Thursday, April 26, 2018

Three Wheels In Rougher Terrain

My "second car" is a Mahindra Alfa (pictured) -- a diesel pickup with three wheels. Here's how it handles over rougher terrain. Over potholes, gullies, ripples in the road, its performance is excellent, due in no small part to its unusual gear ratios (about 30:1 for first gear -- compare with a more typical 4:1 for cars). But it cannot endure ripples or corrugations in the road at any speed, due to its small wheels. Then it is terrible. Through sand and mud, its performance is merely "fair." While it has no problem powering its way through some situations (like this one, pictured), the single front wheel makes it difficult to control. And it has trouble with the central mound on certain dirt roads, which have grooves for two back wheels but not for a central front wheel. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

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