Multicar M21

Multicar
DK 2004 / M21
Manufacturer	VEB vehicle plant Waltershausen
Production period	1956-1964
Previous model	Diesel cart DK 2003
successor	Multicar M22
Technical details
specification	Type p	Type M	Type D
power	6.5 HP (5 kW)
chassis	DK 4	DK 4/3
axes	2
overall length	3220 mm	3160 mm	3160 mm
Total height	1460 mm	1400 mm	1400 mm
Overall width	1240 mm	1260 mm	1240 mm
Ground clearance	190 mm
Trailer coupling height	630 mm
Trailer load	1800 kg
total weight	3040 kg
own weight	930 kg	1030 kg	1060 kg
Dead weight (with load weight )	1080 kg	1120 kg	1150 kg
payload	2000 kg	1900 kg	1870 kg
Payload (with loading weight)	1850 kg	1810 kg	1780 kg
Floor height (unloaded)	770 mm	770 mm	900 mm
Cargo space	0.62 m 3	0.75 m 3	0.62 m 3
Hold ( lL )	1920 mm	1600/1970 mm	1920 mm
Cargo space (lB)	1150 mm	1000/1270 mm	1150 mm
Loading space (lH)	300 mm	400 mm	300 mm
Tipping system	-	motor-hydraulic
Tilt angle (side)	-	-	50 °
Tilt angle (rear)	-	60 °	45 °
Gauge	980 mm
wheelbase	1640 mm
wheel size	23 × 5
speed	15 km / h
Climbing ability	8th %
Vehicle driver's cab

The DK 2004 diesel cart (DK 4 for short), renamed the Multicar M21 from December 4, 1959 , was a commercial vehicle in the German Democratic Republic in the 1950s and 1960s . The vehicle type manufactured by the Thuringian VEB Fahrzeugwerk Waltershausen was presented at the Leipzig autumn fair in 1957. In the eight-year production period from 1956 to 1964, at least 12,514, possibly also around 14,000 copies in five basic types were produced, from which a large number of other bodies were derived.

history

The diesel truck DK 2004 (DK = D iesel k arre) was an evolution of the diesel truck DK 2003 "diesel-ant" (DK 3). The main designer was Werner Clausner. Although the designation "Diesel ant" was reserved for the DK-3 type, the DK 4 was also referred to as the diesel ant or the diesel ant DK 4 when it was introduced.

The presentation took place at the Leipzig autumn fair in 1957. In contrast to its predecessor, the DK 4 had a front door that reached to the driver's waist and a higher edge of the steering recess. A Gröbe silencer was also installed. The basic version during the entire construction period up to 1964 was the type P (flatbed vehicle). The diesel ant with a slewing crane version was presented for the first time at the Leipzig autumn fair in 1958.

In October 1959, the Waltershausen factory management called for a competition in its monthly company newspaper “Der Fahrzeugbau” in order to find a more prestigious name for the diesel ant. This should also ensure greater awareness of the brand internationally. The previous nickname "Diesel ant" or "Ant" could no longer be used due to property rights in Germany and abroad. We were therefore looking for a short, memorable term, although submitted suggestions with animal names such as Rennsteig-Hirsch , Emse or Bau-Molch for reasons of name protection or to prevent misunderstandings abroad could not be considered. 149 suggestions were received, of which 13 made it to the final round. In the end, the plant management decided on the English- sounding name Multicar . Second and third place went to the names Fawafix and Unicar . On December 4, 1959, the property right was registered for the new name and the DK 4 diesel cart was renamed the M21 Multicar. The 2 stood for the payload of two tons and the 1 for the first series.

Several thousand vehicles from the DK 4 and the M21 were exported . There were export negotiations with the Netherlands , Denmark , Portugal , Poland , Finland , Sweden , Iceland , Switzerland , Persia and Egypt . In 1959, 18 diesel ants were exported to Egypt for the first time. The total export was 3,200 copies, which corresponded to about 23 percent of the DK 4 produced by VEB Waltershausen from 1956 to 1964 , which varies between 12,514 and 14,000 copies depending on the source used.

The multi-purpose vehicle was widely used in the construction and industrial combines of the GDR. The planned main use was the internal transport of goods of all kinds. The maximum speed of 15 km / h was also completely sufficient. For this reason, many M21s never received a road permit and the license plate required for this. In addition, the vehicles were used by the Deutsche Post , fire brigades , breweries and as a light construction vehicle in road and residential construction.

In 1964 the Multicar M21 was replaced by the Multicar M22 with a closed individual vehicle cabin.

Technical specifications

chassis

The chassis frame consists of two strong U-shaped longitudinal members. These are connected to one another by cross members. The driver's cab is attached to the front frame and houses all of the vehicle's controls. Access is via a front door. The diesel engine is located directly behind the driver's cab behind a sheet metal cladding . The rear U-beam is stronger and has the trailer coupling on it . In the case of the tipper version, the chassis contains two additional cross members that serve to reinforce the higher loads.

engine

The 180 kg engine of the type H 65 was produced by the VEB motor vehicle phenomena in Zittau . The single - cylinder four-stroke diesel engine developed 6 HP (4.4 kW) at 1500 rpm with a displacement of 650 cm ³ . Later the engine type 1 H 65 found its way into the diesel ant. The engine type, which was further developed by the Cunewalde engine plant, now developed 6.5 hp (4.8 kW) with the same technical data. This enabled speeds of up to 15 km / h. The consumption was specified at the factory as 6.0 l / 100 km. The tank capacity was 13 liters. To regulate the engine temperature, evaporative cooling was used, the content of which was 12 liters.

The diesel engine was started by hand using a crank handle, and in later versions by an electric starter.

Clutch and transmission

After removing the front door, the levers and the steering recess can be seen clearly.

The diesel ant or the Multicar M21 had a single-disc dry clutch of the type K 4.5 , which was operated from the driver's cab with the right lever. The power transmission to the gearbox was carried out by means of a V-belt . The manual transmission used had three forward gears and one reverse gear . It was operated from the driver's cab using a gear lever. The power transmission to the rear axle, which is equipped with a worm drive, was carried out by a double cardan shaft.

Axles and suspension

The front axle is I-shaped. The stub axles are attached to the stub axles on both sides. The steerable front wheels are attached to the steering knuckles. The rear axle consists of an axle beam. The brake discs are flanged to it on both sides. The differential worm gear is driven by a double cardan shaft. The rotary movement is transmitted to the wheel hubs via two semi-axles.

The suspension of the vehicle is provided by four leaf springs (two per axle) which are attached along the direction of travel. The front springs have five, those of the rear six spring layers.

Steering and brakes

The steering of the diesel ant is unusual. It is a footstep steering in the form of a steering recess. The steering recess also serves as a stand for the driver and is suspended from the chassis by two bearings on the steering shaft. The steering movement is transmitted to the two front wheels via two steering tie rods. The steering angle of a maximum of 45 degrees to the left or right is brought about by shifting body weight through the driver's legs on the steering recess. If the steering degree intended by the driver is achieved, the steering recess is brought into a horizontal position; the vehicle drives straight ahead. With the maximum steering angle, a turning circle of 6.9 m was possible.

The vehicle's brakes consist of two independently operating systems. The inner shoe brake for the rear wheels is called the service brake and is triggered by the upper left lever in the driver's cab. The rear wheels brake evenly via a cable and the brake linkage. The lower left lever in the driver's cab corresponds to today's handbrake (previously parking brake). When the lever is in the vertical position, the brake is applied, in the horizontal position it is released.

Electrics

The electrical system of the vehicle extends to the vehicle lighting, the starter as well as the indicators and signal systems. The electricity required is supplied by an alternator with 12 volts operating voltage, which is driven by the engine using a V- belt.

variants

variant	Technical specification
Type D	The D reiseitenkipper was a variant for the transport of bulk materials such as gravel, sand or stones. The loading area could be tilted to the left, right or back (3 sides). The front wall, on the other hand, was fixed.
Type H	Multicar M21 H with H ubplattform was made for the transport of assembly tables in production facilities. The lifting height was about 180 mm, the ground clearance about 740 mm. The lift table was not manufactured by VEB Waltershausen . It was manufactured by third-party companies according to the particular nature of the goods being transported.
Type L	Embodiments with L adehilfe the multi Cars at heavy loads for improved loading and unloading. The loading aid consisted of a tubular axle with lifting arms on both sides. The operation took place from the driver's cab. The load on the loading aid was about 250 kp. The lifting height was around 1400 mm.
Type M	The M uldenkipper was mostly used for transportation of bulk materials in the construction industry used. The maximum tilt angle was 60 degrees. The steel trough was intended for a capacity of about 0.75 m 3 .
Type p	The P ritsch vehicle was the basic version of the M21 . The bed was made of wood. The type P was also available with a box structure to protect the goods to be transported from external weather conditions. A water tank assembly (capacity approx. 1200 l) was available for pavement cleaning and the like. With a trailer made in Walterhausen, longer objects such as tree trunks or pipes could be transported beyond the end of the vehicle. Other special versions of type P were versions with a front-mounted snow plow , a turntable ladder , a semi-trailer (type PA) or with a slewing crane with a load capacity of 500 kg. The variant named DK 5/3 was a type reinforced by VEB coal trade for the transport of domestic coal. The price of the work was 6235.05  marks plus 802.50 marks for the electrical starting system.

Web links

Commons : Multicar Diesel Ant M 21  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Multicar website
• Technical data of the M21

literature

• Udo Bols: Multicar - the all-rounder. Podszun-Verlag, Brilon 2003, ISBN 3-86133-325-2 .
• Frank Rönicke, Wolfgang Melenk: Brockenhexe, Rübezahl and Diesel-Ant - The commercial vehicles of the GDR. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03305-4 .
• without author: operating instructions for diesel ants. Published by VEB Fahrzeugwerk Waltershausen in 1957.
• Without author: Operating instructions for “Multicar” vans. Specialized book publisher Leipzig 1960.
• Internal transport and local transport better solved by small vans . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 5/1960, pp. 172–174.
• Where the Multicar is built . In: Motor vehicle technology 11/1962, pp. 460–461.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Frank Rönicke, Wolfgang Melenk: Brockenhexe, Rübezahl and Diesel-Ant - The commercial vehicles of the GDR. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, p. 175.
2. ↑ Frank Rönicke, Wolfgang Melenk: Brockenhexe, Rübezahl and Diesel-Ant - The commercial vehicles of the GDR. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, p. 57.
3. ↑ Udo Bols: Multicar - The all-rounder. Podszun-Verlag, Brilon 2003, ISBN 3-86133-325-2 , p. 21.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Frank Rönicke, Wolfgang Melenk: Brockenhexe, Rübezahl and Diesel Ant - The utility vehicles of the GDR. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, p. 58.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Udo Bols: Multicar - The all-rounder. Podszun-Verlag, Brilon 2003, ISBN 3-86133-325-2 , p. 23.
6. ↑ Multicar type P with water tank structure and roller brush . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 11/1962, pp. 462–463.
7. ↑ Multicar as a municipal vehicle. In: Motor vehicle technology 1/1962, p. 21.