Fire protection under the three-pointed star: The history of Mercedes-Benz fire-fighting vehicles and their predecessors - PART V

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jan 01, 2007

The Mercedes-Benz semi-forward control and cab-over-engine fire-fighting vehicles from 1959 - 1989


1959: a new series of short-nose trucks

Since the advantages of cab-over-engine vehicles were not yet generally known and legislation at the same time developed its own ideas in terms of dimensions and engine output ratings, Daimler-Benz decided on a compromise in 1959: the best features of both, conventional and cab-over-engine designs, were to be combined in a new vehicle series with more powerful engines.
The rounded short-nose trucks were used by fire brigades for a variety of purposes. The LF 322 chassis for a gross weight of ten tons and with engines developing 110, later 126 hp proved to be the most versatile. With superstructures from Metz and Bachert, the vehicles served as pump water tenders with and without tanks, dry-agent tenders and airport fire-fighting vehicles (LF 16, TLF 16 and TroLF 16), as well as as emergency tenders, hose carriers and rescue vehicles. One L 322 chassis formed the backbone of the first hydraulically operated DL 30 h turntable ladder from Metz, presented at the fire brigades� convention in Cologne in 1958.

In the short-nose trucks, the engines protruded into the all-steel cabs only as far so as to permit through-cab access. On the heavy-duty truck series L 334, 337 and 338, the engine hoods were slightly longer to accommodate the 172 hp diesel engines with 10.8 liter displacement. In 1963, Daimler-Benz replaced the pre-chamber diesel by the direct-injection diesel engine and raised engine output at the same time.
From then on, new designations were used indicating the gross weight and engine output of a vehicle: the L 1113, which replaced the L 322, was, for instance an eleven-tonner with an engine output of roughly 130 hp. The popular L 911 was designed for a gross weight of nine tons and powered by a 110 hp engine.

New cab-over-engine vehicles in the sixties

The short-nose trucks, their rounded shapes reflecting the style of the fifties, continued to be equipped with fire-fighting superstructures until the end of the seventies or even beyond. Parallel to that, Daimler-Benz started producing a new series of angular cab-over-engine series in 1963. This is why fire-fighting vehicles, which appeared to be from different eras, peacefully coexisted in the sixties and seventies.

In the new cab-over-engine vehicles, the engine vanished under the cab floor. Fire brigades benefited from the spacious cabs and large windshields. The powerful V8 and V10 engines from the heavy-duty series were used only in exceptional cases, however. Tilt cabs were not introduced until the seventies when the New Generation of Mercedes-Benz trucks was launched.

Popular models were, for instance, the LP 608 with a gross weight of 6.5 tons, different wheelbase lengths and an 85 hp four-cylinder engine. It served as the backbone for LF 8 fire-fighting crew vehicles, DL 18 turntable ladders, mobile cranes and much more. Pump water tenders were preferably set up on larger chassis, for instance the LP 813 or LP 911. Heavy-duty truck chassis like the LP 1319, with 192 hp V6 engine and a gross weight of 14 tons, were used for 30-meter turntable ladders and emergency tenders � unless the fire brigades preferred short-nose vehicles.

In 1984, Daimler-Benz launched the Light Class, its models 709 � 1320 covering the gross weight range from 6.5 to 13 tons. The OM 364 and OM 366 six-cylinder engines now developed between 90 and 204 hp. Despite far-reaching standardization of fire-fighting vehicles, chassis model ranges and the superstructures of Bachert, Metz, Schlingmann or Ziegler provided fire brigades with an immensely broad choice of vehicles with different dimensions and weight ratings, output ratings and fire-fighting equipment.

One example: the Hamburg fire brigade

The Hamburg fire brigade had decided in favor of Mercedes-Benz chassis and all-steel superstructures from Bachert in 1958 and retained this fleet for a long time to come. It equipped its 19 fire stations with standardized combinations consisting of an LF 16 fire-fighting crew vehicle, a TLF 16 pump water tender and a DL 30 turntable ladder. These vehicles were initially set up on the LP 710 and LP 911 chassis.
When Daimler-Benz discontinued production of the Pullman chassis in 1968, the Hamburg fire brigade changed over to LAF 1113 B short-nose chassis with 168 hp engines for the next ten years. Between 1974 and 1979, the Hamburg fire brigade procured 49 LF 16 fire-fighting crew vehicles and 25 pump water tenders on short-nose chassis.

These were replaced almost exclusively by cab-over-engine chassis MB 1017, 1019, 1222 and 1224 AF on which the Hamburg fire brigade had its vehicles set up. As many as 68 fire-fighting crew vehicles and 19 pump water tenders had entered into service by 1987 when Messrs. Bachert had to file a petition in bankruptcy. From then on, bodies for pump water tenders with tanks were supplied by Schlingmann and without tanks by Ziegler. Where turntable ladders were concerned, the Hamburg fire brigade opted for Metz without exception.








Copyright � 2008, fastfivecars. All rights reserved.

Fire protection under the three-pointed star: The history of Mercedes-Benz fire-fighting vehicles and their predecessors - PART IV

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jan 01, 2007

The new beginning at Daimler-Benz: 1949 - 1959


Back to the roots after 1945

In 1945 Germany was a scene of widespread destruction. While the fire brigades had attempted to prevent the worst from happening after the air raids, they were now faced with new tasks: clearing away the debris and starting out on toilsome reconstruction.

For the fire brigades, the end of the war was a new beginning only insofar as they disassociated themselves from the police forces and operated independently again. In many other respects, the fire brigades� post-war history remained deeply rooted in the thirties and forties.
A large number of pre-war and war-time fire-fighting vehicles remained in service for a long time to come. Initially there was no choice, anyway, because the commercial vehicles which were still operational after the war were urgently needed. In the western part of Germany, this applied to some 10,000 fire-fighting vehicles half of which were used for other purposes. The rest remained in fire-fighting operation � some of them well into the nineties.

This testifies to the soundness of engines and chassis as well as to careful handling by the fire brigades. Permanently looked after so as to ensure that they function perfectly on duty but operated only now and again on short trips, these vehicles couldn�t have been better off in the hands of classic vehicle lovers.
Ten years after the war, two-thirds of all fire-fighting vehicles still dated back to pre-war and war times, and they were only gradually complemented by new vehicles. But even the new ones referred back to pre-war development in two respects: the vehicles themselves and their superstructures were based on the experience gained with their predecessors, and standardization of fire-fighting vehicles picked up exactly where it had stopped during the war.
In general, the standards were derived from the requirements of fire brigades, and bodybuilders selected the most appropriate chassis and engines from the ranges of commercial vehicle manufacturers. In the special case of the Unimog, by contrast, it appears to have been vehicle development that triggered the creation of a new, standardized fire-fighting vehicle.

L 3250: its relatives and successors and their use by the fire brigades

In May 1949, Daimler-Benz presented its first post-war development to the public: with its slightly rounded engine hood, the L 3250 took the first small step in the direction of the design that was characteristic in the fifties. Designed for a payload of three tons and a gross weight of 6.5 tons, it was powered by the six-cylinder OM 312 diesel engine which developed 90 hp from a displacement of 4.6 liters.
One year later, the L 3250 became the L 3500 which was joined at a later stage by the L 4500 with 100 hp engine. From 1955 the vehicles were called L 311 and 312, respectively, later to be replaced by the L 321 model. These three-and-a-half and four-and-a-half tonners made a brilliant career as fire-fighting vehicles.

They were among the models that were most frequently converted into fire-fighting crew vehicles LF 8 and LF 15 (LF 16 from 1955) for a crew of eight and equipped with a pump that delivered 800 or 1500 (at a later stage 1600) liters of water per minute. The TLF 15/16 pump water tenders, many of them with all-wheel drive, were even more popular during the post-war period. Depending on crew size, i.e. five or two firefighters, the water tank had a capacity of 2,400 or 2,800 liters, respectively.
But this was not all: the three- and four-and-a-half-tonners were also used as foam-agent fire tenders, hose carriers, emergency tenders, equipment carriers and turntable ladders with lengths of 18, 22, 25 and 30 meters � all set up on the L 3500 and L 4500 chassis and their successors.
Cooperation between Metz and Daimler-Benz continued to be close, even though none of the partners was exclusively bound to the other. In 1950, for instance, Metz developed a bus-type pump water tender � modeled on a vehicle design by competitor Magirus � with an extended cab being smoothly connected to the equipment-carrying box-type body. This TLF 15 was set up on an L 3500 chassis.

Heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz trucks in fire-fighting operation

Whereas the medium-duty trucks with payload capacity under five tons were produced in Mannheim, heavy-duty trucks with payload capacity upwards of five tons were produced in Gaggenau from 1950. Production was started with the L 6600, renamed L 315 in 1955 and powered by the 145 hp six-cylinder OM 315 engine. It was soon joined by the somewhat lighter L 5000 and L 5500 which were eventually replaced by the L 325. The L 326, finally, was equipped with a 200 hp 10.8 liter engine.
The heavy-duty conventional trucks in the payload category above five tons were also occasionally used as pump water tenders � models LF 25 and LF 32 � whose pumps delivered 2,500 and 3,200 liters per minute, respectively. In general, however, heavy-duty trucks were used for other purposes by the fire brigades. The chassis with payload capacity of 5 � 6.6 tons served as backbones for the frequently used turntable ladders with lengths of 30 and 37 meters. In 1954, Metz used a Mercedes-Benz chassis for setting up a turntable ladder that was as long as 52 meters � and exported the unit.

Above all, however, the fire brigades needed heavy-duty trucks for use as equipment carriers, mobile cranes and emergency crane tenders � wherever heavy loads had to be carried or lifted, in other words. The growing demand for such vehicles was attributable to the increasing significance of technical emergency services. According to a 1961 norm, a heavy-duty equipment carrier was to be designed for a gross weight of 15 tons and feature all-wheel drive as well as a cable winch with a pulling power of 4.5 tons. Such vehicles with all-wheel drive and cable winch became generally known as emergency tenders.
In the fifties, the electrically operated booms of mobile cranes and emergency tenders with cranes were capable of lifting ten to fifteen tons. In 1953, the Hamburg fire brigade, for instance, took delivery of an emergency tender with ten-ton crane from Metz. The vehicle was set up on an L 6600 chassis with 145 hp engine. An LA 315 S (6x6) all-wheel drive three-axle chassis was the backbone for a 15-ton mobile crane supplied to the fire brigade of Ludwigs-hafen in 1957. A 200 hp engine powered the 12.5-ton mobile crane on an L 326 chassis supplied to Hanover in 1958.

Indispensable for voluntary fire brigades and forest fire fighting: the Unimog
Production of the Unimog, designed by Albert Friedrich and initially manufactured in G�ppingen, was taken up by Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau in 1951. Originally designed for agricultural work, the Unimog soon became an integral part of fire-fighting fleets. It was used primarily by voluntary fire brigades which, between them, owned no fewer than 1,700 of these all-wheel-driven jacks-of-all-trades in 1996, for instance.
The TLF 8 (T) pump water tender specified in edition 6 of the production guidelines for fire-fighting vehicles issued in 1955 appears to have been modeled on the Unimog: all-wheel drive, a gross weight of seven tons, a water tank for 1,200 liters and cab space for a crew of two (indicated by the T in brackets) were specified by the guideline which acquired the status of a norm in 1970. In this norm, the gross weight had grown to 7.5 tons and the water reservoir to 1,800 liters.

The most prominent feature of the Unimog is its offroad capability. Portal axles with large, equal-sized wheels front and rear, a torsionally flexible frame and all-wheel drive with differential locks ensure maneuverability even under the most difficult ground conditions. With these features, the nimble jack-of-all-trades became an indispensable helper in forest fires � and the subject of a special technical directive in 1976. In the course of the years, the engine output of these compact all-wheel-drive vehicles rose from initially 25 via 155 to 280 hp today.
The Unimog renders valuable services not only as a pump water tender, however. With a closed body, it can carry a larger crew. It is used as dry-agent tender on airports and by factory fire brigades, and it also serves as an indispensable towing vehicle on rough terrain.

Ahead of their time: cab-over-engine Pullman vehicles

From 1954, Daimler-Benz also offered cab-over-engine chassis which were initially completed with superstructures by external bodybuilders like K�ss-bohrer. The design engineers christened these vehicles �Pullmann trucks� (incorrectly writing the name with a double n) and included a capital P in the model designation. �Pullman� has been a synonym of comfortable travel ever since a certain George Mortimer Pullman produced luxurious railway cars around the middle of the 19th century; touring coaches in Italy are still being generally referred to as Pullman today. Since the thirties, the cab-over-engine design had established itself especially in bus production � which is why the rounded front-end of a cab-over-engine truck in the fifties was immediately associated with touring coaches.

The voluntary fire brigade of Grefrath was the first to realize the advantages of the cab-over-engine Pullman and procured a Metz pump water tender on a Mercedes-Benz LPF 311/36 chassis in 1955. Compared to conventional trucks, cab-over-engine trucks had a shorter wheelbase and therefore a smaller turning circle. And the spacious cabs afforded an excellent view of what was happening on the road � an extremely positive feature when driving at �fire engine speed�.

The professional Hamburg fire brigade also appeared to have grasped the advantages. It started ordering Pullman-type fire-fighting crew vehicles and pump water tenders in 1958. The superstructures were all made by Messrs. Bachert in Kochendorf. Overall, they supplied 39 pump water tenders of type LF 16 and 20 TLF 16 dry-agent tenders, plus 18 DL 30 turntable ladders, a foam-agent tender and 42 lightweight LF 8 fire-fighting crew vehicles for voluntary fire brigades.

A TLF 16 pump water tender set up by Bachert on the LPF 311/36 chassis was the first vehicle in fire-fighting history to be equipped with roller shutters. Metz also produced pump water tenders and turntable ladders on Mercedes-Benz cab-over-engine chassis. And finally, Pullman buses were also used for the transport of injured people.







Copyright � 2008, fastfivecars. All rights reserved.

Fire protection under the three-pointed star: The history of Mercedes-Benz fire-fighting vehicles and their predecessors - PART III

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jan 01, 2007

Mercedes-Benz fire-fighting vehicles of Daimler-Benz AG: 1926 - 1945


After the merger: fire-fighting chassis from Gaggenau

The hesitant attitude many fire brigades adopted vis-�-vis the technical innovations, which emerged in the commercial vehicle sector immediately after the First World War, and the difficult economic situation meant that many innovative features remained shelved in fully matured condition for quite some time, to be introduced only gradually from the late twenties. The merger of Daimler and Benz was therefore a good opportunity to launch a new, uniquely diversified range of the latest chassis for all purposes.

In 1927, the Gaggenau factory, now dedicated completely to the production of commercial vehicles including fire-fighting vehicles, started manufacturing the new Mercedes-Benz chassis series. These chassis initially carried designations like L2, �L� standing for �Lastwagen� (truck) and the figure for a defined payload range (L1 = 1 � 1.5 tons, L2 = 3 � 3.5 tons, L5 = 5 tons). An �N� instead of the �L� designated low-frame chassis. These chassis were fitted with four- and six-cylinder engines with output ratings between 45 and 100 hp.

As diversification increased, more precise designations became necessary. From 1929, for instance, an offset low-frame chassis for a fire engine with 2.75 ton payload was designated LoS 2750; a corresponding turntable ladder chassis with 3.5 ton payload was named LoD 3500. The small �o� replaced the previous �N� for low-frame chassis which was above all known from the bus sector.

In combination with suitable engines, different �Benz-Gaggenau� pumps for a wide range of delivery rates were available. The capacity of the smallest pump, driven by a 55 hp six-cylinder engine, was soon raised from 1,000 to 1,200 liters per minute. The 70 hp engine driving the next-larger pump delivered first 1,500 and then 1,800 liters per minute. The top-of-the-range engine was a 100 hp unit which was capable of delivering 2,000 � 2,500 liters per minute up to a height of 80 meters. Powered by such an engine, a vehicle set up on a five-ton chassis for a gross vehicle weight of eleven tons reached a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour around 1930.

A large number of technical innovations were introduced in fire-fighting at the time, resulting in a diversification of the vehicle fleets. And time and again, chassis from Daimler-Benz were first choice when fire brigades opted for new vehicle models.

Lightweight design experiments in Frankfurt

It was commissioner Sch�nker of the Frankfurt fire brigade, who in 1928 performed the first, groundbreaking tests with lightweight designs. He had started out by converting an existing vehicle of the Frankfurt professional fire brigade and in 1930 had the superstructures for three new chassis completely made of light alloy. He had opted for the Mercedes-Benz Lo 2500 low-floor chassis complete with light-alloy engine hood and fenders. The vehicles created in this way were a fire engine, a carrier for a 24 meter long turntable ladder from Metz and a hose carrier.
Sch�nker�s efforts were prompted by the severe vibrations which were caused by heavy-duty fire-fighting vehicles with solid rubber tires at the time. The introduction of pneumatic tires meant that his positive approach took a back seat. He then proceeded to suggest that turntable ladders should be made of light alloy � something Messrs. Metz managed to achieve for the first time in 1932.

Dry agent tender in Frankfurt

At the same time, Sch�nker broke new ground by introducing dry agents in fire-fighting. In 1929, the Berlin-based company Total had used a Gaggenau chassis to set up a fire engine with a 500 kilogram container for its Totalit dry powder extinguishing agent. Six bottles containing 25 kilograms of carbon dioxide each provided the pressure required to throw the powder into the fire through 50 meter long hoses.
In the �Feuerschutz� (�Fire Protection�) journal, in 1931, the commissioner of the Frankfurt fire brigade reported exhaustively on the experience he had gained with the �first large dry-agent fire extinguishing appliance in Germany.� In the same year, he ordered another vehicle, again on a Mercedes-Benz chassis, from Total. Sch�nker opted for just 250 kilograms of Totalit this time but had a Balcke high-pressure pump fitted on the vehicle, permitting the crew to change over to extinguishing water from the hydrant after the first attack using powder. The superstructures were largely made of light alloy.

Large-scale order from Lisbon

Daimler-Benz received another large-scale order in 1929. The Portuguese capital Lisbon ordered 26 fire-fighting vehicles and set great store by the largest possible water reservoirs, due to Lisbon�s topography and the resulting difficulties in obtaining water. This also applied to the nine mobile command and fire chief vehicles which were based on the elegant N�rburg sportscar. Each carried a 350 liter water tank, 100 meters of pressure hose and a Metz pump that delivered 600 liters of water per minute up to a height of 80 meters.

LoS 3500 and LoS 4000 low-frame chassis with 110 hp six-cylinder engines formed the backbones of the 17 fire engines. Each of these vehicles accommodated a crew of ten on transverse benches and carried an additional 400 liter water tank.

First German motorized fire engine with enclosed crew compartment

The winter of 1929 was unusually severe in Germany, with temperatures around minus 20�C, dropping to below minus 40�C in some areas. This meant a lot of work for the fire brigades. Water pipes froze and burst, and glowing stoves time and again set houses on fire. Illness and frostbite were the price paid by firefighters on assignments at extremely low temperatures and traveling under these conditions in vehicles that were still open.
The Berlin fire brigade was the first to react to this situation: its Zehlendorf branch took delivery of the first German motorized fire engine with enclosed crew compartment in 1930. The compartment, built by Messrs. Hermann Koebe from Luckenwalde on a Mercedes-Benz chassis, accommodated a crew of nine.

Inconceivable heights: the development of turntable ladders

Turntable ladder development during the decade between 1924 and 1934 could be described as almost breathtaking. In 1923, Metz had introduced the first turntable ladder which was powered by the vehicle engine, via a transmission power take-off; the following year, the company presented an all-steel latter set. In 1925, it reached new heights with a 36 meter wooden ladder set.

In Germany, six rated lengths of fire-fighting ladders � between 18 and 30 meters � had just been defined in norm DIN FEN 105 at the time. Ladders longer than 30 meters were therefore destined predominantly for export. Metz�s 36 meter ladder was shipped to Russia, another two 38 meter long ladders were exported to Vienna and Rio de Janeiro in subsequent years. In the early thirties, Metz established a new record with a 42 meter long ladder for Brussels � this was even extendable to 48 meters by an additional element. With its five-part ladder set made of riveted light-alloy profiles, Metz presented a new, future-oriented technology. The chassis for all of these turntable ladders came from the Gaggenau factory of Daimler-Benz.

Daimler-Benz�s strong orientation to the export market is revealed by a 1929 brochure in English, French and Spanish, offering among other things turntable ladders up to 36 meters high. As early as 1932, the company already advertised an all-new 45 meter long turntable ladder. In 1934, finally, a catalogue presenting the entire range of turntable ladders was jointly published by Daimler-Benz and Metz.

At the time, the LoD 2500 and LoD 2750 chassis with 65 hp engines served as the backbones for 18 � 24 meter long turntable ladders. For 26 � 40 meter long ladders, the LoD 3500 and LD 4000 chassis were used for which engines with output ratings between 65 and 110 hp were available. In theory, Daimler-Benz and Metz offered turntable ladders up to 50 meters long on the LD 5000 chassis even though the longest ladders actually produced until 1951 were �only� 46 meters long. Automatic tilt control, impact control and balance control were standard equipment on all ladders.

An unusual experiment by Metz

Turntable ladders may have impressed people greatly by their extension heights and technical refinements, but they were rarely used in real life. They rendered indispensable services in only about one in 40 assignments. At the same time, technical support services grew in importance. As long as road traffic was dominated by horse-drawn carriages, the service most frequently performed by the fire brigade was hoisting up horses which had collapsed in the street. With this in mind, the Berlin fire brigade equipped all its turntable ladders with crane devices for loads up to one ton between 1931 and 1933.

Metz opted for a different approach as early as 1930 in developing a unique telescopic mast system. Inside the mast, which could be extended to a length of 50 meters, a water pipe was laid that ended in a swivel-type pipe at the top of the mast. A centrifugal pump at the rear of the vehicle generated the necessary pressure. The telescopic mast also doubled as a crane which, at a reach of two meters, was able to lift four tons � and still as much as 900 kilograms at a reach of five meters. When equipped with a platform, the vehicle with telescopic mast, secured by two supporting jacks, could also be used for rescue operations.

A new type of vehicle: the emergency tender

However, such combined solutions did not prove to be convincing in the long term. As early as 1907, the Munich professional fire brigade started operating an electrically powered support vehicle on a Daimler chassis. In the late twenties, such vehicles became known as pioneer or rescue vehicles before they were generally referred to as emergency tenders. In 1931, the Munich fire brigade ordered such an emergency tender on a Daimler-Benz L2 chassis from Metz. A folding extension crane at the rear of the vehicle was capable of lifting a light car.

Until then, fire brigades had cleared obstacles of all kinds out of the way by means of a three-legged frame with tackle. Since mobile cranes were too expensive for many fire brigades, the principle of the emergency tender with folding extension crane was used more and more often. In 1936, Metz built such an emergency tender on a Daimler-Benz LS 3750 chassis with 100 hp engine; it had a capacity for lifting five tons. Inside the vehicle, there were seats for a crew of seven, and in fully laden condition, the vehicle weighed 8.9 tons. The crane, mounted separately from the body, was electrically driven by the vehicle engine via a 6.5 kilowatt DC generator. When not in use, it was folded away into a recess in the vehicle roof. Support legs at the rear ensured the required stability.
One size larger was the emergency tender built in 1938 for the Berlin fire brigade. Metz fitted a heavy-duty three-axle chassis, model L 8500 with 110 hp engine from Daimler-Benz, with a three-ton crane to create a vehicle for removing traffic obstacles after accidents or for setting up derailed streetcars. This vehicle continued doing service until the mid-sixties.

Fire-fighting vehicle fleet for Dresden

The commissioner of the Dresden fire brigade, Ortloph, decided in 1934 on a major acquisition that caused quite a stir. The necessary funds having been available since 1931 already, he placed an order worth 500,000 Reichsmark with Daimler-Benz acting as general contractor; the 18 fire-fighting vehicles this involved were completed in time to be displayed to an amazed public at the �German People�s Show for Fire Protection and Rescue Services� the following year. �Dresden�s fire brigade � the most modern in Europe� read a headline in the local newspaper.
Nine fire engines, six turntable ladders and three hose carriers were ordered by the Dresden fire brigade from Daimler-Benz. A number of companies were involved in providing the equipment and superstructures for the vehicles. The four-speed overdrive transmissions were supplied by Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen.

Superstructures were contributed by fire-fighting specialists E. C. Flader and Gustav Hornung & Co. The fire engines were equipped with front-mounted three-stage pumps by Amag-Hilpert, delivering 2,400 liters of water or 4,000 liters of foam per minute at six bar. Front-mounted pumps from the same manufacturer, with a capacity of delivering 1,000 liters of water or 1,500 liters of foam per minute at a pressure of nine bar, were installed in front of the radiators of the turntable ladder carriers. The 28 + 2 meter long all-steel turntable ladders themselves were supplied by Metz.
All vehicles were set up on identical Daimler-Benz low-floor chassis with a wheelbase of 4.6 meters and a load-bearing capacity of 5.8 tons. Where engines were concerned, however, Ortloph was not satisfied with the Daimler-Benz range. He selected eight-liter twelve-cylinder units from Maybach, which at the time had a remarkably high output of 150 hp. The Maybach engines were still gasoline-powered; no sooner than the following year, Daimler-Benz presented the six-cylinder OM 57 diesel engine � a unit that equally developed 150 hp but was considerably more compact.

The fire brigades� first diesel engines

It would be difficult to name a company that has promoted the development of the diesel engine for commercial vehicles as intensively as Daimler-Benz. As early as 1924 both Benz-Gaggenau and Daimler-Marienfelde had displayed diesel-engined trucks at the Berlin Motor Show. Since the pre-chamber diesel engine from Benz appeared to be the more suitable version for the time being, it found its way under the hoods of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles built in Gaggenau from 1926. Around 1930, the majority of heavy-duty trucks in Germany was already powered by diesel engines � 90 percent of these came from Daimler-Benz.
The fire brigades, having had so many reservations against the gasoline engine at the beginning of the century, did not operate a single diesel engine at the time. Again, the firefighters had their doubts, fearing that too much time would be lost for pre-heating. Unlike haulage operators, however, they were not forced to keep fuel costs down � given the short distances they usually had to cover.

The decisive impetus was provided by the German Reich�s Aviation Ministry which � with a view to the international conflict already planned at the time � established in 1934 that fire-fighting vehicles should not be dependent on imported fuels and that diesel should therefore be preferred to gasoline engines, the diesel engine being better suited to running on replacement fuels. In the same year, the Mannheim fire brigade ordered a fire engine on an LoS 3500 chassis with 95 hp six-cylinder OM 67 diesel engine from Daimler-Benz and Metz. Another special feature of this vehicle, presented at the fire brigades� convention in Erfurt the same year, was its equipment with Komet air foam pipes. Also in 1934 the professional fire brigade of Kassel took delivery of a complete fire-fighting combination with diesel engines. In this case, too, the fire engine, the hose carrier and the 26 meter long turntable ladder from Metz were set up on Mercedes-Benz chassis.

The following year, the Ministries of the Interior and Aviation jointly decreed that fire-fighting chassis with a load-bearing capacity upwards of three tons must in future be fitted with diesel engines exclusively. �Since reservations against the use of the diesel engine, founded on the special features of fire-fighting operations, no longer exist, ...� read the decree. Doubts had indeed been dispelled and diesel engines had proved themselves excellently, for instance in terms of their starting behavior at freezing temperatures.

Three orders from Nuremberg

One of the first fire brigades to change over completely to diesel engines as early as 1936 was the professional fire brigade of Nuremberg. It ordered three fire engines, a 30 meter long turntable ladder and a hose carrier from Metz and Daimler-Benz. The fire tenders were equipped with Amag-Hilpert pumps which delivered 1,500 liters per minute at eight bar.

Commissioned by the NSDAP, the Ministry of Aviation ordered three KL 46 turntable ladders for Nuremberg, Berlin and Hamburg in 1938. The only company capable of producing a 46 meter long ladder at the time was Metz. Magirus secured a fourth order for Munich for itself but was capable of supplying only a 45 meter ladder. The turntable ladders were mainly used for putting up garlands and flags for Nazi Party conventions.

As early a January 1, 1933, Metz had concluded a goodwill contract with Daimler-Benz, under which the two parties undertook to engage in exclusive cooperation. The KL 46 ladders were mounted on Mercedes-Benz LD 6500 chassis with a permissible gross weight of 14 tons; the six-cylinder diesel engines developed as much as 150 hp.
Metz received another special order for the Nazi Party conventions in Nuremberg in 1938. The combination of fire tender, carbon dioxide extinguisher, hose carrier and command vehicle became known as the March Field Vehicles. All four of them were set up on Mercedes-Benz chassis � the two tenders on LG 3000 three-axle chassis with two driven rear axles and 100 hp six-cylinder engines.

Forced into line, categorized and standardized

As early as late 1933 the National Socialists integrated all fire brigades in the Reich police forces, which put them under the command of the Minister of the Interior. The Ministry of Aviation was responsible for anti-aircraft defense, and this ministry started in 1934 ordering prototypes for standardized fire-fighting vehicles. Parallel to that, the committee for the standardization of fire-fighting equipment (FEN), founded in 1920, issued the first standards for fire-fighting vehicles.

In 1938, the Ministry of the Interior issued the German Reich Fire-fighting Law with the goal of standardizing and simplifying fire-fighting vehicles. The so-called Schell Plan in March 1939, limiting the number of commercial vehicle models, was followed one year later by a decree of the Ministry of the Interior ruling the types of vehicles to be used in fire-fighting vehicle production. The decree listed 23 types of vehicle, subdivided into three payload categories of 1.5, 3 and 4.5 tons.
Leading producers like Daimler-Benz, Kl�ckner-Humboldt-Deutz and Metz were now forced to cooperate. As a result of these developments, Daimler-Benz manufactured the Opel Blitz in Mannheim towards the end of the war � not that the company lacked suitable chassis of its own. Mercedes-Benz chassis were represented in all weight categories and served as backbones for virtually all standardized fire-fighting vehicles at the time.

However, the Aviation Ministry had used designations and abbreviations in 1934 which differed from those of the fire-fighting police in 1940. What�s more, the air force had given preference to other types of vehicle than the Ministry of the Interior. The Aviation Ministry, for instance, had specified 26 meter long turntable ladders whereas the 1940 norm provided for ladders in three different lengths: 17, 22 and 32 meters.

On April 30, 1943 new abbreviations came into force, replacing the previous designations and categorizing the different types of vehicle in accordance with a uniform principle. From then on, there were three weight categories for fire-fighting crew vehicles, pump water tenders, turntable ladders and hose carriers.

From motorized extinguisher to fire-fighting crew vehicle

In 1934, the Aviation Ministry had specified three fire tenders: in the category up to 1.5 ton payload, a fire tender trailer was to be attached to a crew carrier; this combination (KzS 8) was not successful and therefore later replaced by a fire tender (KS 8) which in police terminology was known as a light fire-fighting crew vehicle (LLG) and was given the acronym LF 8 in 1943. Daimler-Benz produced 3,800 vehicles of this type until the end of the war, the majority of them with 60 hp six-cylinder M 159 gasoline engines. The pump delivered 1.500 liters of water per minute. Chassis of the Mercedes-Benz L 1500 and L 1500 S type were manufactured in Untert�rkheim, parts of the superstructures in the Sindelfingen plant (1941-44).

The heavy-duty fire-fighting crew vehicle (SLG) with three ton payload was the successor to the KS 15 fire tender and later received the acronym LF 15. Its MB L 3000 S chassis came from Mannheim and Gaggenau. Its four-cylinder OM 65/4 diesel engine developed 75 hp. Daimler-Benz produced the fire-fighting equipment for the LF 8 and LF 15 vehicles itself � in Sindelfingen. The pump had a capacity of 2,000 liters per minute and the water jet reached heights of 80 meters at a pressure of eight bar. The vehicle carried a 400 liter water tank for the first attack. In the Daimler-Benz plants, 1,775 three-ton fire-fighting vehicles of this type were manufactured until the end of the war.

With 9,300 units, light and heavy-duty fire-fighting crew vehicles (LF 8 and LF 15) represented the lion�s share among the total fire-fighting vehicle fleet of 16,000 produced until 1945. Even though the Aviation Ministry and the police showed their preference for the Opel Blitz, some 60 percent of these vehicles came from Daimler-Benz.

Of the KS 25 tender for a payload of 4.5 tons, later known as the large fire-fighting crew vehicle (GLG) and finally as the LF 25, only 3,700 units were built. Of this total, 2,066 came from Mannheim and Gaggenau. Initially, Daimler-Benz also used the MB L 3750 chassis with 100 hp diesel engine, later to change exclusively to the L 4500 S chassis with 112 hp six-cylinder OM 67/4 diesel engine. The pump on this vehicle delivered 2,500 liters of water per minute up to a height of 80 meters. The vehicle itself was equipped with a 1,500 liter tank, and its superstructures were supplied by external fire-fighting equipment specialists.

Turntable ladders

Some 700 turntable ladders were built in Germany between 1936 and 1945. Whereas the Aviation Ministry initially preferred 26 meter long ladders (KL 26), the fire-fighting police specified lengths of 17 meters (LDL), 22 meters (SDL) and 32 meters (GDL) in 1940. At a later stage, all four lengths were included in the standards with acronyms DL 17 � 32.

In setting up turntable ladder vehicles, Daimler-Benz cooperated with Metz. The light LD 17 turntable ladders were mounted on L 1500 chassis with 45 or 60 hp gasoline engines. Initially, the L 3000 S chassis with 80 hp diesel engine served as a backbone for DL 22 ladders and the L 3750 chassis with 100 hp engine for 26 meter long ladders. At a later stage, the L 4500 S chassis with 112 hp engine was added to the range.

Hose carriers and pump water tenders

Back in 1934, the Aviation Ministry had specified a hose carrier in the category up to 4.5 tons. At a later stage, this vehicle was given the designation GSK (large hose carrier) and finally S 4.5. As in the case of turntable ladders, Daimler-Benz initially used the L 3750 chassis with 80 hp engine for hose carriers and later on the L 4500 S chassis with the 112 hp six-cylinder OM 67/4 diesel engine. The large hose carrier was manned by a team of two and carried a total of 98 hoses with a combined length of 1,860 meters as well as extinguishing foam equipment.
From 1940 there was also a heavy-duty hose carrier (SSK, later renamed S 3) in the three-ton payload class. Daimler-Benz produced this type of vehicle with Metz superstructure on the L 3000 S chassis. The latter�s six-cylinder diesel engine developed 80 hp from a displacement of 4.9 liters.

The L 4500 S chassis also formed the backbone for some 110 units of the TLF 25 pump water tender produced during the last years of the war. These vehicles had become necessary to fight the fires caused by air raids in German cities.

















Copyright � 2008, fastfivecars. All rights reserved.

Fire protection under the three-pointed star: The history of Mercedes-Benz fire-fighting vehicles and their predecessors - PART II

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jan 01, 2007

Fire-fighting vehicles of Benz & Cie. and the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft : 1906 - 1925


The Grunewald model: the first fire-fighting vehicle with gasoline engine � from Gaggenau

The first gasoline-engined fire-fighting vehicle in Germany went down in history as the "Grunewald model". On December 1, 1906, the voluntary fire brigade of Grunewald, an exclusive residential area of Berlin, started operating the vehicle with gas-powered extinguisher. The engine and chassis were supplied by S�ddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau (SAF) which was taken over by the Benz company in Mannheim soon afterwards. The superstructure was manufactured by Messrs. Busch-Bautzen, the leading producer of fire-fighting equipment at the time.

Three engine versions with 18/22, 24/32 and 35/40 hp were offered by SAF. With the most powerful engine, the vehicle reached a top speed of 35 km/h and was able to climb gradients of up to 16 percent. The gasoline engine had thus proved its competitiveness: before this time, a comparable climbing ability had only been achieved by a fire-fighting vehicle with gasoline engine and four electrical wheel-hub motors, operated by the professional fire brigade of Elberfeld, today a part of the city of Wuppertal.

Daimler produces the first fire-fighting vehicle with gasoline engine for the professional fire brigade of Frankfurt

Frankfurt, December 1, 1907. Exactly one year after the voluntary fire brigade of Grunewald, the first professional fire brigade in Germany took delivery of a fire-fighting vehicle with gasoline engine. It was a gas-powered extinguisher mounted on a 1.5 ton Daimler chassis with 28/32 hp four-cylinder engine. The superstructure including a 300-liter water barrel was also manufactured by the factory in Marienfelde; the equipment was compiled by the Frankfurt fire brigade itself.

It was thanks to Daimler's gas-powered extinguisher and the commissioner of the Frankfurt fire brigade, Johannes Sch�nker, that the reservations of fire brigades concerning gasoline engines were gradually dispelled. "When a fire-fighting officer hears of an explosion engine, he already knows for sure that it is absolutely useless for him," was the ironic comment of Otto Sander in 1906, later to be appointed commissioner of the Hamburg fire brigade. Apart from safety concerns, which were seemingly confirmed by leaking gasoline lines, setting engines on fire during assignments, people feared "that one couldn't be sure the vehicle would start under all weather conditions," as a Mr. Keller, commissioner of the Dresden fire brigade, objected at a convention of the German fire brigades in Stuttgart.

In an attempt to overcome such notions based on hearsay, Sch�nker endeavored to prove the reliability of the gasoline-engined vehicle by sending the Daimler fire-fighting vehicle from Frankfurt to Stuttgart. The vehicle traveled in pouring rain but in spite of this arrived in time for the convention after a seven-hour journey without a hitch.

One year later, the DMG customer magazine "News about Daimler trucks" reported on the practical experience gained by the professional fire brigade in Frankfurt:
"Some 3,000 kilometers have been covered on 145 trips to date � of these 174 kilometers on 19 trips to fires. Quite apart from being ready for operation much more quickly and leaving much earlier after an alarm than the horse-drawn vehicles, the motor vehicle arrived at the scene of fire up to five minutes earlier than the other fire-fighting vehicles. An advantage that paid off repeatedly in fire-fighting and rescue work."

In the same article, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft announced:
"By installing a switchover clutch, we are able to use the upper drive shaft in the transmission box for directly driving a pump mounted on the frame, a ladder or any other mechanism.
This provides the possibility of using the engine, which drives the vehicle, for operating pumps and ladders directly. The vehicle drives to the scene of a fire, and the power of the running engine can be switched over to operate equipment."

A gasoline engine for driving both vehicle and pump

One year later, a major milestone was set when the Daimler factory in Marienfelde supplied the professional Frankfurt fire brigade with the first fire-fighting vehicle whose gasoline engine powered both vehicle and pump. "Initially, a piston pump directly driven by the vehicle engine was considered as replacement for the steam-powered pump, but this idea was soon discarded again," wrote Otto Bischoff in a special publication of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in August 1909. Instead, the engineers' attention was drawn to the newly developed centrifugal pump by English and French trade journals, and:

"It was by coincidence that Messrs. G. Schiele & Co., Bockenheim-Frankfurt a. M., discovered an excellently designed centrifugal high-pressure pump. Commissioner Sch�nker had commissioned Messrs. Schiele to test a conventional centrifugal high-pressure pump. These tests immediately proved the suitability of the pump for fire fighting because spray ranges of up to 75 meters and heights of 35 meters were reached."

The completed pump even exceeded expectations: with a suction height of 7.80 meters and three centimeter thick steel pipes, the water jet reached heights of around 50 meters � as documented by photos which appeared in a Daimler brochure. Alternatively, up to eight hoses could be connected, each reaching a height of 35 meters. In this way, the pump was capable of dispensing 1,800 liters of water per minute. In addition, the vehicle carried a 300 liter water tank for first intervention. A five millimeter thick water jet was sprayed 12 to 15 meters high during the first five to eight minutes, until the other hoses were connected.

The engineers were, however, a bit concerned about engine cooling in the stationary vehicle. Channeling part of the fire-extinguishing water through the vehicle radiator proved to yield highly satisfactory results: "The engine remained perfectly cool and worked evenly for hours on end, without being strained excessively." At the same time, engine heat prevented the pump water from freezing in winter.
Otto Bischoff continued by announcing the development of a ladder carrier and then wrote:

"The pump water tender easily replaces the steam-powered extinguisher, implement and crew carrier (not to mention the gas-powered extinguisher). The separate ladder carrier can carry another eight to ten people, and these two vehicles bring a complete and fully operational combination to the scene of fire quickly, at a brisk speed of 30 km/h. When it comes to fighting fires at more distant locations in large cities or supporting local fire brigades in more distant towns, there is currently no equipment that is more effective and more efficient that the combination of Daimler frame and gasoline engine with Schiele turbine pump plus Daimler frame and gasoline engine with mechanical ladder � no matter what type."

The second motorized pump water tender from Daimler was powered by a 36/42 hp engine. "An output of 28/32 hp may have been sufficient but DMG wanted to be on the safe side" (Bischoff). This caution related above all to pump output since little practical experience had been gained in this field at the time. A speed of 30 km/h was not to be exceeded anyway, given the road conditions at the time and solid rubber tires. But the more powerful engine had its advantages, for instance the vehicle's climbing ability of twelve percent.

The beginning of many years of cooperation: fire tender from Metz

At the same time, S�ddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau, meanwhile a Benz factory, also started equipping pump water tenders with centrifugal pumps, operated by the engine via a separately engaged power take-off on the transmission. The partner of SAF was Messrs. Metz, founded in 1842 and at the time located in Karlsruhe.

Brothers Alfred and Karl Bachert, the managing directors of the company since 1905, had occupied themselves with the centrifugal pump since 1907. A chassis from Gaggenau with 45 hp engine was finally selected as the backbone for the first modern pump water tender, equipped with a 750 liter tank mounted in the center of the vehicle and a centrifugal high-pressure pump from Messrs. Sulzer. The pump operated at two stages, delivering 600 and 800 liters per minute at six or eight bar atmospheric pressure, respectively. When the tank was empty, the pump sucked water from a hydrant or inshore waters.
At the 17th convention of the German fire brigades in Nuremberg from July 24 until 27, 1909, the Bachert brothers presented their motorized centrifugal high-pressure fire pump. Soon afterwards, on December 15 of the same year, such a pump proved its capabilities in a large fire in Karlsruhe. The local press was impressed:
"The motorized pump water tender, equipped with an engine from Gaggenau, was in operation yesterday uninterruptedly from 10:45 until 4:45 hours and sprayed water into the raging fire through four mighty hoses at a pressure of six to seven bar (up to 40 or 50 meters high)."

Apart from pump water tenders, Gaggenau also produced crew carriers right from the start. As a leading motor manufacturer, the factory also endeavored to contribute to progress in fire fighting with technical innovations. A new ignition system from Bosch accelerated the starting of the engine. Soon afterwards, pneumatic tires became available at least for the front axle. With this equipment, the vehicles reached top speeds of around 35 km/h.

Fire-fighting vehicles and high-speed pump water tenders for rural fire-fighting on Daimler chassis at an early stage

The motorized Daimler fire engine of the Frankfurt fire brigade carried a 300 liter water tank; Metz opted for a 750 liter tank. As early as 1909, the L�beck fire brigade owned a fire-fighting vehicle on a Daimler chassis with 2,000 liter tank and a centrifugal pump which was capable of delivering up to 2,400 liters per minute. At the time, the 50 hp four-cylinder engine was a top-ranking power unit.

Even commissioner Reichel in Berlin, a declared skeptic where the use of gasoline engines by fire brigades was concerned, was unable to escape the fascination of Daimler's gasoline engines. On the basis of a modified truck chassis, he had a fire tender with a rotational pump set up � this vehicle was not intended for inner-city operation but rather for rural areas. Bosch's double ignition was standard equipment by now, and engines developed between 32 and 50 hp. The most powerful engine gave the rural fire tender a speed of 40 km/h. The fire brigade commissioner personally performed two trial journeys with these vehicles in 1911, covering more than 1,000 kilometers.

Motorized turntable ladders from Gaggenau and Marienfelde

Alongside pump water tenders, crew and equipment carriers, turntable ladders are indispensable aids for the fire brigades. Great progress had been made in the development of retractable ladders in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the pioneers was Conrad Dietrich Magirus who climbed hitherto inconceivable heights � up to 23 meters � with his "Ulm ladders" in 1872 and four years later with his own patented development. In 1901, his company presented another innovation which was to be widely used from then on, namely a patented turntable ladder extended with carbonic acid pressure.

And so Magirus was selected as a supplier when the first combination of three fire-fighting vehicles powered entirely by gasoline engines in Germany was to be equipped with a turntable ladder for the professional fire brigade of Breslau in 1910. The chassis of the pump water tender, turntable ladder and equipment carrier came from Daimler's factory in Marienfelde. However, the turntable ladder was not yet driven by an engine � contrary to what had been announced as early as 1909. Ulm-based Messrs. Magirus, which at the time had not yet started producing trucks, developed a ladder powered by the vehicle engine only three years later, again in collaboration with the Marienfelde factory. The 22 +3 meter high turntable ladder was put into operation in G�rlitz in 1914.

Turntable ladders were also developed by the Bachert brothers at Metz. Their first turntable ladder powered by a gasoline engine was mounted on a Benz chassis from Gaggenau in 1912. Stability was ensured by a track width enlarged from 1.50 to 1.74 meters. This ladder, too, was extended by carbonic acid pressure. But as early as 1913, Alfred and Karl Bachert applied for a patent for their engine-powered turntable ladder. The resulting vehicle, equipped with anti-tilt device, automatic balancing and an engine that extended and turned the ladder, was not built until 1923 due to the First World War.

The gasoline engine succeeds

The gasoline engine did not prevail over its competitors immediately, far from it. But the pioneering decisions made in Berlin-Grunewald and Frankfurt, Marienfelde and Gaggenau soon brought about a significant increase in fire-fighting vehicles with gasoline engines.

In 1908, there were no more than ten gasoline-engined fire-fighting vehicles in Germany � as opposed to 20 steam-powered and 24 electrically driven units. Five years later, the gasoline engines � 117 of them � were already the largest contingent, followed by 90 vehicles with battery-electric drive. The 16 steam-powered pump water tenders were already somewhat advanced in age, whereas the mixte drive � with just 22 vehicles � played a subordinate role.
Of the 117 gasoline-engined vehicles operated in 1913 by German fire brigades, 70 had been produced by Daimler. Two years later, the figure had grown by another 30.

Beyond German borders

Hardly had the gasoline engine joined forces with the centrifugal pump did the Daimler factory in Marienfelde start supplying vehicles to distant countries. In 1908 a motorized pump water tender with Schiele pump and a crew and equipment carrier were supplied to Moscow. At 85 hp, the engines were clearly more powerful than was customary in Germany at the time.
Gaggenau exported a motorized fire engine to Budapest as early as 1910. Two years later, the Benz factory published its export successes: Koloszvar, Ixelles and Kasan were the names of the towns where fires were fought by vehicles from Gaggenau at the time. Daimler supplied its vehicles to Riga and Helsinki. This brought the export share of the 101 gasoline-engined fire-fighting vehicles produced between 1907 and 1914 to five percent.

After the First World War, Daimler and Benz continued their export drive with undiminished dynamism. As early as 1920, Benz delivered two 3 CS fire engines to the Netherlands. They were equipped with 6.3 liter 45 hp four-cylinder engines and reached a top speed of 40 km/h.
Two years later, a motorized DC 2c fire engine from Daimler was supplied to a place as far away as Cairo. The vehicle was powered by a 5.5 liter 40 hp engine; it had a payload of two tons and a gross vehicle weight of a little over four tons. A turntable ladder on a DC 3dF chassis arrived in a place as far away as Kobe in Japan on October 24, 1924.

Large-scale order from K�nigsberg

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft received an unusual large-scale order in November 1921: two motorized fire engines, five motorized turntable ladders, two hose carriers and an equipment carrier were ordered by the professional fire brigade of K�nigsberg, whose commissioner Matthes had set himself the objective of completely reorganizing fire-fighting in the East Prussian metropolis.

All 18 vehicles had 3.5 ton chassis from Daimler. The fire-fighting bodies were made by Messrs. Kieslich in Patschkau, the centrifugal pumps by Messrs. Ehrhardt & Sehmer. Where turntable ladders were concerned, the commissioner of the K�nigsberg fire brigade opted for Magirus. After less than six months, all vehicles had arrived in K�nigsberg � the last one on May 8, 1922.

Benz vehicles for voluntary fire brigades

Large-scale orders such as the one from K�nigsberg for Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft were few and far between during the difficult post-war years. However, motorization of the fire brigades progressed irrespective of the strained economic conditions after the lost war. In particular, the voluntary fire brigades of small towns and rural communities realized the advantages of motorized vehicles.

In 1921, the Gaggenau factory launched a new chassis series that was perfectly suited to the varied requirements of the voluntary fire brigades. At the same time, Benz proved to be flexible also where the financial scope of voluntary fire brigades was concerned: from 1924 onwards, the factory manufactured a two-wheeled pump water tender that could be hitched to a crew carrier. The 25 hp four-cylinder engine of the tender delivered 600 � 800 liters of water per minute at 1500 rpm.

At the time, Benz also began producing its own centrifugal pumps. Three different pumps with capacities between 800 and 2,000 liters per minute were available. Powerful encapsulated breather pumps shortened the suction times even with large delivery heights.

Metz, one of the most important manufacturers of fire-fighting ladders and superstructures was a competent partner for Benz & Cie., producing up to 26 meter long fully automatic ladders with anti-tilt devices, extension stops and securing devices. In 1924, Metz was the first to present an all-steel ladder set made of commercially available, riveted angular profiles to the public � but this was not immediately able to prevail over the conventionally used steel-reinforced wooden ladders.

However, the Benz company got itself into financial difficulties at the time, which resulted in a cooperative agreement with its former competitor, Daimler, in 1924. Until the final merger in 1926, therefore, Daimler concentrated on heavy-duty four- and five-tonners for professional fire brigades and left the lighter chassis for voluntary fire brigades to Benz. After the merger of the two companies, all commercial vehicle activities were relocated to Gaggenau.

Technical innovations in the twenties

As hesitantly as economic activity gained momentum in the twenties, as unstoppable did technical development progress. Electrical ignition became state of the art, and as traffic volumes rose, left-hand drive and floor shift became the order of the day. Slowly but gradually, the vehicles became faster, too. The fire brigades were still driving to the scenes of fire in open-top vehicles, but vehicles without windshields � customary in pre-war times � became an increasingly rare sight.

Output ratings rising up to 100 hp � attributable first and foremost to the changeover from four to six cylinders � triggered other innovations. With both payload capacity and speed raised significantly, more powerful brakes became necessary, for example. At the time, the compressed-air brake began being widely used in heavy-duty vehicles. The diesel engine, used by Benz and Daimler for commercial vehicles as early as 1923/24, did not catch on with the fire brigades before the thirties. By contrast, there was great demand for low-frame chassis with offset frames � the sort Benz produced from 1923 first for refuse-collecting vehicles and then for buses. This design lowered the vehicles' center of gravity and improved their roadholding.

Pneumatic tires also proved to be a must at higher speeds, even though fire brigades were hesitant to use them for quite a while for fear of flat tires on the job. But fire-fighting vehicles with gross weights between five and ten tons thundering along cobble-stoned streets on solid rubber tires at 40 km/h were uncomfortable and dangerous not only for firefighters. The vibrations they caused occasionally threatened the stability of the houses along these streets.

Pneumatic tires had been on the agendas of fire brigade conventions since 1924 but it took years of positive experience gained by public transport operators to convince the majority of fire brigades of their qualities. It was true, however, that turntable ladders required support spindles to be sufficiently stable in combination with pneumatic tires.















Copyright � 2008, fastfivecars. All rights reserved.