1972 Attex MERV-I Prototype

[Mike]

Thanks to 6x6 World member Don for submitting some more, really cool literature for everyone on the site to enjoy. This time Don was kind enough to ship me some very rare, full size drawings that came from the Attex design team detailing a prototype 6x6 called the MERV-I.

This 6x6 ATV was designed to be 30" tall, 100" long, and 56" wide. It has 26" tires with 6" of ground clearance, and appears to have been designed to climb over a 12" obstacle with ease. It carried two people. The driver was seated and the passenger appears to have been able to lay down on their stomach. It has an onboard Oxygen supply. It appears to be a rescue vehicle and I can only assume that MERV stands for Military Emergency Rescue Vehicle or Multipurpose Emergency Response Vehicle?

A second drawing details a trailer with 21" tires and 11.5" of ground clearance that is designed to carry one occupant lying on their back. The trailer also has it's own Oxygen supply.

These drawings are 30" wide and 70" long original vellum drawings with tons of detail. They were originally drafted on October 16-19 in 1972 and I was just as impressed by the drawings themselves as I was the prototype 6x6. Don shipped them to me in an old drawing tube. When they arrived I unscrewed the top and could immediately smell the old paper. That strong scent that came from the tube really brought the drawings to life, and I could only imagine being behind the drawing board watching someone put these details together 38 years ago!

Manual drafting is such an art and the detail in these drawings is amazing. Just take a look at the detail in the driver's eyes and ears. It's just something you don't see anymore. After I stared at them for a long time I scanned them in, but large format drawings are difficult to view online. So, to help fit the page, I have a lower resolution image of the full drawings, so you can get an idea of how they are laid out. Then there are higher resolution images showing each detail on the drawing.

Thanks again Don for sending these in for everyone to enjoy. They really are an incredible addition to the literature section and quite the piece of ATV history. If you have anything else to add to the history of these drawings and how they came to be please elaborate or correct anything that I may have gotten wrong.










I have added these drawings to our existing collection of Attex Brochures found here: Attex 6x6 ATV Literature

[Don]

Nice Job, Mike! I can't remember much of anything to add to it, although if I ever find the cover letter I got with the drawings, I'll post it. I think it contained the meaning of MERV, but I can't right now think of it. Maybe: My Every Recollection is Vague?

[jpswift1]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing these Don, and thanks for putting them up on the site Mike! It looks like the guys in the drawings have miner helmets on and it looks like the vehicle is designed to be really low profile. Also, Attex was located in Pittsburgh, PA for a while which is very close to West Virginia where a lot of mining takes place. I wonder if MERV could mean "Mining Emergency Recovery Vehicle".

[hydromike]

Mike Elects to Reconstruct this Vehicle! I think you could start with a RIM lower, and build a steel/ aluminum frame for the top. The seating position is pretty cool; looks like how I sit in the 503. Heck; wouldn't be too hard!

Thanks Don for scouring that big vault and picking out the uber-coolest stuff!

Great scans, Mike.... great detail...

~m

[LarryW]

Nice addition to the site Don and Mike! It is a interesting design. I guess we dont really know if any were produced but now we all have something else to hopefully hunt down, lol.
Jeff your miner theory does sound like a possibility to me.

[Mike]

Jeff, you are right, a mining application would make more sense especially given the dimension restrictions and Oxygen supplies.

[lewis]

As far as this vehicle, I agree with JP. mining seems to be more the application. This could also be a NMB vehicle. Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. This would also fit this military application. It has on board O2 and looks to be a scrubber. Remember this was during the Cold War era and a NBC attack was a constant threat. We would have drills at our schools for this. Sounds kinda silly now but it was a real threat at the time. What a great find, thanks Don and Mike for sharing this valuable piece of history with us.

[Sixxer]

Perhaps the "E" stands for electric?

From the drawings, it looks to be electric, am I wrong?

[Mike]

I think you are right. With the controller, communication cabling, battery housing, and round motor mounted at an angle, it does appear to be electric. The only thing that stumps me on the possibility of being a mining vehicle is the 12" Obstacle drawn before the tires. I wouldn't think that would even be a consideration in a mining application?

[Sixxer]

Well, they ARE wearing miners helmets,but who knows. I would assume in an emergency, some debris is to be expected. They probably were designing around a "worst case" scenario.

[Groundhog]

Yes it is mine emergency rescue vechicle. It has to be electric to have any chance of approval. Some older Pa miners have mentioned this concept vechicle 6x6 to me. It is neat to actually see the drawings. Still seems like a viable concept. Unfortunately the approval process would cost more than building several prototypes.

(Now you know why I am Groundhog)

[JoeMeg]

I'm thinkin the compartment tagged "Doghouse" behind the driver is a significant clue. How bout it Groundhog? Cool stuff though,it's amazing how much goes on "out there". Joe.

[Groundhog]

~A quarter mile under today. Wish I had the "Lil Attex" with me. Had to improvise a photo op!

[Mike]

We could photoshop your hand and phone out and nobody would know the difference. Cool stuff.

[micmac]

I think I found the original use for this vehicle. It was for cruising the Hollywood back lots.