Talus MB-4H
The Talus MB-4H is an amphibious tractor . It is used to launch B-Class boats from the British Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). It is used at lifeboat stations with a tidal range to make the boats independent of the tides. The tractor drives the boat on a trailer into deeper water, from where the boat can start.
The tractor weighs just under ten tons, has a 77 kW diesel engine and reaches a top speed of around 40 km / h. Its winch can move a weight of five tons.
The tractor, which has been used by the RNLI since 1990, can be used in calm water at a water depth of up to 1.60 meters. If something goes wrong and the tractor gets stuck in the rising tide despite all-wheel drive , the driver can exit the cab through the roof; the tractor is built in such a way that it is only minimally damaged even when it is completely flooded. While the cab is watertight in normal operation, it can be flooded under these conditions to prevent the tractor from drifting in the current. The lifeboat station has the opportunity to recover the vehicle at the next low tide.
The special adaptations include, among other things, that the tires are filled with water so as not to float up, just as the driver can change his seat position in the cabin and it is possible to drive “forwards” in both directions.
Clayton Engineering developed the tractor together with the RNLI. It is the first vehicle that is not a converted vehicle, but one that has been completely redesigned for the purpose. After various tests under operating conditions, the first MB-4H went into regular use in New Brighton in November 1990 .
Remarks
Web links
- Site of Clayton (English)