Sisu SA-240 is a heavy off-road lorry 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 manufacturer Oy Sisu-Auto Ab from 1984 until 1991. The

six-wheel drive Six-wheel drive (6WD or 6×6) is an all-wheel drive drivetrain configuration of three axles with at least two wheels on each axle capable of being driven simultaneously by the vehicle's engine. Unlike four-wheel drive drivetrains, the configurat ...

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 ...

with payload of 12 000 kg was developed for pulling of 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 ...

s 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 ...

Development

The

Sisu SA-150 Sisu SA-150 is a medium-size, two-axle off-road lorry made by the Finnish heavy vehicle manufacturer Oy Sisu-Auto Ab from 1982 until 1991. The four-wheel-drive lorry with load capacity of 6 400 kg was developed for pulling of heavy cann ...

medium size off-road lorry turned out to be too weak to pull the heaviest, domestic made cannons of the Finnish Defence Forces. A new 6×6 lorry was suggested as a solution. The development work began in 1983. The first two

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 ...

s, called SA-180, were powered by

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

Valmet Valmet Oyj is a Finnish company and a developer and supplier of technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp (paper), pulp, paper and energy industry, energy industries. Valmet has over 200 years of history as an industrial oper ...

611 engines with a maximum output of 180 kW. The

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

, made by ZF, was equipped with a

torque converter A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power ...

which enabled flexible driving on road and terrain. The system was tested by driving a test vehicle from

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...

Sodankylä Sodankylä (; sme, Soađegilli ; smn, Suáđigil; sms, Suäʹđjel) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Highway 5 ( E63) and along Highway 4 ( E75). The Kitinen River flows ne ...

with the same gear. After field tests were completed the engines were replaced by 10-litre

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...

diesels and the model code was changed to SA-240. The vehicle was soon nicknamed ''Rasi'', which came from ''Raskas Masi'', "heavy Masi".

Production

The first factory produced SA-240, configuration Sisu SA240 CKH-6×6/4950+1440, was handed over to the Finnish Defence Forces in May 1984. The vehicle was built with an extra long wheelbase and equipped with a detachable

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

system MtO 85. The first SA-240 made for

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

use, configuration Sisu SA 240 CKH-6×6/3740+1440, was handed over at the end of the following year. In 1987 a series of 13 vehicles was produced and serial production began in 1988. SA-240 was replaced by further developed SA-241 in 1990, but the production ceased already in 1991.

Technical data

The SA-240 is based mainly on the lighter, two-axle SA-150.

Engine, transmission and chassis

The vehicle is powered by Cummins LTA 10 330T/T4 diesel engine with an output of 246 kW. The ZF 8F1R transmission is equipped with an integrated torque converter. All the three axles are driven. The

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

between the rear axles used to be the longest in market to enable use of

snow chains Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains attach to the drive wheels of a vehicle or special systems deploy chains which swing under ...

. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

is twisting type. The

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 8 800 kg and payload is 9 200 kg in the early models. Later models weight 10 000 kg and they are classified to carry load of 12 000 kg.

Cabin and superstructures

The cabin is mounted over engine and contains seats for driver and two passengers. A heater and a roof hatch are fitted. The platform can carry 24–30 troops and it is covered by a tarpaulin which is supported by a steel frame. During peacetime however, the maximum number of passengers is limited to 16 due to the space required by the seating modules which must be used during personnel transport.

Characteristics

The top speed of SA-240 is 97 km/h and its range is 600 km. The cross-country mobility is good due to bending frame and good weight distribution. The maximum gradient is 60% and side slope 40%. The vehicle can climb on 0.6 m high step and cross a one metre wide trench. The fording depth is one metre.

Variations

The further development, SA-241 produced in 1990–1991, has got a 100 mm wider platform. Some design changes were introduced in the front end and side boxes. A base for a 12.7 calibre

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

was mounted on the top of the cabin.

Usage

The main purpose of SA-240 is towing of the heaviest cannons in Finnish Defence Forces.

Gallery

Sisu SA-240 front-side-view.JPG, Front view Sisu SA-240 sideview.JPG, Side view Sisu SA-240 Kotka 2013 2.JPG, Equipped as

troop carrier A troop carrier is a means of transporting soldiers. A troop carrier vehicle may be configured for troop transport while used for other purposes at other times. Examples The Douglas C-47 Skytrain is an aircraft used as a troop carrier; the ...

Sisu SA-240 snow chain mounting.JPG, Permanently carried

Itsenäisyyspäivän paraati 2015 30 122 H 63.JPG, SA-240 towing a 122 mm

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

References

External links

{{Commonscat-inline, Sisu SA-240 Sa240 Military trucks of Finland Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s Vehicles introduced in 1984