this 1960s film shows how heavy generators were transported by adding a hovercraft skirt under the load, to spread the weight.

Good old Pickfords    That has to be just about the tightest squeeze I've ever seen under a bridge.

We used grease hovercraft technology to move heavy rigs around in the Railway Technical Centre in the 70s.

Very effective but VERY messy! Kept the cleaners under contract for AGES afterwards!

That's some interesting stuff ! Thanks for sharing. Love them coming through tunnels with inches to spare

In it's heyday Jane's Surface Skimmers: Hovercraft and Hydrofoils volumes had a separate section just for industrial
hover systems.
1985 was the last year of publication, in 1986 it became Jane's High-speed Marine Craft and Air Cushion Vehicles and
then in 1990 Jane's High-Speed Marine Craft, publication ceased altogether with the 1995-96 volume.

I actually saw a hovercraft on what looked like a car trailer being towed by a pickup truck. Painted bright red. Strange.

Speaking of which, did any after-market company ever make the Land Rover hovercraft attachments? https://www.google.com/search?q=Land+Rover+hovercraft&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA910CA910&sxsrf=APwXEddiJqVUbU1BtnEJi7Tehwc56oxx3Q:1685910583634&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQn9eruqr_AhW7tokEHSb1BkwQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1536&bih=754&dpr=1.25

Vickers did the development, tacked onto their large hovercraft, but I don't think they did many of them.

Quote from: The Rat on June 04, 2023, 01:31:00 PMSpeaking of which, did any after-market company ever make the Land Rover hovercraft attachments?

There was an Eagle comic cutaway some time in the late 50's or early 60's of such a machine

Quote from: Rheged on June 04, 2023, 02:52:22 PM

Quote from: The Rat on June 04, 2023, 01:31:00 PMSpeaking of which, did any after-market company ever make the Land Rover hovercraft attachments?

There was an Eagle comic cutaway some time in the late 50's or early 60's of such a machine

http://funrover.com/history/5-bizarre-odd-land-rovers/

Quote from: kerick on June 03, 2023, 09:05:47 AMI actually saw a hovercraft on what looked like a car trailer being towed by a pickup truck. Painted bright red. Strange.

Not unusual.  They are not practical for use on public roads having no brakes and vague steering (like a Commodore I used to own).  I once towed a small one (2 or 3 seater) though Melbourne to deliver it to its new owner.
My then boss once had to tow a much larger one (weighing a bit more than the towing capacity of his Landcruiser) to a secret remote location to hide it.

That's the picture I was thinking of!!  Thank you Zenrat.

The Proof and Experimental range at Port Wakefield was an unusual army establishment, built on the edge of a vast mud flat area and as a consequence they had a hovercraft - to recover projectiles they had fired out to sea over the mudflats.  I was never allowed to drive it, you needed a special license for that but I occasionally got to travel in it.  It was a zippy little two seater.  We were able generally to recover most projectiles which we fired.

I had a go at driving a hovercraft at Scout camp many years ago. Three small machines in use and they had a whole field to themselves. Great fun but impossible to steer in any meaningful direction 

I can't recall whose biography it was but I read a great account of the British Army taking hovercraft to Borneo to ride up the river rapids into undiscovered country. Very exciting.

Quote from: Nick on June 06, 2023, 06:47:27 AMI had a go at driving a hovercraft at Scout camp many years ago. Three small machines in use and they had a whole field to themselves. Great fun but impossible to steer in any meaningful direction 

I can't recall whose biography it was but I read a great account of the British Army taking hovercraft to Borneo to ride up the river rapids into undiscovered country. Very exciting.

I can vaguely remember the Borneo event, couldn't find it immediately but I did find this:  2000 miles up the Amazon    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkaJ4ELOYzQ.


  Further research  did identify this:-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gVkQQ36I4