19/12/19: Sherp The Ark Amphibious Vehicle: Offroad Without Limits

The history of the Sherp ATV begins like many others of one of its kind Vehicle as a whimsy. The Russian inventor Alexei Garagashyan originally developed the Sherp just for himself. As a conqueror of everything, who thanks to huge off-road tires with low air pressure can move forward on every imaginable surface. Swamp, water, sand, snow - the Sherp drives.

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More Information about SHERP: https://www.esc.guide/sherp

With this original model Garagashyan made a name for himself in the international scene in a very short time, especially in the USA the idea - supported by some trade fair appearances - was extremely well received. The Sherp went into series production and is now officially sold in 55 countries worldwide.

Because the transport capacity of the Sherp ATV is manageable, the manufacturer now came up with a new idea. Probably also inspired by the Swedish tracked vehicle Hägglund with a comparable drive concept, a large, three-axle trailer was developed according to the specifications of the Sherp: A waterproof tub accommodates the axle carriers, the middle of the three axles is driven directly via a power take-off of the towing vehicle and the two outer axles are chain-driven energized. A hydraulic system between the two vehicles helps with the steering work.

Sherp the Ark with ten driven wheels

In this way, 'Sherp the Ark', the name of the new all-rounder, is a 10x10: tendriven wheels on five axles, all in the gigantic format of the towing vehicle. The huge off-road rubbers, which were specially developed in Russia for boggy vehicles, fulfill several tasks. Due to the huge contact surface in connection with extremely low air pressure, they reduce the ground pressure of the transport vehicle to a minimum. The Sherp the Ark does not sink deep into snow, sand or bottomless mud, so it can dig itself over any surface.

In addition, the ten wheels in the water serve as a buoyancy aid, so to speak as swimming rings. And the paddle wheel profile also serves as a drive in the water, so the Sherp the Ark can swim at a maximum speed of 6 km /h. This is of course primarily intended for calm waters, in the sea with waves or on fast flowing waters the amphibious vehicle would have problems arriving against the current. The Sherp is steered like a tracked vehicle via two steering levers: brake one side, drive the other, off it goes around the curve.

The load version of the Sherp with the 6x6 trailer is also driven by an industrial engine of the Japanese manufacturer Kubote. The diesel drive has a manageable 44 hp from a 1.5 liter displacement, its strengths lie elsewhere: The machine is extremely robust and fail-safe as well as extremely economical. Sherp promises up to 82 hours of operation on one tank of fuel. The driving speed overland is also limited, Sherp the Ark can manage a maximum of 30 km /h, ten km /h less than the solo towing vehicle. But frenzy is not an option wherever this vehicle is used.

Sherp the Ark reaches 3.4 tons of payload with the new trailer, which is considerable. Especially since the vehicle remains fully suitable for swimming even when the entire payload is used and does not lose any of its off-road capabilities. Sherp only mentions tariffs for “the Ark” on request, but since the solo vehicle is supposed to cost around 70,000 euros, no bargain price is to be expected.