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BUV Design – Wooden Bed vs. Steel Bed

One of the main concerns we had in desiging and building the BUVs is maintenance. We have mentioned before that the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) is extremely durable with brakes and is simple with having a three input system (go, stop, and steer) but what about repairs?

Our overriding vision with the BUV is to build vehicles that are simple and durable. So in the even that something breaks, even the repairs themselves have to be simple.

For one thing, we wanted the BUV to have a bed that could be easily replaced. Since 2007, the BUVs built here in the United States have had wooden beds. Yes, it does receive a lot of wear and tear, but wood is also easy to find, easy to source, and easy to install. If a BUV driver lives in an area with all the materials around them, it’s easy to replace.

This does not mean that some sites don’t use a metal bed. BUV Tanzania uses metal beds in their design because the material is also easy to come by in their area, and there is a press brake in town.

When deciding the best way to build BUVs, we have to look at the things that are easier for the owners, not just easier for use. We design our units for what the owners will have to face if and when they repair their units. For countries in Africa where they have easy access to wood, then wood can be a good choice. For other countries, steel is the preferred material. It comes down to the owner or manufacturer as to which material is used in the BUV. 

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“Just Far” Becomes “Just Near” with a BUV

Here in North America, it is not hard for us to find wheeled transportation to go about our regular days, whether it be a bike, public transportation, or our own vehicles to get to where we need to go. We think of distances in terms of minutes and hours, not hours and days.
 
But in the rural areas of Africa, distances are measured in miles and many hours. Better yet, just think of it as “far.” If you can’t walk to it in less than an hour, it’s “far.”
 
We received a letter from a missionary partner in Malawi and there was a quote that struck us:
 
In our country our people have to walk everywhere they go. Hence, every place is ‘just far.’ But, when Americans come here they travel around the country in cars. That is very easy so we say the distance is now ‘just near.’ Therefore no matter how far you must go in Malawi, if you have a motorized vehicle ‘just far’ turns into ‘just near.’
 
This is our goal for our BUVs. We want to turn far into near. We want to make it easier for people to more easily travel to different parts of their country, to get the necessary items they need, and helping people get from ‘far’ to ‘near’ faster.

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How Durable are the BUV Brakes?

I’m not an engineer but my thought is that truck brakes on a Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) will last a really long time. After all, the BUV is 1/3 the weight of a truck and goes about 1⁄4 of the average speed, at 20 mph. It would seem that the BUV’s truck brakes would last ten times as long as a BUV in Africa than they do on a pickup truck in the USA. 
 
Here’s my rough math:
BUV brake load = 1/3 pickup weight x 1/4 average speed of pickup x applied 1/2 as often = 1/12 the load of the brakes on a first world pick up.
Or in plain English: a BUV is one-third the weight of a pickup truck, and goes one-fourth the average speed. If you apply the brakes half as often, you’ll put one-twelfth the load on those brakes as you would a pickup truck here in the United States. To me, that means the brakes will last a really, really long time.
 
I asked Will Austin how often he has to send out brake drums or brake hardware kits to our BUV owners around the world.
“Never,” he said. “Our oldest units now have 9 years of service in the field, and we’ve never had to replace the brakes.”

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Using the BUV as an Ambulance

Imagine you have to get to the hospital. It’s about ten miles down a dirt road and your options of getting there are being pushed in a wheelbarrow, or riding a motorcycle, clutching onto the driver. There are even times the sick person is sandwiched between two other people. One is driving, and the other is holding on to the driver, with the patient sandwiched between them, unconscious and unable to hold on.

Woody Collins of Congo Helping Hands

Woody Collins of Congo Helping Hands

There’s the option of a horse, but those are few and far between and an ox cart is so slow to pull, there’s a good chance the patient won’t make it to the hospital alive.

The Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) makes the trip to the hospital easier and much faster. Since the BUV is built to go over rough terrain, the drive there doesn’t take long. The vehicle also has 60” leaf springs, so the extra suspension makes the ride much more comfortable.

Most Chinese 3-wheelers have very stiff springs which are half the length. Also, the BUV has a truck bed, so the injured person can lie down and remain as comfortable as possible on the trip to the hospital.

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The BUV’s Design Simplicity

One thing we worked hard to create on the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) is its simple structure. With three wheels, a truck bed, and a steel frame, the BUV can conquer many rural roads across Africa.
 
But why three wheels? Why not four like on an ATV or a truck?
 
It also allows for constant contact with the ground with virtually no frame twisting. By having one fork on the front end, the drivers can easily change any tire.
 
The three wheels also creates a more stable base. When an ATV gets into an accident, there is a tendency for the ATV to follow you. That is, if you flip the back-end of the ATV will follow. This is why there are many ATV injuries – the ATV often lands on top of the driver.
 
A motorcycle, on the other hand, will shoot away from you in the event of an accident, such as a slide. You can still be injured in the accident but it’s not usually caused by the bike itself.
 
The BUV has significant mass to help protect the driver in slow speed accidents. However, the driver also has the option to jump clear of the vehicle if he or she decides to, making the simple design helpful in the rural areas of Africa.

 

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