For the most part, fire trucks are slow,
unattractive, and not all that good in difficult terrain. This one, however, is
a little different. In the town of Kirchzarten in southwestern Germany, the volunteer
fire brigade uses a custom Unimog U 5023, optimized as the perfect tool to
battle fires in the dense Black Forest. The fire truck has an incredible 45 cm of ground clearance, rolls on a set of huge off-road wheels
and tires, and features an advanced four-wheel drive system.
Although the front of the truck and most of the
cabin remains typical for a Unimog, the rest of the vehicle has been
transformed for its fire-fighting duties. Consequently, there is a huge water
tank in the rear that can hold 4,000 liters of water and 500 liters of foam. A powerful Ziegler pump allows it to fire out up
to 3000 liters of water per minute.
Powering the capable fire truck is a four-cylinder
BlueTec 6 diesel engine pumping out 231 hp and 900 Nm of torque.
That monumental torque figure ensures the Unimog can conquer the most difficult
terrain without breaking a sweat.
All things considered, the Unimog fire truck is
simply the coolest, and in all likelihood the most capable, we’ve ever seen.
