Groundhog
The Groundhog is an all-purpose work Gear chassis designed by one of Northco’s subsidiaries, Elementech. It is a basic walker frame used to enhance a worker’s lifting capacity and performance on heavy duty jobs such as construction and ammunition handling. It has a Hardhat-derived core to which various limbs and tools can be attached, as required by the variant being produced (twelve different arms are available, from a pneumatic jackhammer to a heavy plasma cutter). Because it is reliable, inexpensive and modular, the Groundhog has become a long-lasting standard. The Groundhog’s simplicity and ease of repair inspired the Northco engineers while they worked on the BOT Project, which would later lead to the Hunter.
Usage
The Groundhog is a very common work machine. It can be found on most construction sites, and almost all Terranovan factories have a few to load and unload material. The parts are inexpensive, easy to find and easy to replace, which helps extend the machine’s service life. Secondhand Groundhogs are available everywhere, making this Gear so affordable that no self-respecting business would be without one. It is often said that the first Groundhog you buy will be the last.
With the epidemic of raids and attacks on small towns and isolated farms that raged between TN 1470 and TN 1540, it became increasingly necessary for the isolated communities and towns to arm their Groundhogs with makeshift weapons and to protect the pilot with welded plates of metal on the chassis. Although slow and ponderous, these walkers proved to be quite efficient and helped establish the viability of the infantry walker vehicle concept. Numerous homesteads still have such makeshift combat machines, handed down from generation to generation.