The Allison 3000 Series was chosen over the vehicle’s standard automated manual transmission because of the automatic’s performance advantages over a dry clutch.
Engine torque is almost doubled at launch, thanks to the patented torque converter, and gear changes take place without any interruption to power.
The Ategos are all converted to dual-purpose ladder (DPL) fire engines and join a 450-strong fleet managed and maintained by Babcock International, which also advised London Fire Brigade (LFB) on design and specification of the appliance.
“The Allison transmission was specified partly because of its responsiveness and controllability, and partly because it has proven itself to be such a reliable solution for LFB’s operations,” said Neil Corcoran, Babcock International’s engineering and technical manager for the LFB fleet.
He added: “We have seen for ourselves that the Allison has minimal maintenance requirements, particularly with regard to the integral hydraulic retarder and the PTO drive. And, of course, the dependability of equipment is essential in emergency services.”
The vehicles feature crew cabs made by Magirus, in Germany. Fire appliance bodywork and fire engineering conversion was carried out by Emergency One UK, in Scotland.
The new fire engines have a laden weight of approximately 11,500kg, with the 7.7-litre engine producing a maximum of 1,100Nm of torque and 268bhp.