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Hi John, Yes I agree, distance from articulation pivot to front axle is less than to the rear axle. So there's a lot more wiggle experienced with front end mounted cab. However with the 285 it didn't bother me, although it is now a very long time ago. Kind regards, Peter

Hi Bryan, That's interesting, but I doubt that it was my 285. Your story is 29 years after mine. I think my unit was scrapped or sold not long after I drove it in 1965. I never saw it again. AWD did a lot of experimentation with the UK military in the late 50's and early 60's. I am awaiting with interest to see the comments in the report about the steering position. My opinion is that it was not so bad, you had the same fixed visual relationship to the bucket as when driving a rear wheel steer. Just that you had to glance over your shoulder to see where the back end was and what it was doing.

Hi Ashcollection, Deeply buried in a low batt 57 year old memory cell, I have a figure of 12. I am not sure if the one in my pic is the 13th or one of the 12. I can remember taking the photo like it was yesterday, actually it was a cold day in March or April, and I had been working on the unit for many weeks before we took it to MVEE. The fact that it has no registration number on the counterweight suggests something. Do you have any idea/opinion of the total quantity? Kind regards Peter

Here's the last one in happier days in the wading tank at MVEE. The chassis was designed and built by All WheeL Drive/Clark in Camberley. This last one passed through the Clark factory in 1973 and underwent acceptance tests at MVEE Chobam (Chertsey). I had worked on an earlier one in the AWD/Clark development dept. in 1965. I have a vague recollection of doing some work on it at MEXE Chistchurch in the spring of that year. As far as I recall the batch were built in the mid 60's. Why we had the last one in 1973 I don't know. It was either a repeat order or a rebuild.

There was another military Michigan that never made it into production or saw service. That was the Michigan 285. This was not in the normal Michigan model number series, and was only used for this one prototype as far as I know. It was the size of a 275 or a little larger, and one of the first articulated steer Michigans ever produced. Must have been in the early 60's. Unusually it had the operator position on the front part of the chassis, rather than became standard afterwards on the aft part. I became acquainted with it in 1965 when I was an apprentice in AWD/Clark's development department, and was given it to clear up the yard outside the department at the ex-US Navy Hangar at Blackbushe. It had been well used and had spent some time at MEXE Christchurch before being returned to the company. I don't have any photos of it yet, but I have found a report in the National Archives. Tests of the Michigan 285/AS Heavy Wheeled Tractor, and ordered a copy. I will post again when I get it. Peter

Here are some relevant pics. My 3D model of a Michigan 175 Series 1 Military Michigan 275 of 1973 during testing at Clark's test site on Blackbushe Airfield, with slave tyres and slave weighted bucket. If I remember correctly it was a batch of 12 units. The brakes needed some bedding in to reach the required test 'g' figures. The last of the Smiths/AWD wading crane passed through the Clark Camberley factory in 1973. A long while after the initial batch during of the mid 60's. This is my pic of it in the wading tank at MVEE Chobham.

I was an apprentice at All Wheel Drive, Camberley from 1963. (From 1965 it was taken over by licensor Clark Equipment) I remember the 175 DS, (DS meant Dual Steer -driving position facing forward or aft) Modified from the Michigan 175 Series 1 of late 50's early 60's. They were built before I joined, but I did see a few during my time. I am much more familiar with the Military 275's built durimg the early 70's. As I was involved in the engineering and personally responsible for the performance and aceptance testing. There was an endurance test period we did at Clark's test site at Blackbushe Airfield. Late in my apprenticeship in 1967 I was involved, with another apprentice, in producing the drawing for Dinky Toys to make their 1:43 scale model of the Michigan 180 dozer. The staff were offered models when they were issued in 1968, and I still have mine. If anyone is inetersted I have a 3D model of a standard Michigan 175a Series on in my Sketchup 3D warehouse. It's very detailed 1:1 scale and mostly done from memory, but overall dimenionally correct within reason. shttps://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/579886383923e3d998b8c800ae001b66/Michigan-175-Tractor-Shovel I have plenty of pics of the 275's during testing at Blackbushe. Also of intest may be AWD/Smiths wading crane, another product for the military. I was personally involved with the last one we built which was some years after the initial production batch in 1973. Regards Peter