JETRANGER TO THE RESCUE
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by Trevor Longeroft
A NEW BREED of specialized crash tender is being demanded by airport authorities who, with the advent of huge multi-seat aircraft, must be prepared to tackle disasters of unprecedented magnitude. A test on one such vehicle was published in CM earlier this year (January 8) and I have now had the opportunity to put another through its paces—the Jetranger 3000 produced jointly by Vickers All Wheel Drive and Carmichael and Sons (Worcester), who will mount the body and equipment.
This machine is capable of throwing a jet of foam 250ft at a flow rate of 10,000 gal/min—and if necessary while moving at speeds up to 70 mph. Assessing the Jetranger in chassis form at the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment grounds at Bagshot Heath, Surrey, recently, we found the vehicle highly mobile on difficult terrain, giving promise of rapid
arrival on the scene of a disaster even in very bad conditions.
The machine is a rigid 6 x 6 with a Leyland double-drive rear tandem bogie having a lockable third differential, and an AEC single-reduction front axle whose differential cannot be locked.
Suspension of the vehicle is conventionally by leaf springs on the front axle but with an inverted semi-elliptical spring system on the rear bogie. Maximum wheel travel to full bump is 4.3in. on the front axle and 4.4in. on the rear axle.
Located at the rear of the Vickers chassis is the Cummins V12 engine with a capacity of 28 litres (1710 Cu. in.), producing 700 bhp (net) at 2100 rpm and a maximum torque of 1925 lb.ft at 1500 rpm. This drives through a Twin Disc torque converter with a stall ratio of 1.9 to 1 and a Twin Disc six-speed semi-automatic constant mesh gearbox.