HRT for Battletech-the vehicle that every planet needs.

[Vehrec]

Code: [Select]

Horse Replacement Tractor HRT-01
<p>
<b>Mass: </b>3 tons<br/>

<b>Movement Type: </b>Wheeled<br/>

<b>Power Plant: </b> Solar<br/>
<b>Cruising Speed: </b>43.2 kph<br/>
<b>Maximum Speed: </b>64.8 kph<br/>
<b>Armor: </b>BAR 2</b><br/>
<b>Armament:</b><br/>


<b>Communication System: </b>Unknown<br/>
<b>Targeting & Tracking System: </b>Unknown<br/>
<b>Introduction Year:</b> 3025<br/>
<b>Tech Rating/Availability:</b> D/X-D-C-C<br/>
<b>Cost:</b> 13,975 C-bills<br/>
</p>




 
Type: Horse Replacement Tractor
Chassis Type: Wheeled (Small)
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Mass: 3,000 kg
Battle Value: 12

Equipment                                         Mass (kg)
Chassis/Controls                                  1760.0
Engine/Trans.                                     750.0
    Cruise MP:4
Flank MP:6
Heat Sinks                    0                     0.0
Fuel                                                0.0
Armor Factor (BAR 2)          10                  250.0

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Front                   1         4     
     R/L Side               1/1       2/2   
     Rear                    1         2     


Weapons
and Ammo              Location    Tonnage   
None

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.235 tons)      1 Door   

Notes:
Features Off-Road, Tractor, Environmental Sealing Chassis and Controls Modifications
Trailer Hitch
Searchlight(5 kg)


What, did you think I was gonna force-fem your mechwarriors?  No, I want to replace all the horses.  I want to put solar powered mini-tractors on every planet in the inner sphere.  I want to export millions of these tiny powerhouses, with their shiny solar panels, to every planet with a spaceport that you need to get a horse to.  I'll sell a range of accessories and I want them to be climate-controlled and able to operate on any planet or moon you drop them off on.  When you aren't using it for agricultural work, you can use it to power a water purifier, or charge batteries for your refrigerator to keep your Dino-Eggs cold until you ship them to market.

Stamped steel construction and mild steel armor keep costs low and production tech required at a minimum, this is mostly 20th century tech.  The engines can be built off-planet and imported as kits, everything else can be done as long as you have enough chemical industry to do the seals for the environmental system.  Even the engine requires only 22nd century lithography tech, not the kind of stuff you typically see targeted for destruction or theft.  Hell, it's not impossible that something like this was part of the first Terran colonization programs-and might still be running centuries later on the worlds of the periphery, having been sold on from colony to colony.

[DevianID]

How long does it work on planets with extended night cycles?  I have not seen/used a solar engine vee before.  Is it daytime only?

[Gorgon]

I love it. Couple years back, I helped a small farmer over the summer and he had a small tool carrying tractor of about the same dimensions (sadly without the solar engine). It's amazing what you can get done with a well-designed small tractor. If you're working more than ten acres you'll want something bigger, but for what used to be considered a medium sized farm in Europe, a vehicle like this is an amazing tool. Adding to its many uses the option to use it as a power source and to charge batteries would be such a useful thing to have.

So yeah, for all those colonists and farmers across human space, I hope someone has been building machines like that for the last 800 or so years.

I mean, look at this cutie!

[Vehrec]

How long does it work on planets with extended night cycles?  I have not seen/used a solar engine vee before.  Is it daytime only?

For night-time operations in a multi-week long night cycle, I think you don't do normal farming.  Practically, solar-powered vees are electrical vehicles with no maximum range determined by their onboard battery.  They're heavy enough for a fairly extensive battery bank, so 'only' 30+ hour stints in darkness might be fine?  But for safety, please purchase some sort of battery bank for recharging from.

[DevianID]

For night-time operations in a multi-week long night cycle, I think you don't do normal farming.  Practically, solar-powered vees are electrical vehicles with no maximum range determined by their onboard battery.  They're heavy enough for a fairly extensive battery bank, so 'only' 30+ hour stints in darkness might be fine?  But for safety, please purchase some sort of battery bank for recharging from.

*extended nighttime batteries sold separately.  Claims of 30 hour night operation includes no use of searchlight and low power transmission mode turned on.  If your HRT lasts for more then 30 hours in nighttime operations, please consult a doctor for IR or UV exposure before continuing operations on alien worlds.