Bronto Skylift fire fighter
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The first Leyland Daf FAS 2500 chassis to be fitted with the Bronto Skylift 28-2T1 aerial fire-fighting appliance has gone to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
The £250,000 vehicle was specially modified by Leyland Dafs Special Vehicle Options unit at Colchester. A special groove was built into the cab roof to accommodate the booms of the ladder platform, an anti-roll bar was fitted to increase cornering stability, and Wabco anti-lock brakes were fitted to all axles.
The 4.52m chassis has an operational weight of 23.5 tonnes. A special switch which transfers weight to the drive axle has been fitted by SVO allowing the rear axle to be raised when extra traction is needed.
Angloco, manufacturer of the Bronto Skylift, fitted the ladder platform to the chassis using a heavy-duty sub-frame which incorporates four H-type jacks to lift the appliance off the ground when it arrives at an incident.
The vehicle is also fitted with a stability plate to give it a low centre of gravity in tilt tests, and a wire rope lifting system which automatically lifts the rear axle when the jacks are operated.
A Leyland Daf DHS 8.25litre turbocharged and charge
cooled engine produces almost 200kW (268hp) of power and over 930Nm (6861bft) of torque, through a 12-speed ZF 56-90 gearbox with GV90 splitter.
The fire appliance was supplied by Watts of Gloucester, like the seven Leyland Daf Freighter fire-fighting vehicles in the Gloucestershire fleet.