[W.A.G.7]

Nice thread and insight into a Jugaad! When I had been to Gir; I had travelled from Junagadh to Sasan in a Chhakda. These things go fast. Very fast. But more than the speed, it is the noise of the generator which is more loud and gives the impression of high speed I have video of the sound and the speed, let me see, if I can find it I will post here.

There are no safety features anywhere; everything is open, people are squashed in like sacks in a small place, and as you have mentioned, no brakes at all. I just wonder how these things keep on running with minimal servicing and maintenance and using anything as fuel.

But travelling in a Jugaad/Chhakda is an experience; that you should have at-least once in a lifetime.

[classicselva]

Nice thought and laid down well, SS Traveller. It is an eye opener for me being in South.

[Tapish]

SS Sir,

Awesome thread. The Tempo Autos also ply by the name Ganesh and are increasingly being phased out. I know of one case- Alwar, where the DC ordered all Vikram/ Ganesh to be phased out and replaced by Mahindra Maxximo/ Tata Magic under the "Alwar Vahini" Scheme.

As for the Jugaads, they are also very handy if a generator is to be transported (for a wedding/ irrigation/ harvesting) Just park the Jugaad, and it instantly becomes a generator.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Though they have leaf spring rear suspension, I feel its a waste of money. I have ridden as a passenger once, and its worse than riding a buffalo(yes I have ridden a buffalo too).

TSK Sir, you seem to have evolved from the very basics.

Cheers,
Tapish

[vineethvazhayil]

I had been to Rajkot to attend a friends wedding in 2009 and saw a lot of the 3 wheeled versions of this down there. They had an Enfield Bullet like front and a huge backside with seats and or load bays etc. I wondered if they were handcrafted or locally manufactured. Thanks for clearing my doubts, this was wonderfully informative! Rated 5 star!

Now, on the road worthiness, isn't that questionable for a lot of our buses/trucks also? If they can ply, so can these!

[ashphil]

Is the South devoid of Masters in Frugal Engineering? We dont seem to have been as innovative as our North Indian brothers in this branch of engineering.
regards,
Ashok

[knob]

I am recently seeing a jugad machine used by farmers. The engine part is a farming tool having a small engine which is conected to a pickup bed having jeep tires. They use it for plying farming materials and workers on rural roads. I seriously doubt if it has brakes on the back wheels

[tanwaramit]

Guys in NCR must have noticed another small jugaad.

It is a luggage carrier cycle rickshaw (not people mover), with the person having a scooter body at front.

Can be seen in East Delhi and Tis Hazari etc, will click & upload pics next time I see them.

It really got me interesting for my hometown for a few people, the benefits

1. It has cycle rickshaw tyres (cycle tyres) - cheap to service and repair
2. Runs on petrol/lpg
3. Is small, easy to maneuver
4. Has decent load carrying capacity
5. Is good for Local markets etc

The picture shows non motorized, imagine the driving controls from Scooter, with headlights etc

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

Guys in NCR must have noticed another small jugaad.
It is a luggage carrier cycle rickshaw (not people mover), with the person having a scooter body at front.

Yes - it uses a scrapped scooter's engine-gearbox-rear wheel-brake combo attached to the underside of the load platform in an ingenious way, the result being a '4-wheeler' on 1-wheel drive! Will also try to get some pics when I can.

Originally Posted by knob

I am recently seeing a jugad machine...

Any pics?

Originally Posted by ashphil

...Masters in Frugal Engineering...

[avkurian]

I will probably be confessing to all that I am old, but I remember driving a Tempo Hanseat when I was in school. Very interesting gear operation.. The handle would stick out horizontally from the centre of the front dashboard, and operation was like the H pattern, but on a horizontal level. So, at neutral the curve of the handle would point to the floor. Pull the handle out, yank to the left for 1st gear; bring to neutral and swing to the right for second gear; Bring to neutral, push the whole lever in a little and swing to the left for third gear, and so on.

As you can imagine, slotting it in was a real challenge, and the steering would have done its own magic by the time you get your eyes on the road

This was technically not 'Jugaad' as it was a mass-produced vehicle. Passenger variety I have seen only in Bhopal, while down South we had quite a few of these for goods transport.

[Sheel]

The picture posted by tanwaramit is that of goods carrying rickshaw though the jugaad has aped it.

The goods carrying rickshaw does duty here for ferrying small quantity of goods to small markets here. Varied usage from transporting cement to batteries to edibles to furniture & fixtures and much much more. You name it & they carry it.

I don't find it as unsafe as jugaad as it moves pretty slow & plies inside city confines. The administration/govt. though can very well finance them small goods carrying autos.

@SS - I am in constant look out for the sugarcane jugaad, though few times I am w/o my camera, hence...

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sheel

The picture posted by tanwaramit is that of goods carrying rickshaw though the jugaad has aped it.
I don't find it as unsafe as jugaad as it moves pretty slow & plies inside city confines.

The ones tanwaramit is talking about can run at 60 km/h and more. Have recently noticed a few plying in my neighborhood too, right in the heart of Delhi! Let's see if I can't find one soon...

[knob]

It looks like this one without tipper like functions but the pickup bed is long.



This actual machine.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The ones tanwaramit is talking about can run at 60 km/h and more. Have recently noticed a few plying in my neighborhood too, right in the heart of Delhi! Let's see if I can't find one soon...

True, these guys race with my Xing.

Will also click pictures when I notice them. I found this jugaad to be much better, though the speeds they pick up are quite dangerous for them and others too. Imagine a cycle rickshaw coming to you, soon you notice he isnt pedaling, still hes quite fast, by the time you realise whats going on, hes already crossed you, then you hear a motor sound.

For small towns, this is very ideal to run small errands.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Very interesting indeed. Similar to the Chhakda prevalent in Gujarat. Wonder what engine it uses. Any one care to comment on the drive arrangement on the rear axle?

Chinese engines.
Even more interesting than the drive is the braking arrangement!
And I would love to drive one to find out its dynamics under acceleration and engine braking. One more reason for giving these a wide berth.

Originally Posted by knob

I am recently seeing a jugad machine used by farmers. The engine part is a farming tool having a small engine which is conected to a pickup bed having jeep tires. They use it for plying farming materials and workers on rural roads. I seriously doubt if it has brakes on the back wheels

Originally Posted by knob

It looks like this one without tipper like functions but the pickup bed is long.

Power tiller as power pack.

Regards
Sutripta

[ashpalio]

Such a wonderful article. Thank you for writing about these machines which do not get much attention even though they are worked to death. Crazy as they are, Dangerous too, yet to many its a lifeline. Its an amazement (of Local engeering) on wheels!