The new special-purpose vehicle is praised for its fast acceleration and pump-and-roll capability, leading to further Allison-equipped vehicle orders.
KNAPSACK, Germany – The fire department of Chemiepark Knapsack, a chemical park, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has put a unique MAN TGS large tank pumper firefighting vehicle with an Allison transmission into operation.
The vehicle has been specified to be able to reach all areas of the 180-hectare enclosed, gated industrial estate within five minutes. Due to the nature of production at Yncoris-operated park, which involves chemicals, plastics, industrial gases and compressed air, the on-site fire department and its 14 vehicles and around 40 firefighters, is a key component of the park’s infrastructure.
The 12 metre-long MAN TGS 41.480 8×4 BB with Empl body features an Allison 4500 fully automatic transmission and a 6-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 12.4 litres. Powered by the MAN D26 engine with an output of 353 kW (473 hp) and a torque of 1,900 Nm as of 1,000 rpm, the 41-ton vehicle can reach a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).
The largest part of the vehicle body accommodates the 9,500-litre extinguishing water tank, along with an additional 4,500-litre foam tank and a 500 kg powder extinguishing system. The centrifugal fire pump is installed in the rear equipment compartment and has a capacity of 8,000 l/min at 10 bar. The rotatable 360° Skorpio extinguishing arm located on the roof can be extended to a length of 25 metres using a remote control system. Its output in this position is 3,500 litres per minute. This enables targets to be reached at a distance of up to 90 metres – an important benefit for emergency services.
In order to move the 40-ton truck quickly and in a controlled manner around the winding industrial site in an emergency, engine power and torque need to be fully and continuously transferred to the wheels. The patented torque converter and the uninterrupted full power shifts of the Allison transmission provide outstanding acceleration and continuous traction. In an emergency, the firefighters have to get to any location in the chemical park within five minutes to start firefighting operations.
“We predominantly cover short distances at the plant. There are lots of twists, turns and intersections, so we constantly have to slow down and accelerate. It is very impressive to see the improved acceleration when using a fully automatic transmission. You get up to speed right away and there is no bottoming out like with the automated manual transmissions. And vehicle control is simply superior, which our people really appreciate,” explained Dennis Scholzen, Head of Technology of the Chemiepark Knapsack on-site fire department.
“We really like this vehicle configuration with a fully automatic transmission. It delivers the power to the wheels much better than an AMT. We had not expected such a big difference, so as a result, we have already ordered three more vehicles with Allison transmissions from Empl: two 4-axle trucks and one 2-axle truck,” explained Ralf Lassmann, Head of the Plant Fire Department at the Chemiepark Knapsack.
The Allison transmission’s pump-and-roll feature allows the firefighting operation to proceed while the vehicle is in motion. “This is a huge advantage, as it allows us to manoeuvre the vehicle safely and at the same time operate the water pump via the Power Take-Off, which is essential for effective firefighting. With an automated manual transmission, this would not be possible,” said Dennis Scholzen, Head of Technology of the Chemiepark Knapsack on-site fire department. “Overall, the transmission’s two PTOs for the water pump and hydraulics work extremely well with the equipment.”
“Allison fully automatic transmissions have proven their superior performance in terms of acceleration, reliability and robustness in the most demanding conditions and are therefore used by numerous fire departments worldwide,” said Stephan Marker, Area Sales Manager Allison Transmission. “They also differ from other technologies due to the special fire service performance calibration. The only way a fully automatic transmission really takes the pressure off the driver during emergency runs is if the shift strategy is precisely matched to these vehicles and the transmission operates effectively in conjunction with the driver.”
Interschutz 2022
EMPL is exhibiting the large tanker fire-fighting vehicle of the Chemiepark Knapsack’s plant fire brigade at Interschutz, along with other custom-built vehicles (June 20-25, Interschutz, Hanover, Germany, Hall 27, Booth B30).
Overview MAN TGS 41.480 8×4 BB, with Allison 4500 transmission and EMPL body
| Customer | Plant fire brigade Yncoris Chemiepark Knapsack |
| Chassis (manufacturer) | MAN Truck & Bus AG |
| Chassis (model) | MAN TGS 41.480 8×4 BB |
| Body (manufacturer) | EMPL |
| Body (model) | TroSTLF 80/95-45-500P |
| Engine | MAN D26 |
| Engine output, torque | 353 kW (473 hp) / 1.900 Nm |
| Displacement | 12.419 cm3 |
| Transmission | Allison 4500 Series™ transmission |
| Max. GVWR | 38,500 kg |
| Total Technical Weight GVWR | 41,000 kg |
| Crew | 1/1 |
| Vehicle dimensions: | L × W × H: 12,000 × 2,550 × 3,900 mm |
| Extinguishing agents: | 9,500 liters of water, 4,500 liters of foam, 500 kg of powder |
| Additional equipment: | · Centrifugal fire pump FPN 10-8000 (8,000 liters/minute at 10 bar)
· Telescopic extinguishing arm 25 meters, 4,000 l/min (AWG) · Front turret Alco 2.5-DC EVO, 2,500 l/min (AWG) · CTD direct-injection foam proportioning systems IGUANE 360-30 (2 gear pumps 360 l/min) · Pneumatic light mast, 4 x LED (Fireco) · 2 roof mounted boxes with hydraulically lowerable lifting device (1x 80 m A-hose, 1x 80 m B-hose) · 4 Compressed air breathing apparatus · 3 MSA PremAire Escape positive pressure short duration compressed air emergency escape breathing device |
June 23rd 2022
Image – © Yncoris. In September 2021, the chemical park Knapsack fire brigade added a special vehicle in its fleet: the MAN TGS 41.480 large tank pumper with Empl body and Allison 4500 series fully automatic transmission.
Image – © Yncoris. The large tank pumper on MAN TGS 41.480 8×4 BB with Empl body is powered by a 4500 Allison fully automatic transmission and a 6-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 12.4 litres.
Image – © Yncoris. hanks to the pump-and-roll function of the Allison transmission, the extinguishing process can be continued while the vehicle is moving.
Image – © Allison Transmission. The Allison 4500 fully automatic transmission with torque converter provides continuous power transmission to the wheels. They also differ from other technologies due to the special fire service performance calibration.
About Chemiepark Knapsack
More than 2,300 people work at the Chemiepark Knapsack, 1,200 of them at the site operator YNCORIS GmbH & Co. KG. The site is located in Germany’s leading chemical region and in close proximity to the most important markets in Europe. The chemical industry has been based in Knapsack since 1907. Today, the Chemical Park Knapsack offers around 30 companies from production, research and services a modern and future-proof production site. The chemical park Knapsack is located in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis in the area of the city of Hürth and is divided into the two parts Hürth and Knapsack. For more information, see www.yncoris.com
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of vehicle propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining and construction applications) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has more than 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.