From: Bjorn Brandstedt (super_deuce@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Dec 06 2004 - 04:56:15 PST
Ref: Swedish Valp
If anyone needs help with translations (labels data tags, instructions
etc.), I'm fluent.
Regards,
Bjorn
>From: Jack <milveh@sbcglobal.net>
>To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>Subject: [MV] Valp vs Mog vs. Pinz
>Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 20:52:37 -0800 (PST)
>
>First, we have to be sure we're comparing apples to
>apples. Basically my "opinion" is regarding the Valp
>4X4 troop carrier v similar weight and size Mog and
>Pinz. The SUMB mentioned earlier is a whole different
>class, more like a deuce than a Valp.
>
>Remember, this is just my opinion and I am speaking
>off the top, from memory....
>
>The original canvas topped L3314, nicknamed the Valp
>(Swedish for Puppy) has a rugged axle configuration
>that is basically the same as the American CJ-5
>Willys. Simplicity and durability at its best, a
>hallmark of the Valp.
>
>The engine, either the B18 (first in service) or the
>B20 a slightly higher HP version that was a simple a
>drop in replacement were perfect for the Valp. Volvo
>had been building this cross country race pr oven
>engine for years, so it was a natural for the Valp.
>
>The unique body style with 5 entry points, is
>virtually the same length as an M38 jeep yet holds
>twice the cargo/passenger area, thanks to a cab
>forward design and a well placed engine between and to
>the rear of, the two front seats. Then 4 cyl., OHV,
>engine location made for better balance, more
>efficient use of space and protection from frontal
>impacts.
>
>If you look closely at the prototype of the very first
>USA Mule built around 1957 you will see striking
>similarities to the Valp. Lift up to unhinge and
>remove the Valps small steel doors and take a look,
>you have what is a dead ringer for the very first
>Mule. Unfortunately the design was ahead of its time
>and soldiers like the secure feeling of placing the
>engine forward of the passengers so that design was
>never used by the USA. But, it was a design that
>married simplicity superior form and function.
>
>Ask any US soldier who was lucky enough to drive one
>as part of the UN forces in Germany during the 60s,
>which 4X4 they preferred, a Mog or a Valp? It was no
>contest, Valp's won hands down and in almost all
>categories on the proving ground too.
>
>Give a young soldier a manual, a screw driver and an
>adjustable spanner and he could field repair most
>things on a Valp. However, mechanical failures were
>very rare on this slightly overbuilt and slightly
>underpowered vehicle. Volvo's reputation of building
>vehicles that last and in all sort of climate extremes
>was never better exemplified than in the Valp.
>
>The irony here is the first Valp mock up was built in
>about 30 days with the full functioning prototype
>beating the competition on the obstacle course a few
>months after that. I can't think any other more
>successful vehicle that was designed from scratch to
>entering competition in such a short time.
>
>The Valp's 4 speed gearbox with hi-lo and locks
>will take it from highway speeds, about 58-60 mph down
>to a 4 wheel crawl. It's been said that it a Valp
>could get the traction it would likely go straight up.
> However, I think its rated at a 40 percent grade, if
>memory serves me.
>
>Coming and going thru ditches is made simply by the
>extreme angle between the leading front and absolute
>trailing edge of rear wheels v placement front and
>rear bumpers.
>
>Nobody else in the world had a better designed or more
>capable vehicle when the first Valp rolled off the
>assembly line. It was an absolutely marvel of
>engineering. Consider this, with just a small bit of
>prep a well balanced Valp could be floated or actually
>driven on water. I've seen it or I wouldn't have
>believed it. The flooring is totally sealed and the
>rust proofing employed was so thick you barely cut
>down to steel with a knife.
>
>Later models of the Valp added more horsepower and
>reduction gears like the Pinz for more clearance, but
>the original design concept is still visible.
>
>The Pinz and Mog incorporate much of the outward
>appearing design of the Valp, but the similarity ends
>there. Both vehicles, Mogs and Pinz are mechanical
>marvels and if you are a mechanical marvel you can
>repair them, but if you do not have a PHD in MOG and
>PINZ servicing, you better send them to somebody that
>can handle their complexities. I have to admit,
>breakage in such vehicles is rare, but nothing
>mechanical is safe from the whims of the teenage
>enlisted in anyones army.
>
>In closing, the Valp was built in extreme haste to
>meet a deadline for a government contract, yet it was
>still expertly crafted. It should also be noted the
>Valp was the little 4X4 that saved Volvo from
>financial ruin in 1960-61, a pretty good story in
>itself.
>
>
>
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