Kraków 2018-09-10
Airport equipment.
Airport tractors.
Military tractors.
The FLTT-350 S44 Super Duty tractor (tug) is based on the FORD F-350 on a so-called shortened chassis. It is a drawbar tractor designed for towing aggregates, aviation equipment and airplanes. The tractor tows trailers up to 40,000 lb (18,143.69 kg) and aircraft weighing 70,000 lb (31,751.47 kg). The speed of towing trailers is 16 km / h and the speed of planes is 8 km / h. The weight of the tractor is 3 833 kg. Overall length 5.23 m. 4×4 drive. V8 diesel engine, 6,700 cc, 440 hp. 6-speed gearbox.
Special tugboats were also brought to Poland for the Leonardo M-346 Master / Bielik training aircraft. The FRESIA F-40T 4×4 tractor is designed for towing aircraft and airport equipment with a drawbar. It can tow both front and rear hitch. The tractor has a DEUTZ DT 2.9 L04 diesel engine with a capacity of 2,900 cubic cm, with a power of 55.4 kW, water-cooled. 4×4 drive. Tractor weight 3,600 kg, length 2.60 m.
Manufacturers of airport tractors.
Currently (2017) it is very difficult to identify leading manufacturers of airport tractors. This is due to the fact that it is a niche production. A dozen or so vehicles of this type are built annually. Therefore, specialized plants were not able to survive on the market and either collapsed or became financially dependent on global concerns. These global concerns usually have little idea about this type of equipment, but use the know-how of specialist companies that often have 70 years of experience. The production itself is usually located in China. The well-known brands in this industry currently include: MAK, TLD Europe, Schopf-Rofan, MULAG.
An example of this type of activity is the TaxiBot Project from 2011, which was born as a joint venture between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Airbus. The TaxiBot project is a family of drawbar-less tractors designed to service Airbus aircraft from version A.320 to version A.380. Generally, there were two basic versions: lighter and heavier. The first is powered by two SCANIA diesel engines with a capacity of 9,000 cc and 294 kW each. The second is powered by two SCANIA diesel engines, a V8 with a capacity of 16,000 cubic cm and an output of 566 kW each. Final production is carried out at the TLD factory in France. Production is expected to amount to 1,500 units by 2022. Therefore, SCANIA counts on delivering a minimum of 3,000 engines.
Tracma-TLD, TLD Europe.
The leading company on this market is the French company Tracma, and since 1990 the company TLD. Tracma was founded in the suburbs of Paris, France in 1953. This was an early stage in commercial turbo-jets in Europe. At that time, agricultural tractors were no longer sufficient. The company started designing and producing airport tugs, luggage trailers and starting units. In 1960, Tracma moved to a new factory in Montlouis-sur-Loire, located near Tours in the Loire Valley. To this day (2017), the factory is still used by the TLD. Since its inception, Tracma has built over 20,000 tractors, used in over 100 countries around the world. Tracma has become the reference name for baggage tractors in most French-speaking countries.
In the late 70’s, Tracma developed the Secmafer 1500 tractor. The tractor is six-wheeled. It is powered by a diesel engine with an output of 895 kW. The tractor weighs 55,000 kg. It tows planes weighing 300,000 kg, i.e. Boeing B.747. Top speed 40 km / h. After catching the front landing gear, it lifts it to a height of 30 cm. The operator’s cabin has a swivel seat and dual controls, front and rear. Additionally, the entire operator’s cabin can be raised 50 cm to improve visibility. Three copies were built for Air France, which used them at the Airport. Ch. de Gaulle.
At the beginning of the 80’s, Tracma developed the first unmanned tractor. In tractors, the company used internal combustion (diesel), internal combustion gas (LPG) and electric engines.
Due to the withdrawal of one of the shareholders, the company ran into financial problems. In 1990, it was taken over by TLD. Currently (2017), it still produces various types of airport tractors.
TLD Europe is the European part of a global supplier of equipment for passenger, baggage and cargo handling. The company has production facilities all over the world. The TLD offer includes a wide range of motorized equipment. The company specializes in air conditioners, self-propelled passenger stairs (gangways), air-starters (compressed air starters – ASU), power generators (GPU), electric tractors, conveyor belts, pallet and cargo container transporters, hi-loaders (pallet jacks) and drawbar and non-drawbar push-bars.
TLD Europe offers a complete range of TPX drawbarless tractors for all types of commercial aircraft. They can be used for typical pushing the plane out of the gate (platform stand), as well as towing long distances for maintenance and repair purposes. For example, the TPX-200-S is designed to tow aircraft from a Boeing B.737 to a fully loaded B777-200. The so-called cradle (a system that locks and lifts the front leg of the aircraft) supports Airbus A319 / A320 / A321, A300 / A310, A330 / A340-300, MD DC9, MD80 / MD90 and Boeing B.737, B.727, B.757 planes , B.767 up to B.777-300 (up to MTOW 300 tons). The basics of the project are the simplicity of construction (no cameras, minimum necessary cylinders, etc.), ease of use (ease of maneuvering, direct visibility of the plane legs, fully automatic catching / releasing cycle …), as well as top-class components (DEUTZ, POCLAIN , REXROTH, DANFOSS, ..). All this makes the TPX-200-S durable, reliable and cheap to maintain and service. The cradle is designed to fit all aircraft legs (including those with oblique structure), and the safety of the operation is ensured by the standard "overtorque" system informing about the turning angle in relation to the aircraft fuselage. The automatic catch / release system makes the operation very safe and easy.
TLD Europe offers a full range of drawbar tractors. For example; The TMX-150 aircraft drawbar tractor with a towing capacity of up to 12,300 daN (approx. 27,600 lbs) is designed for towing and pushing narrow- and medium-body planes such as CRJ100 to 900ER, ATR 42/72, BAE 146, Embraer 135 to 190 , Saab 2000, Fokker 70/100, B717, B727, B737, B757, B767-200 to 300ER, DC9, and MD80 to 95, A318, 319, 320, 321, A300 and A310. Ergonomic design ensures maximum driver comfort, safety and visibility. It is powered by a DEUTZ Diesel 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine. Transmission 4-gears forward, 3-gears reverse. Max speed 25 km / h, 4×4 drive, both steering axles.
TLD Europe offers electric powered luggage and multipurpose tractors. For example, the TLD JET-16 tractor. TLD JET-16 is a family of airport electric tractors that have become a new quality in non-polluting solutions. They are used for many tasks at the airport or in industry. JET-16, depending on the configuration, can have a towing capacity of 1,600 daN (3,500 lbs) to 2,000 daN (4,400 lbs). The tractor has an AC motor with a nominal power of 15 kW (22 kW short-term) integrated with the driving axle. Top speed 25 km / h.
F. L. Douglas Equipment.
Douglas Equipment Limited is an English manufacturer of vehicles serving the aviation industry such as tugs, tractors, etc. The company is based in the Arle region of Cheltenham, England, with worldwide manufacturing operations.In 1937, Mr. Frank Leslie Douglas developed the first 4×4 tractor that was used to tow cannons during the Second World War. After the war, in 1947, Frank Leslie Douglas founded F. L. Douglas Equipment Limited, which is now a subsidiary of Dennis Group plc. The company specializes in the production of industrial, shipbuilding and airport tractors and tugs.
Goldhofer – Schopf.
The Goldhofer Group consists of the company Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft (Memmingen) and its subsidiary Schopf Maschinenbau GmbH (Ostfildern). It produces vehicles for the transport of heavy and special goods, including drawbar and drawbar tractors. In the Polish Army, the company’s tractors are used, among others, for towing Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.
MULAG
MULAG is one of the well-known companies producing airport tractors. The company started in the 1950s with the production of tractors for agriculture. Initially, it produced three-wheeled tractors with a single front wheel, and then classic four-wheeled tractors. The rapid saturation of the market meant that the company began to produce specialized vehicles such as construction machinery, industrial machinery, and even highly specialized vehicles for cleaning municipal sewage systems. At the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, the company entered the market of specialized vehicles for aircraft maintenance. Production started: tow tractors, container transporters and belt conveyors.
At present, the company offers multi-purpose airport tractors of the COMET series. These are tractors with diesel engines, fueled with diesel or LPG gas. The offer also includes electric tractors. COMET tractors weigh from 3,100 kg to 12,000 kg. Tractors with an unladen weight of 6,000 kg and 8,000 kg can tow airplanes weighing up to 50,000 kg. On the other hand, the heaviest COMET 12 tractor weighing 12,000 kg can tow planes weighing up to 150,000 kg (MTOW).
Poland – Military Central Design and Technology Office in Warsaw.
In this difficult market, a Polish company successfully operates under the name of the Military Central Design and Technology Office in Warsaw. The Military Central Design and Technology Office entered the market a few years ago with the PEGAZ airport tractor. The PEGAZ tractor is used to tow aircraft weighing up to 25,000 kg. At a speed of 15 km / h. The PEGAZ tractor weighs 4,000 kg.
Electric tugs.
Electric tugs remotely controlled by the operator have been making a major career in recent years. They are used from light aircraft and small helicopters to A.320 and B.737 passenger airplanes. They found recognition not only in civil aviation, but also in the military. With the help of such a tug, the Embraer KC-390 transport roll-car was completed in 2014. These types of tugs have proven themselves on board aircraft carriers and helicopters.
They are built by several world producers. They work by grabbing the front undercarriage, lifting it up and rolling it, forwards or backwards. Thanks to the electric drive, they can work without restrictions in closed hangars. They are made in versions for gripping the chassis with one wheel or with double wheels.
One of the companies building this type of vehicle is Mototok. It builds electric tractors for airplanes up to a total weight of 195,000 kg (429,901 lbs); Type Spacer Models. This tractor tows the plane at a speed of 6 km / h (3.73 mph, 1.67 m / s). A typical model is Spacer 6800, intended for the Boeing B.737 and Airbus A.320 family planes. It moves 95,000 kg airplanes and is capable of handling duplicate wheels.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman