels
StrategyMore5356@reddit (OP)
It’s not broken, it’s just the swing axle suspension doing its thing. For anyone interested in the engineering quirk (it has no frame rails, just a central tube!), here is a breakdown of how it works: https://youtu.be/sYrENCm-x6I?si=kP6Qacc5xbWxh0tG
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