In 2019, the Fire and Rescue Service (HZS) of the Moravian-Silesian Region (CZ) purchased a new Tatra Force truck with an Omars rescue superstructure and a Hiab hydraulic loading crane.
The purchase price of the truck then climbed to 13,461,250 crowns (approximately 612,000 USD). A year later, HZS had the vehicle equipped with another axle for 5,792,270 crowns (approximately 263,285 USD). The price also included the reconstruction of a specialized superstructure.
Original was “short”
Originally, a three-axle Tatra Force with an extended wheelbase of 4740 mm with all-wheel drive and double mounting on the rear axles, ie type TATRA 815–7T5R33.47ZA 6 × 6.2, was chosen as the chassis. The drive was taken care of by the well tried-and-tested Tatra directly air-cooled supercharged eight-cylinder engine T3D-928-31 emission specification Euro V with a maximum output of 325 kW. The transmission of power to the wheels of all axles was ensured by a 14-speed mechanical gearbox Tatra 14TS 210T with the TATRA-Norgren electronic shifting system. The front axle was fitted with a stabilizer and sprung by air bellows springs and telescopic shock absorbers, the rear by leaf springs together with air bellows springs (a heavy variant of the KING FRAME combined system). An electromagnetic retarder Thelma was mounted at the end of the spinal central tube.
The ground clearance of the truck is a standard 410 mm. When handling the hydraulic loading crane, air is released from the suspension bags. The ground clearance can also be changed according to the driver’s requirements from the truck cabin in the range of +90 to -120 mm, which is also the standard of the Tatra Force model range. The operating weight of the chassis was 13,230 kg, the payload 22,270 kg. The maximum technically permissible weight of the vehicle was 25,500 kg, of which 9,500 kg fell on the front axle and 13,000 kg on each of the rear axles. The climing ability of the truck with a weight of 26,000 kg is 100%, the maximum speed exceeds 100 km/h. The outer track diameter of the turn is 24 m. The special can wade with calm water to a depth of 1200 mm, after a short adjustment according to the manufacturer’s instructions up to 1500 mm.
Equipment on the back
The body of the superstructure was made of aluminium profiles and glued with aluminium sheet. On each side of the truck, they form three boxes for accessories and controls. The Waeco Basic Perfect Wiev RVS 555 reversing camera transmits the image from the rear of the car to a 7 “display in the driver’s cab, even when driving forward, which ensures control of the towing device and the towed car or truck. The camera is heated and resistant to dust and water. The truck was covered with foil in red RAL 3024, there were white and yellow-green highlighting elements, including hatching chevron on the rear.
The rescue arm was mounted on an auxiliary frame of two side members and two hydraulic stabilizers with an A-shaped support. There are locks on all hydraulic cylinders, the arm can be tilted to an angle of -15 degrees. Vulkan towing goggles with a load capacity of 25 t with supports and 5 t while driving are hot-dip galvanized. Their maximum length from the axis of the arm is 5150 mm. The device allows you to alternatively pull the axle or frame of the vehicle. There are three hydraulic winches. They pull back a ten-ton VIME EPH with a 40 m rope with a diameter of 18 mm and a twenty-ton BREVINI BWT with a 40 m rope with a diameter of 20 mm. From the front, the VIME 4500 EPH with a pull of 5 t and 25 m of rope with a diameter of 11 mm. The rear winches and hydraulic arms can be operated together.
The hydraulic loading crane with endless turns is controlled by the Space X4 system. It is controlled via a fully proportional remote control or lever on both sides of the truck. The support legs are hydraulically extendable, the maximum width after adjustment is 6800 mm. The system automatically evaluates the width of the setting and adjusts the working diagram of the crane accordingly. There are modern systems such as automatic increase in load capacity, overload protection, automatic damping system, or automatic draining of oil back into the tank when the system is idling. The load capacity of the crane with five hydraulic segments is given by the value of 37.8 tonne meters, when unloaded to 3.7 m it lifts a load weighing 10 t. At the maximum unloading, ie 15 m, it lifts another 2.2 t.
Plus another axle
In 2020, the TATRA TRUCKS manufacturer converted the vehicle into a four-axle 8×8.2 version. It added a fourth driven and steerable axle to the original three-axle chassis. The drive of rear axles remain as standard, the front drive can be connected. Differential locks are a matter of course. All chassis equipment – retarder, gearbox with TATRA-Norgren system with sequential shift mode, independent heating, air conditioning, compressed air replenishment and the like remained. Also with the HIAB hydraulic loading crane, no adjustment of the operating parameters has taken place. However, the addition of one next axle weight increased even payload. The maximum load capacity of Vulkan towing goggles is now 7.2 t.
After the extension of the chassis, aluminium boxes for other accessories were added behind the cab, the lower boxes were merged into one on both sides, covered by an aluminium roller shutter. The minimum track diameter of turning is now 28 m for a modified truck, the overall height of the truck did not change, the lenght increased by 700 mm to 10,500 mm.
Milan Olšanský
Photo: author’s archive