Truck body builders and transmission experts have worked on custom improvements for emergency vehicles
At least two manufacturers will be promoting truck models to fire and emergency services personnel at the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council conference and exhibition, set to open in Perth tomorrow.
The conference and expo will carry on for three days and is set to see some of the country’s leading equipment manufacturers exhibit their newest innovations at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Among the vehicles to be on display is Hino’s 300 Series 4×4 Crew Cab, on which the company has worked collaboratively with Allison Transmissions and Penske Power Systems to design and engineer an automatic transmission solution.
Hino Australia manager of product strategy Daniel Petrovski says the company wanted to deliver a solution that made the right gear-selection decisions for a driver in challenging situations.
The transmission is an Allison 1000 series five-speed automatic transmission and features both ‘power’ and ‘economy’ shift programming.
Gear selection is carried out via a Hino 300 Series automatic transmission gear position selector, so that anyone familiar with a car’s automatic transmission will feel at home in the Hino 300 Series 4×4 automatic.
“Importantly, this local option is a true automatic transmission, meaning that the driver only needs to select the drive position and let the transmission carry out the gear selections and shifting no matter the terrain or transfer case range selected,” he says.
“Not having to give thought to the transmission operation once drive is selected is a factor that will further broaden the appeal of the truck.”
The other vehicle on display features a mine rescue body fitted by Paull and Warner Body Builders, designed to be of interest to emergency response crews working on mine sites.
“It is a multi-purpose appliance that is set up to not only fight fires but also to house the required tools to perform road crash rescue, first aid, hazmat and other general mine site based hazards,” Petrovski says.
“This truck is fitted with fixed gas detection enabling the first responders to be able to size up an incident and understand potential unseen hazards prior to leaving the cab of the truck and a powerful lighting setup that makes this truck a great incident control base.
“Capacity wise, the truck is fitted with a 1500L water tank and has storage for 40L worth of foam.”
Neither the Allison transmission nor the mine rescue adaptations come as standard with the vehicles, but they can be incorporated on new Hino 300 4x4s following consultation with a dealer.
Available in single cab and crew cab configurations, the 300 Series 4×4 is powered by a 165hp (121kW), 464Nm, 4 litre diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual overdrive transmission and a dual range 4×4 transfer case.
The vehicle is also the only 7,500kg gross vehicle mass 4×4 truck in Australia with vehicle stability control, driver and passenger SRS airbags, cruise control, four-wheel disc brakes and reverse camera as standard features.
Fuso Canter
Also on display at the conference will be the short wheelbase version of Fuso’s FG 4×4 Canter, which the company says has been serving in Australian emergency response fleets for decades.
With a two-speed transfer case for optimum crawling as well as a rear limited slip differential, the 4×4 Canter also has reinforced protection for the CV joints, drum brakes for optimum off-road durability, Electronic Brake Force Distribution for maximum braking efficiency and a standard hill holder function.
The short-wheelbase version has a turning circle of 11.4m and a low rear frame height for useability, as well as an overall length of 5.2m long, which the company says is “best in class,” for maximum off-road agility.
The 4×4 Canter is also available as a crew cab with seating for up to seven.