Community and Lifestyle

The OX: Could this flat-pack-truck help Aussie farmers?

James Nason 29/07/2013

The Ox is a flat pack truck designed for communities in developing countries, but could also provide a lower-cost farm workhorse option for Australian farmers in future. A rugged, all-terrain light truck designed to help people living in poverty in developing countries may also soon be available to Australian farmers seeking a durable but lower-cost alternative to existing commercial farm vehicles.

The OX is a prototype truck designed by British entrepreneur and philanthrophist Sir Torquil Norman to help communities in developing regions which are forced to collect drinking water on foot and have no way of transporting grain, fertiliser or materials to support their farming and other activities.

The OX is said to be the world’s first flat-pack truck and can be assembled upon delivery in 11.5 hours, with no special skills or equipment required.

The OX weighs 1.5 tonnes and has a payload of two tonnes. It can seat up to 13 people, carry eight 44-gallon drums, or three large pallets.

A simple power take-off can run a water pump, saw bench, or generator.

A 2.2-litre diesel engine drives the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. Suspension is independent all-around.

Most panels are interchangeable from one side to the other while the fewest possible components are used to ensure a rapid assembly process.

Doors can be bolted to either side of the vehicle. The windscreen is made of three panes, making repairs less costly, and the seats can be pulled out to double as ramps to get heavy cargo in the back or "ladders" to bridge sand that would otherwise give the wheels insufficient grip.

UK media has reported the truck will cost somewhere between £10,000 to £25,000 – (A$16,0000-A$40,000).

Sir Norman said the modern world’s car industry has never produced a vehicle designed precisely for the rugged conditions found in Africa but has instead modified and adapted pick-up trucks and other vehicles designed for use in much more benign conditions. The result has been poor handling in rough terrain, short life spans and limited carrying capacity.

Although planned and designed for developing countries, he said there has subsequently been a realisation that there is likely to be demand for fully-assembled vehicles in other markets around the world.

It is anticipated that it will appeal to farmers, estate owners and others due to its signficant carrying capacity and ability over rough terrain.

Asked if the vehicles may soon be made available in Australia, Michael Taylor, a spokesman for Sir Norman’s Global Vehicle Trust (GVT), told Beef Central that the OX is still only in prototype form and is undergoing testing in the UK.

However, while GVT’s current focus is to raise philanthropic donations to see the OX through testing and into production for communities in the developing world, the trucks may indeed be made available to commercial buyers around the world in future.

“Should sufficient demand present itself in countries like Australia it is likely that the vehicle would be made available commercially in those locations,” Mr Taylor said.

“As the Global Vehicle Trust is a not for profit organisation, any profits from such activity would be re-invested in the OX project and thus subsidise vehicles for the developing world.”

Mr Taylor said that until testing was completed he was not able to provide a firm indication of what the final selling price of the OX is likely to be.

Sir Norman’s hope is that the OX will be able to be provided to remote communities under aid funding to enable local populations to raise their community’s standard of living and to assert their independence by gaining control of transportation needs and costs.

“The OX would also be an enormous help in transporting medicines, doctors, patients and other goods, in emergencies and at times of natural disaster,” a briefing on the vehicle states.

“The OX is unique. Designed by leading British design and engineering specialists to a specification from the Norman Trust, it has been developed in a way that is unlike any other vehicle. As an all-terrain light truck it has no competitor – whether from a concept, performance or pricing point of view.”

As Australian farmers continue to struggle to make ends meet beneath a rising tide of increasing costs versus stagnating or falling incomes, a vehicle that can offer functionality and durability at a more affordable price than existing farm vehicles is likely to attract significant interest in the rural sector here. 

Key highlights of the OX:

  • With an overall length similar to an average car, it has a payload of 2000 kilos (more than twice most current pick-ups), on what is already a light vehicle weighing just 1,500 kilos.
  • Following EU size guidelines, it will seat 13 people or carry eight 44 gallon oil drums or three Euro pallets. It has a simple power take-off capable of pumping water, sawing wood or running a generator.
  • When unloaded, 73pc of the weight is over the front axle and when fully loaded 53pc is still over that axle. This contributes to excellent traction in both conditions.
  • With a robust 2.2 litre, front wheel drive, diesel engine, it is designed to be at home on the roughest terrain. It has a high ground clearance and short front and rear overhangs to tackle the steepest hills. Independent suspension allows easy transit over rough ground and an uncluttered underside to manage sand, mud and other hostile surfaces.
  • It will drive through 75cms depth of water and it has a very wide track so that it is extremely stable on badly rutted roads.
  • Simplicity in every aspect of its design is the  guiding principle of OX.  Most panels are interchangeable from one side to the other, the fewest possible components are used to give it a fast build-up time. It  takes three men approximately 5.4 hours to assemble the flat pack in the UK prior to shipping. It then takes three people 11.5 hours to assemble the vehicle from flat pack at its destination.
  • Uniquely, it is capable of being flat-packed within itself – so there is no requirement for an expensive box or individual pallets ensuring freight costs are kept to a minimum. Six OX vehicles, including engines and transmissions, will fit into a standard 40ft hi-cube container. In addition, assembly labour is transferred to the importing country, such as Africa, where local professional companies will be found to assemble and maintain the finished vehicles.


Background on The Norman Trust

The Global Vehicle Trust (GVT) has been set up as a charitable subsidiary of the Norman Trust, which was founded in 1986 by toymaker, aviator and philanthropist Torquil Norman and his wife Anne, as a charity for children and young people. Its first major project, started in 1996, was the purchase and rebuilding of the famous Roundhouse, the former engine shed in Camden town which is now known as the Paul Hamlyn Roundhouse Studios. Over the following 11 years, the trust raised over £30 million to convert the building, buy the adjacent car park and refurbish the entire complex as a centre for young people from all backgrounds to work in a wide range of the arts from music and theatre to all modern media including radio, TV production and other skills. The studios have since worked with around 35,000 young people and the Roundhouse main space has become one of London’s most popular venues.
 

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