The Renault EG is an

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

artillery tractor An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked. Traction There are two m ...

produced between 1914 and 1919 by the French manufacturer

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

History

The Renault EG was tested at the 1914 tests for all-terrain vehicles organised by the French military. In 1914, Renault developed a lighter version, the FB, but it was abandoned for concentrating on the EG. During World War I, it was commissioned by the French military. Mass production started in 1915 and about 978 were built by the end of the war. According to François Vauvillier, a total of 1,132 EGs were delivered to the French army. EGs, along with the Berliet CBA, the Latil TAR, the Renaults EP and FU, and the

Saurer Adolph Saurer AG was a Swiss manufacturer of embroidery and textile machines, trucks and buses under the Saurer and Berna (beginning in 1929) brand names. Based in Arbon, Switzerland, the firm was active between 1903 and 1982. Their vehicles were ...

Type B, were key vehicles of the ''Voie Sacrée'' (Holy Road) for supplying the French army during the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

. In March 1924, the French military commissioned more powerful successors of both the Renault EG and the Latil TAR. At tests conducted in 1926, the Renault candidate was not conclusively better than the EG, so the plan to replace it was abandoned. Renault did not produce heavy artillery tractors after that. About 635 EGs were still in service by October 1939, although most of them were destroyed during 1940.

Technical details

The EG engine is an 8.49-litre inline-four unit producing between at 1,000 rpm and at 1,400 rpm. As other Renaults of that time, the

radiator A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

is located behind the engine. In the late 1920s, some EGs were fitted with a more powerful 7.8-litre inline-four engine delivering . The EG has a four-wheel steering system by which front and rear wheels are moved independently through two steering gears linked by

universal joint A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges ...

s to the steering wheel, improving the turning radius. The

gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...

is a 4-speed operated through a gear lever. The double wheels are made of cast steel and are of the same diameter () both on front and rear. The truck payload is and it can haul about 15 tonnes. The wheelbase is and the width .

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *{{cite book , last=Vauvillier , first=François , title=Tous les Renault militaires (1914–1940) : Volume 1, les camions , trans-title=All military Renaults (1914–1940): Volume 1, the trucks , language=French , year=2018 , publisher=Histoire et Collections , isbn=978-2-35250-498-6 EG Vehicles introduced in 1914 Military vehicles introduced in the 1910s