• MAN is busy preparing a 14 tonne 14.264F M2000 B-type
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
fire appliance chassis in readiness for a demonstration tour of UK brigades. The move follows the successful introduction of its 10-tonne 217hp (162kW) 10.224 chassis-cab into the Devon fleet which now has 19 such "compacts" in use and another six in preparation.
MAN's medium-duty demonstrator, a 4x2 chassis with dummy body, has already been previewed by various brigades; now Commercial Motor has tried it too.
The sample appliance is almost a standard 4x2 line-built chassis with N-type day cab, 420ga1 (1,9001it) water tank and pump.
To give it an authentic feel the frame was ballasted up to 14 tonnes then given a wooden mock-up fire tender body for visual effect. The 14.264F is powered by MAN's D0826LFL(09) 6.9-litre DI engine which kicks out 256hp (194kW) at 2,300rpm, well over the Home Office's JCDD minimum of 12.1kWitonne power-toweight. There's masses of torque too-7371bft (1,000Nm) is on tap between 1,400 and 1,70Orpm.
Axles and framework are normal MAN offerings along with ZF 8095 Servocom power assisted steering, full-air braking systems and traction control. The only changes are uprated parabolic springs and hydraulic dampers plus the popular Allison MD3060 World Series automatic transmission in place of the otherwise standard Eaton manual box.
A Telma electro-magnetic retarder will be added for the time being, but an integral retarder will also be offered with the Allison box. The advantage here, says MAN, is that the EDC and Allison WS electronics can interact, enabling its MANCAT laptop diagnostic equipment to be used for fault
location. The demonstrator has recently undergone tilt testing and MAN claims 42.5° on the table and 45° on the body.
By July MAN will have a dedicated integral all-steel crew cab available but the trial 14.264F chassis is about to visit Saxon of Sandbach for a crewcab conversion and a body system appropriate to the 3.95m wheelbase. MAN expects the finished vehicle to be ready in time for the Bournemouth Fire '97 exhibition in mid-September.