Duo (ambulance)
| DUO | |
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.jpg) DUO 4/1. The tarpaulin and the side windows have been changed later. |
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| Manufacturer | Louis Krause company, Leipzig; VEB Vehicle Construction and Equipment Brandis; Vehicle construction and equipment Brandis GmbH |
| Production period | 1961 to 1991 |
| Motor data | |
| Previous model | Krause Piccolo trump |
The DUO is a three-wheeled motorized ambulance for people with walking difficulties .
history
The production of disabled vehicles began in the late 1940s in the "Louis Krause Company, Leipzig" founded in 1880. Little is known about the patient elevators of this time due to the low number of units and insufficient sources. There was a wide variety of designs that were apparently mostly influenced by the Krause company or were manufactured by them themselves. At the Leipzig autumn fair in 1954, various Krause patient elevators were exhibited that were fitted with the MAW auxiliary motor or a modified motor from the RT 125/1 . In 1955, the Krause Piccolo Trumpf laid the foundation for a whole range of motorized patient elevators, from which the “Piccolo Duo 1–4” emerged. In 1956, the production of a self-propelled motorized model 330 equipped with the engine of the Simson SR1 began. However, the vehicle was not produced by Krause itself, but by VEB Medizintechnik Dohna .
In 1961, the first two-seater Piccolo DUO vehicles were derived from the Piccolo Trumpf, after a two-seater mini car with a light metal body and 150 cm³ engine was presented at the Leipzig spring fair that same year , but which was not produced in series. While the DUO took its final form in 1970 and was produced almost unchanged until 1991, the production of the single-seat Trumpf models ended in 1975, most recently as Trumpf / 7 . The DUO was largely made from (partially modified) components of the Simson Schwalbe and is therefore often mistakenly mistaken for a Simson vehicle . The actual manufacturer "Krankenfahrzeugfabrik Krause" was partially nationalized in 1972 and from then on only produced elevators without motors. The production of the motorized hospital elevators was continued, however, in the now state-owned company VEB Fahrzeugbau und Ausätze Brandis . In 1981 the name was changed - the company was incorporated into VEB Robur-Werke Zittau as Plant 5 . In 1990 the factory was spun off from the IFA association into the independent trust company Fahrzeugbau und Ausätze Brandis GmbH . In March 1991 the production of the DUOs in Brandis ended with the expiry of the general operating permit ( ABE ) of the Federal Motor Transport Authority . On December 31, 1991, spare parts production was also discontinued. In 1992 the production facilities were sold by the Treuhandanstalt to a company in Bohmte near Osnabrück. Despite the expiry of the general operating permit (ABE) of the Federal Motor Transport Authority in 1991, the models 4/1 and 4/2 continued to be produced in small numbers at a unit price (as of October 23, 2002) from 5500 euros.
The Brandis wheelchairs were also exported. The main customer was Poland , where 50% of the total production went. Another export country was Albania.
Models
Piccolo Duo
In addition to various single-seat vehicles, a two-seat "DUO" was first manufactured by Louis Krause in 1961. It was simply called PiccoloDUO .
Piccolo Duo / 2
Johannsen72.jpg)
For this purpose, u. a. which now uses a specially widened front panel of the "pitty" scooter for the future two-seater. It was simply called '' PiccoloDUO ''. The extensively revised DUOs were produced probably from 1964, certainly from 1965. For this purpose, the familiar parts from the Simson bird series were used - clearly recognizable by their appearance. Characteristic of the PICCOLO DUO / 2 '' were the well-known ox-eye indicators on the sides of the rear wheel arches, the aluminum front panels, cable steering and the 3-speed drive (on the handlebars) with 3.2 HP motor, also from a few years earlier Simson Schwalbe released on the market.
Sources can be found on the Internet that name a small number of around 60 produced for the '' DUO / 2 model, which, due to the high total weight and wind resistance, reached a maximum of 45 to 50 km / h with the first generation of motors.
Duo / 3
From around 1967 to 1971 the Duo / 3 was then produced as a further development, but now with sheet steel front panels, side indicators on the wheel arches, but still with the cable steering of the previous models.
Also from 1971 the production was changed again for the new DUO / 4, which was offered for sale from 1972. Angular rear lights, steering linkages and a more powerful engine were used from now on.
Duo / 4, Duo 4/1 & Duo 4/2
Larger numbers of this model were produced for the first time. Like all the following models, it also had a 49.6 cm³ single-cylinder two-stroke engine with a manually shifted three-speed claw gear and automatic centrifugal clutch in the oil bath for starting, as it was used almost identically in the small scooter type "Schwalbe" (KR51 / 1S). This motor develops an output of 2.65 kW (3.6 PS), with which the DUO can reach a top speed of around 60 km / h on a level road surface. Shortly after nationalization in 1972, DUO 4 became DUO 4/1 . The further development was limited to an enlarged tank from 6.8 to 14 liters and a standard right rearview mirror. The annual output from then on was around 1,100 vehicles, which were initially painted in olive green, later exclusively in orange. No further development took place in the following years. In 1989 the optically almost unchanged DUO 4/2 appeared , which had improved electrical equipment including an electric starter. The DUO 5 only exists as a prototype and should be manufactured by "Fahrzeugbau und Ausnehmungen Brandis GmbH". However, the Federal Motor Transport Authority imposed conditions that prevented series production.
Equipment DUO 4/1
The DUO 4/1 had two seats upholstered with innerspring. A fragile frame, over which a tarpaulin with window cutouts was stretched, was used as weather protection as standard. Behind the back seat was a pocket for storing tools and other things. The vehicle had considerable performance and could be operated entirely by hand. The right hand operated the throttle grip, the left hand operated the scribing lever and the gearshift lever. Due to the automatic centrifugal clutch, the clutch did not have to be operated manually. The brakes acted on all three wheels and were released by pushing the handlebars in the direction of travel. There was also a parking brake. A significant shortcoming for a handicapped accessible vehicle was the lack of reverse gear. The headlight was powered by the engine's alternator. All other electrical consumers were fed by a battery. In contrast to the Simson two-wheelers, the rear light could therefore be switched on even when the engine was switched off, which brought a certain increase in safety. There were indicators as standard as well as an electric windshield wiper. A weatherproof blanket was available as an accessory to protect the legs from rain and cold. Some of the equipment details in the DUO are primitive, but ingeniously solved. The windscreen washer system is activated, for example, by a pull pump borrowed from the Trabant car, and the tank level indicator consists of a petrol hose attached vertically to the tank, from which the tank level can be deduced. The fixation of the windshield is not quite sufficient, which can lead to flutter phenomena at higher speeds. Furthermore, the great sensitivity to cross winds of the vehicle weighing only 140 kg must be taken into account. The engine noises are considerable at higher speeds and are unacceptably high from today's perspective. Because of the extremely spartan equipment, many duos were subsequently converted, often with a closed structure with a door and a fixed roof. Such versions were apparently only available for a short time directly ex works.
DUO with original motor, but with kick starter (instead of hand lever)
DUO with a fixed roof structure that you converted yourself and a self-installed pedal to start the engine by foot
DUO without a roof
DUO from behind with the original hand lever to start the engine
Statutory Regulations
The approval to purchase a brand-new DUO was previously granted in the GDR upon application by the local social and health insurance institute (SVK) exclusively to physically handicapped persons, who then with a corresponding authorization certificate from one of the manufacturers a DUO for about 2900 marks without a long waiting time could buy. Any workshop costs incurred were covered by the insurance, and after six years a new duo was made available. Used DUOs could then be acquired second-hand by non-physically handicapped people and driven.
The DUO is a vehicle that does not require registration, which today only needs to be provided with an insurance license plate. It may be driven with the driver's license class AM (previously M), although it reaches a top speed of 55 km / h. According to the unification agreement and the driver's license regulation, single and multi-lane vehicles of the former GDR with a maximum capacity of 50 cm³ can be driven in class AM and insured as mopeds in spite of a maximum speed of up to 60 km / h, which was permitted in the GDR first came into circulation on February 28, 1992.
Sports
A duo world championship has been held annually in Emsen, Lower Saxony, since 1992 . A circuit with a waterhole to be driven through is marked out in a field as a race track.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Review of the 1954 technical fair. In: Motor vehicle technology . 11/1954, pp. 339-340.
- ↑ Motorized ambulances. In: Automotive Technology. 10/1956, p. 388.
- ↑ New vehicles for the handicapped. In: Automotive Technology. 05/1961, p. 204.
- ↑ "Spare parts catalog for the Piccolo Duo / 2 from 1966"
- ↑ § 76 No. 8 of the Driving License Ordinance, "§ 6 Paragraph 1 on Class M"; Appendix I Chapter XI Subject B - Road Traffic Section III No. 2 Paragraph 21 of the Unification Treaty
- ↑ Driving license regulation on verkehrsportal.de
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