10 minute read
UTILITY TERRAIN VEHICLE
UNSTOPPABLE
David Wylie heads to Loch Lomond in Scotland to witness the Russian-designed Sherp Pro 1000 in action. Could this amphibious machine be the ultimate Utility Terrain Vehicle?
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IMAGES DAVID WYLIE
The Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) market has increased considerably in recent years. Thanks to their hardtops and roll structures, they’re generally safer and offer more weather protection than ATV quadbikes. With the mainstream OEM’s pushing the development of these vehicles, the market has now exploded globally and UTV sales have overtaken ATV sales in many parts of the world.
In what could be regarded as an UltraClass UTV market is the amphibious, Ukraine-manufactured Sherp. Sherp was founded in 2012. In 2015, the company introduced the Sherp amphibious allterrain skid-steer vehicle. In the last five years, 200 plus units have been built to ISO 9001 standards and sold worldwide through the company’s 27-strong dealer network. Here in the UK, sales and servicing of Sherp products are through Sherp UK Ltd, run by a husband-and-wife team and a number of technical staff from a base in Westcott, Buckinghamshire.
Sherp UTVs are incredibly versatile and are seeing service across all manner of industries, from oil and gas, and geological exploration to forestry and environmental control, transporting working crews to repair sites, delivering goods to remote areas, and even taking part in search and rescue activities (read about the UK’s first Sherp customer on page 52).
To showcase its reliability and performance, in 2017 a Russian Sherp team undertook a seven-month expedition through Russia’s most hard-to-reach northern regions, successfully taking on the longest on-land 10,000km route above the Arctic Circle. Sherp only has one rival in the market, which is the Caterpillar-powered, hydrostatically driven, joystick steered Fat Truck, made in Canada. This machine is coming to the UK soon and we’ll bring you a report when it does.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We met up with Sherp UK’s Managing Director, Chris Atkey and Sales Director Yasya Atkey (Chris’ wife) to see the Sherp Pro 1000 being put through its paces in a relatively remote location near Loch Lomond in Scotland.
At first glance, the Sherp Pro looks like something Bruce Wayne would have parked in the Batcave. Like all Sherps, the Pro model is designed to be rugged, hardworking and easy to maintain. Access to the driver and passenger area is via a front mounted, flip-down, water tight ramp that doubles as a step platform. Available in left-hand drive only, driving controls are
Above: Steering is done by hydraulically assisted levers. Right inset: Vital gauges plus display for rear-view camera.
SHERP PRO 1000
ENGINE Kubota V1505-t / E3B Interim Tier 4 / Stage3A POWER 44.3hp TRANSMISSION Mechanical, 5-speed gearbox, and chain drive to all 4 wheels TOP GEAR SPEED 21mph on land, 3.7mph on water – 1mph on the lowest gear TYRES Tubeless, extra-low pressure 63x23-25 LENGTH 3.4m WIDTH 2.52m HEIGHT 2.52m TURNING CIRCLE On the spot/ within its own length TOW CAPACITY 600kg RRP Sherp Pro: Pickup (£76,000) and Full model (£80,000) Sherp N: £95,000 Sherp Ark: Flat bed trailer model (£250,000) and Utility trailer model (£300,000)
Below: In the rear, the seating can be turned into bunk beds.
similar to that of some skid-steer machines, with a light feel to the two hydraulic levers on your left side that control direction of travel via mechanical disc brakes and clutches.
A slight tug on one lever declutches both wheels on whichever side you’ve pulled. Each tug, duration and release progressively steers the vehicle in the direction of travel, or by pulling harder on one of the levers, the hydraulic brakes engage to produce a more dramatic turning ‘on-the-spot’ effect. For straight-line braking, pulling back both levers simultaneously produces effective stopping power. That said, just backing off the throttle pedal and relying on engine braking is generally sufficient to control the Sherp’s speed.
A digital speedometer and analogue gauges for tyre pressure and engine performance are located above the windscreen. The front screen can be opened or closed, the body has large safety glass fitted throughout, and the sliding side windows and hinged sunroof provide good visibility. A rear-view camera is fitted as standard. Our demo machine had an optional 360-degree vision system for squeezing through tight gaps more safely.
A unique features of the Sherp Pro is its pneumo-circulating suspension with patented, in-cab inflation control system for the huge 63x23-25 soft-sidewall tyres. From flat, it takes under 30 seconds to reach full operating tyre pressure using the engine exhaust system, which is permanently connected through the wheel hubs. The inflation system is so effective, it can sustain the correct pressure even with a 10cm long gash in the tyre’s sidewall!
In the back of the Sherp Pro is a large area for six adults to sit across two benches that double as four bunk beds. Optional storage boxes can be used to fill the floor area and act as footrests. There are 170 litres of underfloor storage compartments, plus a 2,041kg-capacity winch that attaches to the front lower roll bar frame. A Webasto heater is used to heat the passenger compartment and keep the engine from freezing overnight in extreme conditions.
The Sherp Pro model has simple drive chains – easily accessed from the rear floor hatches – as part of the car-derived transmission system, and these are semiauto lubricated every 5 to 10 hours of running. Sherp N and Arc models have chains in sealed oil baths (read more about the other Sherp machines on page 51).
CHAIN DRIVE
At just over 1.5m wide and weighing a mere 1.3 tonnes, the Sherp Pro 1000 is a go-anywhere vehicle.
Left: Optional storage boxes and tow bar.
THE SHERP RANGE
Sherp produces four models. The Sherp Ark (released in 2019) is the flagship, 10-wheel drive, articulated, 21-person carrier or flatbed with a 7.5-tonne load capacity. The popular Sherp N (above right) is aimed at the commercial market with a bigger body than the Sherp Pro and powered by a Doosan D18 EU Stage 5/Tier 4 Final compliant engine. The Sherp N in hardtop form can carry 10 people including the driver and transport 1 tonne; a flatbed/pickup model is in development.
The smaller Sherp Pro and wider body Max models are powered by an older technology Kubota V1505-t/E3B Stage3B engine that is matched to the size of the vehicle and is therefore aimed at noncommercial activities.
Below:Rear drive chains are easily reached.
Bottom: Going where other 4x4s dare not.
Above: The aptly named 10-wheel drive Sherp Ark.
CIRCULATING SUSPENSION WITH TYRE INFLATION SYSTEM”
challenging obstacles to see how the Sherp Pro performs. Up front, seat and ride comfort are very good, with the big softly inflated tyres providing good suspension characteristics. Maximum tyre pressure is only 5psi, and more typically the tyres run at just 0.5psi to achieve maximum tyre cleat contact with the ground. The Pro’s ability to cover, ascend up to 35-degree slopes and descend very soft and marshy ground is remarkable and, because the vehicle’s unladen weight is just 1.3 tonnes, it hardly leaves a mark on the grass, which is invaluable when working in sensitive areas. The Pro can travel at 28mph on land and 3.7mph in water, and can navigate between the two without assistance.
The Sherp Pro also has an auxiliary 12V power supply connection in the cab area, mainly used to power the 2,041kg-capacity electric winch to pull the Sherp out of the most difficult of situations or help clear obstructing storm damaged objects. For customers buying the lowbed/Pickup version, it will easily handle 1-tonne IBCs or palleted goods with its 1.2-tonne payload, loaded with a telehandler.
EQUIPPED TO IMPRESS
With restriction on ATV/UTV use on the public highway in the UK, Sherp has designed a special trailer. The unique design enables a Sherp Pro or Sherp N to climb the trailer platform and self-lock in just 15 seconds. Operating range is high and fuel consumption is low, with fuel burn being 2 to 3 litres of diesel fuel per hour on average. Its fuel tank holds 56 litres, with four optional 58-litre fuel tanks integrated in wheel disks providing an extra 232 litres.
The chassis frame is galvanised for corrosion protection, and the aluminium panels and bottom of the Sherp are covered with highly durable Raptor polyurethane coating for extended service life.
Sherp UK Ltd is happy to discuss
purchase, lease or hire agreements on any of these models, and a three-day Sherp driving and maintenance course is included in the purchase price. Optional extras include a transporter trailer, studded snow tyres, wheel hub fuel tanks, cargo storage boxes, 2,041kg winch, rear tow bar and a boat type sled!
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Following our exciting time in the cockpit, we were left in no doubt of the Sherp Pro’s off-road capabilities. The machine’s hardtop, flatbed configuration, towing capability and light footprint make it suitable for a host of applications in forestry, land management and other sectors, to the extent it seems the Sherp’s only limit is the user’s imagination! In very niche applications, we could see a need for such a vehicle to transport tree planting teams, and their materials, into sensitive or hard-toreach areas where deep water will be encountered en route.
• Thank you to Sherp UK Ltd Tel 01296 532305 Above: The Sherp’s optional 2,041kg-pull electric winch.
FIRST UK CUSTOMER
Bay Search and Rescue (BSAR), headquartered at Flookborough in Cumbria, is the first UK customer of a Sherp Max model. BSAR operates a mix of adapted Hagglund track-type personnel carriers, 4x4 pickups, a range of inflatable boats and other essential transporters. The company also has two more machines that are thought to be unique in the UK: a search and rescue American Airboat and an amphibious Sherp UTV.
The Sherp was purchased specifically with Morecambe Bay in mind because it can operate on both land and water, thanks to it deep treaded cleats (low-ground pressure tyres) doubling as paddles, allowing it to safely go out on a rescue mission as the quick tide races in across the bay. Since March 2020, the crew have used the Sherp to rescue people and animals in the immediate Morecambe Bay area. BSAR also operates further afield and are one of only two independent flood rescue teams in the whole of Cumbria which meets DEFRA’s stringent rescue criteria and can be deployed across England and Wales. Recently, BSAR was called upon to evacuate people and livestock during the heavy flooding in Yorkshire.
BSAR has been so impressed with the Sherp’s overall performance, it is planning to expand the HQ at Flookburgh by moving the Airboat there and raising charitable funds to purchase a second Sherp to cover the whole of the bay more efficiently. Gary Parsons, Commanding Officer, Bay Search and Rescue commented, “We researched the market and found that the Sherp Max would meet or exceed our needs. It’s been a game-changing vehicle, as I can confidently send our crews out across very soft sand. With one of the fastest tides in the world rushing in at up to 8mph across a bay the size of Greater Manchester, the Sherp will float extremely well when we hit the water,” Gary continued. “If need be, it will climb over slippery, seaweed-covered, 3-foot-high rocks to bring rescued people and animals back safely onto dry land.
“As a charity organisation, we were grateful to Sherp for providing us with a very competitively priced vehicle, and the new UK dealer service support from Chris Atkey has been fantastic. We do all our own maintenance, and I’m delighted to report the Sherp Max is easy to maintain and has been ultra-reliable, which is extremely important in rescue work.”
If you wish to support this life-saving organisation, it has charity shops situated in Grange-Over-Sands and Milnthorpe. Further details about the operation can be found at www.baysearchandrescue.org.uk.
Above: Sherp Max operating in the Morecambe Bay area.
