Sisu KB-46 is a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

of a three-axle, six-wheel-driven

off-road Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

made by the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

heavy vehicle producer

Suomen Autoteollisuus Sisu Auto is a truck manufacturer based in Raseborg, Finland. Its name comes from the Finnish word ''sisu'' meaning guts, grit and determination. Sisu Auto has a subsidiary company, "Sisu Defence", producing high mobility tactical vehicles for ...

(SAT) in 1968. Its capacity is three tonnes and it was produced after an assignment of the

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...

to tow heavy

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

Technical data

The vehicle is powered by a 13.12-litre V8 Leyland O.801 engine, of which Sisu model code is BY. KB-46 was the first Sisu powered by this engine type. The chassis is built on a rigid tubular frame which also consists the

fuel tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propel ...

. The vehicle is equipped with

Sisu Nemo Sisu Nemo is a hydraulic radial piston motor type developed and initially produced by Suomen Autoteollisuus (SAT). The system was patented in 1961. The motor produces a high torque at low speed and it has been primarily used to power both civil ...

hydraulic transmission system for trailer. The axles are equipped with CTI system and special Goodyear tyres with an extra small air volume. The prototype got a rectangular shaped concept cabin that came later into production in Sisu M-series.{{cite book , last1= Mäkipirtti , first1= Markku , title= Sisu , edition= 2. , series= Ajoneuvot Suomessa , volume= 4 , publisher= Apali Oy , location= Tampere , language= fi , isbn= 978-952-5877-05-2 , page= 165 , chapter= M-sarja An additional cabin for crew was installed in the Defence Forces' Transportation Vehicle Depot. The vehicle

kerb weight Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity. Curb or kerb weight Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...

is 8 000 kg and the payload in terrain is just 3 000 kg. The maximum weight for a normal trailer is 5 000–7 000 kg and for a driven trailer 7 000–10 000 kg.

Characteristics

The prototype vehicle toured with a Tampella 122 K 60 cannon, fitted with hydraulic drive, in

agricultural fair An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhib ...

s in Finland where it was displayed at the Defence Forces' stand. Neither the vehicle, nor the cannon entered serial production; KB-46 was designed in a short time and there was used many new technical solutions without previous experience. Hence, there appeared several defects. Also the engine type proved technically failed. KB-46 was never

homologated Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work f ...

but the prototype stayed in use of the Defence Forces. The military personnel got frustrated at repairing the vehicle which was repeatedly broken and deliberately procrastinated its repairing in the 1970s until it was, after standing useless for a few years at the depot, taken to a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

References

External links

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Kb46 Military trucks of Finland Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s Vehicles introduced in 1968