Filed under: Etc.
On-Ground Ferry saves Russians from the mud
There are some parts of the world where asphalt, whether ribbon smooth or marred by potholes, is not a given. In Russia, for example, some roads pass right through swamps of squishy mud that normal vehicles would drown in before they got too far. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and some Russians have created an ingenious though not entirely elegant solution for traversing these mud pits. Called an On-Ground Ferry, these large 4x4 trucks towing a flat bed trailer can ferry lesser vehicles across these muddy impasses. The ferried vehicles never have to touch tire to terra firma. From the pics over at English Russia, however, it appears that these "roads" can sometimes be too much for even the On-Ground Ferry to handle, which begs the question, who ferries the ferry when it gets stuck?
[Source: English Russia]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pat 6:39PM (11/29/2007)
Nice ! I sure hope those cares are thethered tight with plenty of room to move.
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agreed 7:25PM (11/29/2007)
unimog!
abrood 7:28PM (11/29/2007)
I had to laugh when I saw this! I just published a book titled "The Mud Hole" that focuses on these type of roads in America in the early 1900's. My book is about 2 boys who make a business of towing cars out with the horse. If they had this rig they could have done well!
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GT 7:32PM (11/29/2007)
funny how that driver couldn't get his/her 4WD Mitsu SUV dirty...
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k.w.a 8:00PM (11/29/2007)
haha i was wondering the SAME thing.
i guess Americans aren't the only ones who drive SUVs for no reason
Jeff Banks 11:58PM (11/29/2007)
Uh, maybe there is a reason to have an SUV considering they don't have any paved roads there?
k.w.a 8:52AM (11/30/2007)
um, maybe they're not driving their SUV on unpaved roads? *that was the point of the comment*
DC 3:09PM (11/30/2007)
I don't suppose any of you geniuses actually believe that Mitsu could even come close to making it through those roads?
GT 3:56PM (11/30/2007)
oh ur sooo funny, do you write your own material?
and lets see, when Mitsu is a top competitor in both the WRC and the Dakar rally (at least 10 overall victories)...you would think that the technology will trickle down to their mid-size SUV (not a car-based crossover nonetheless) wouldn't you?
far jr 7:33PM (11/29/2007)
I love MUD!
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Guenther 7:50PM (11/29/2007)
Kamaz, no Unimog. of all things automotive, where the Russians don't exactly ecell, this is the antitheseis. Kamaz's are some of the toughest off-road truck on the planet. There are also some old URAL's in the pics.
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Nicko 8:55PM (11/29/2007)
Reminds me of "The Long Way 'Round" where Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman try and ride thru Russia on their 1200GS Beemers only to find the roads incredibly decayed. The only way to traverse many parts of the country was using huge 6x6 trucks.
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Robert 1:12AM (11/30/2007)
That's exactly what I was thinking. They were on the Kolyma Highway, also known as the Road of Bones located in far eastern Russia. For anyone who hasn't seen it I highly recommend it. These pictures look safe compared to what the 'Long Way Round' convey traversed.
Xcountryflyer 12:14AM (11/30/2007)
I've seen some of these mud roads in pictures and video and they look vicious.
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fred 3:52AM (11/30/2007)
Here's a thought: build a fu*king road!
If they can do it through the Florida everglades, I'm sure the Ruskies can do it there. Christ.
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moa 7:21AM (11/30/2007)
well, imagine something that is like everglades for couple of months and northern alaska for rest of the year. and it's bigger than the us. welcome to siberia. ;] now build network of roads here.
blinkra182 9:03AM (11/30/2007)
i think it would still be more cost effective to just build a damn road. it doesnt need to be an interstate system, just a mound of dirt with some tarmac on it.
damn im glad i live in the good old US ;)
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Alex 12:05PM (11/30/2007)
you do what the military does when the they get tanks stuck. big powerful winch, a lot of snatch blocks and a looooooooong length of cable. hell, you can skip the winch if you have enough snatch blocks and cable.
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steve-o 12:57PM (11/30/2007)
ya, thats a mazda6 in front of that mitsu 4x4
lol
where did he come from??
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h8rain 1:49PM (11/30/2007)
Can't resist!
In Soviet Russia trailer drives car for you.
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