[sajo]

Folks,

Attaching the pictures of what I think is Tata's new rear engined bus platform.





The rear tyres were radials, not sure about the front ones.

[Ashley2]

First time I am seeing a bus tested as a chassis!
But is that sure a Tata Chassis

[julupani]

It is sure a Tata Chassis, especially considering the rear tail lights. Though I have to say seeing a bus being tested as a chassis.

Will Tata be launching a RE Bus chassis??

[sajo]

Yep, tail lights and the fact that it had MH14 registration.
A few years ago, they built a dummy truck body around the chassis to 'fool' people. Here is a link : Strange Truck .

I have also seen a fully built, AC, but front engined bus being tested in ARAI a few days ago. Blue coloured. Did not look like a Tata or AL.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by julupani

Will Tata be launching a RE Bus chassis??

You mean new RE Bus chasis? Dont they already have RE platform on which Tata Hispano and Tata Marcopolo RE are based?

[julupani]

The Tata Hispano and Tata MarcoPolo are integral bus chassis, something I dont think our normal bus body builders will be very comfortable with. This looks something different. What I want to point out is the height of the long members is pretty high acc to me.

It will be nice to see Tata launch an RE bus chassis into the body building market though.

[smashnerd]

A RE non-integral chassis bus should be a welcome change. The tourist bus operators would be first to gobble up such an offering.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by julupani

The Tata Hispano and Tata MarcoPolo are integral bus chassis, something I dont think our normal bus body builders will be very comfortable with. This looks something different. What I want to point out is the height of the long members is pretty high acc to me.

I am not a technical person, but still - AFAIK, Intergral buses too have a chassis - just that they are welded to the frame (Thats my understanding - please correct If I am wrong).

I distinctly remember RE LF chassis heading to Dharwad back in December 2009 - just when the JnNURM deliveries were at their peak. So Marcopolos do have a chassis - but the chassis welded to the body frame.

(Sorry - I might have used very simple words - I am not from a technical background)

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by binaiks

I am not a technical person, but still - AFAIK, Intergral buses too have a chassis - just that they are welded to the frame (Thats my understanding - please correct If I am wrong).

Actually it comes in Modular Form. ie Driver seating area along with front axle as one part and rear engine mounting along with rear axle as one part. The body will be integral and fitted over these parts.
Attaching a pic of chassis of Cobus, integral bus chassis. It should be understood that this is a FE Integral bus

Originally Posted by binaiks

I distinctly remember RE LF chassis heading to Dharwad back in December 2009 - just when the JnNURM deliveries were at their peak. So Marcopolos do have a chassis - but the chassis welded to the body frame.

This is also available. Even AL's Panther is of this type only. The body will be built over the chassis like FE models

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

... It should be understood that this is a FE Integral bus...

How about the drive shaft...will it drive the front wheels ???
And I guess all those air-tanks , located behind the engine, are required for the air-suspension?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

How about the drive shaft...will it drive the front wheels ???

Front wheel driven HCVs? For the question.


Edit:- "integral" bodies are non-existent in the international. Have a look at Volvo's bus site:-

http://www.volvobuses.com

The B7R, B9R and 8900 are available in chassis form, and the site also contains bus body building instructions.

I guess that Volvo specially adopted the "sell only fully built buses" in India to build and maintain the premium image; else they would have ended up the way Ford did way back in mid - 1980s as also rans.

The Volvo strategy is now duplcated by other manufacturers.

Why not?? Just look at the image posted by Ashey2 and images of other chassis available elsewhere on this forum (like in Raj's thread) - very elementary safety measures - like front and rear under run protection are nto available on any other normal Indian chassis. The indian manufacturers need to be prodded into making them. To be fair, the buyers need to be legislated into buying safety measures.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

How about the drive shaft...will it drive the front wheels ???
And I guess all those air-tanks , located behind the engine, are required for the air-suspension?

Those air tanks are not for suspension alone but for brakes as well.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Front wheel driven HCVs? For the question.

Yes, True Airport Tarmac coaches are Front engine front wheel driven only.
Attaching pic(source - Google) of AL's Avion in BIAL, which is of same config only.



As you have mentioned about Front wheel driven HCV's I have not quoted Matador 307T.If no they are much more earlier than this.

[silversteed]

^^^ Will it not affect the traction? I mean, the bus with passengers plus their luggage - it'll be a lot of weight, and just the front wheels being powered - isn't there a chance of having less traction on the drive wheels, and the rearwheels having double tyres, will have a high rolling resistance

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Those air tanks are not for suspension alone but for brakes as well....

Of course, for the brakes as well , that I know.

Just curious, do you have any cut-section diagram or schematic of the front-wheel drive system....would be interesting to see how the axle/suspension is in a front-wheel drive system for the bigger vehicles.

Originally Posted by silversteed

^^^ Will it not affect the traction? ...

That is factored into the design. These buses are not required to do high-speed highway runs.

The key reason for going in for this design in airport coaches : low-floor design (so passengers can exit/ingress with baggage without much effort) and larger floor area, so more passengers with baggage can stand there.

These coaches will run only on the smooth tarmac area, so no need to worry about having higher ground clearance.

[silversteed]

^^^ Has to be.

The low-floor design can be better realized by using a RE RWD configuration. The front wheel wells intrude less into the passenger cabin area than the rear wheel wells, and there will be a uniform floor height between the front of the bus till the portion where the engine components begin to be placed, and again, a raised but uniform floor height from there till the extreme rear of the bus. Take the case of the Airport Tarmac coach built on an AL Panther chassis, pic can be seen a few pages back, posted by Ashley2.

Just my thoughts. Cobus is a reputed company in airport tarmac coach business, hence their engineers must've thought of all the issues i've highlighted here, and even beyond that. Same case with the AL engineers behind the Avion coach