| Northamptonshire fire fighters get a Mercedes-Benz Unimog, dedicated, all-terrain rescue vehicle
Northamptonshire Fire Service has taken delivery of a specialist rescue vehicle that is capable of crossing the roughest and most unstable ground, and getting a full crew and its equipment right to the heart of a rescue.
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 is renowned for its off-road ability, high on-road speeds and the power to operate a wide range of equipment direct from the Mercedes-Benz engine, including a long reach crane that will lift injured or distressed animals from difficulty – such as ditches, ponds and even swimming pools.
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“Our crews now have the ability to take control at an incident without relying on equipment that is not purpose-designed or, in some cases, borrowed from farmers. The Unimog also overcomes any potential problems involving manual handling and safety of personnel. Northamptonshire is largely a rural county, so we needed fast on-road speeds as well as off-road capability,” says Northamptonshire Fire Service’s Engineering Services Manager Ken Jones.
The vehicle has a crew cab, capable of carrying seven, fully-equipped fire fighters. The equipment they require for emergencies and day-to-day operations is carried in specially-designed storage areas throughout the vehicle, with special easy-access rear doors. Equipment includes the full range of rescue products plus inflatable boats for operations in water. The Unimog and crane ‘package’ is ideally suited to getting crew members as near to a water rescue incident as possible and then quickly launching inland craft.
The long-reach crane is operated by Power Take-Off direct from the Unimog’s diesel engine. The HIAB XS 088 E-5 HiDuo has a total reach of 13.5 metres using hydraulic power and boom extensions. At 2.2 metres extension it will lift 3.25 tonnes; and fully extended will lift 400kg. Stabilisers built into the Unimog U4000 chassis ensure safety and continued operation.
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The key to the Unimog U5000’s extreme, off-road capability is the high torsional flexibility of the specially-designed chassis. The ladder frame consists of two U-shaped members that are welded to tubular cross members – resulting in the stiffness required for fast on road driving and exceptional flexibility off road.
The three-point mounting of the engine and transmission allows the vehicle to negotiate diagonally opposed obstacles with height differences of up to half a metre (depending on chassis height and load). The suspension of the Unimog U5000 has been designed so that the axle location, along with torque tubes containing the drive shafts (for added protection) and coil springs, allows articulation of up to 30 degrees.
All Mercedes-Benz Unimogs are recognised worldwide for their on-road speeds and all-wheel drive, off-road capabilities: the Unimog U3000, U4000 and U5000 take this extreme all terrain ability to the limit
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