Fire Engines Photos

What benefits does this vehicle have over using an ordinary appliance for training?

Added by Scott on 26 March 2008.

It saves keeping an appliance specifically for this purplose i.e. saving money. The rear of this appliance contains a weight of concrete equivalent to a fully laden appliance so that it simulates the on the road conditions

Added by Jake Reever on 30 January 2009.

Thanks for that

Added by Scott on 30 January 2009.

There have been recent changes in the requirements of vehicle used for driving tests, they need to be fitted with a 'splitter' gearbox for one.....the days of using old redundent pumps have gone.

Added by Barrie Green on 30 January 2009.

Barrie, do you know, over here; the Automatic Transmission seems to be taking over - judging from the trade magazines; and talking with other Fire Dept's in New Brunswick, anyway.

Our nearby City Fire Dept, full-time paid, might have just the one truck left, out of maybe a dozen, that still has a Manual Gearbox.

We have received 2 Sterling Pumper/Tankers, Caterpillar diesels mated to Allision Automatic Transmissions. What a contrast to grinding through all the gears, on our previous, heavily-laden converted Tankers; now, you just push the "D" button on the dash-board, and "Mr Allison", down below, looks after all the gear-shifting - and, smoothly.

Your 'Splitter' gear-box is not the "Ruxle", is it - a 2-speed "Hi-Lo" Rear Axle Gear-box (uses Pinion/Ring Gear arrangement, shifted by electric motor, with a red knob on the gear-shift lever). It makes a 4 or 5 speed gear-box set-up into an 8 or 10 speed choice. Takes some skill, especially on "Down-shifting"

North American readers, with older Fire Dept trucks, or simply Memories; would know this idea.

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 31 January 2009.

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