Bedford Amphitruck

The Amphitruck is a British 4x4 amphibious load carrier rated at 3,000 kg. It was designed as a low-cost amphibious conversion of an existing road truck. The prototype was based on the Bedford MJ 1120.

Design

The conversion uses a glass-reinforced plastic hull divided into separate watertight compartments, which limits water sloshing across the hull. Afloat, the truck is driven by a propeller and steered by a rudder linked to the steering wheel. The axles have differential locks and the front axle has free-wheeling hubs for use on hard roads. The truck floats in 1 m of water and its draught increases by about 100 mm for each tonne of load.

Maintenance access was designed in. The cab can be removed for transport or tilted as an option, floor and side panels come off, and the engine can be reached through panels under the hull and through removable wheel arches. Every part, including the chassis, can be removed. The prototype ran on 15.00 x 20 tyres, but later vehicles were to use 11.00 x 20.

The firm offered complete trucks or conversions of customers' own vehicles. Equipment included full lighting, bilge pumps, built-in buoyancy, an electric winch, canopy, anchor and keel cooling. Other base trucks could be converted and 6x6 versions were possible. Planned roles included cargo carrier and working or ferry platform.

Specifications (Mark 3)

The Mark 3 weighs about 5,000 kg and carries 3,000 kg or more, depending on water conditions. It is 9.2 m long and 2.46 m wide, with a 5.5 x 2.1 m load area and seats for two or three in the cab. Its Bedford diesel gives 103 hp at 2,600 rpm; the prototype's standard Bedford diesel gave 95 hp. Top speed is 90 km/h on land and 12.5 km/h in water.

A surviving example

A 1978 Amphi-Truck with a fibreglass hull and a single diesel engine was later advertised for sale in Scotland. It had been overhauled in 1997, with a new main gearbox and transfer box, and had since been used to carry supplies to an island off Scotland's west coast.