Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik in action with AL-KO Trailer Control
Everything has to be done quickly in an emergency – that applies to all emergency crews. Often accompanying them: trailers carrying equipment or used for traffic management. However, at speed, a trailer can pose a safety risk for those providing help. That’s why Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik relies on the AL-KO Trailer Control (ATC) anti-sway system in its designs.
Greater safety for emergency crews thanks to the anti-sway system from AL-KO VT
Reduced risk when handling trailers
When fire brigades receive an emergency call, every second counts. There's no time to search for the equipment needed right at that moment. Firefighters can reach the scene faster with a new trailer click-system developed in Trebbin, Brandenburg, a half-hour drive south of Berlin. On the way to the scene, be it a fire or an accident, nothing is left to chance – the AL-KO Trailer Control (ATC) stabilisation system ensures stable travel.
Floods, storm damage, animal rescues and trapped accident vehicles – today, the volunteer men and women of the fire brigades are far more than just firefighters. Equipment, tools and other apparatus now cover a wide range: from portable ladders and rescue cushions to pedal cutters, welding equipment, hazardous substance pumps and life jackets. Yet while emergency crews are regularly trained for every critical situation, the vehicles of the support teams are rarely state-of-the-art. They were not developed to permanently store the variety of items and equipment now required.
Trailers in the fire brigade – time-consuming and difficult to handle
Containers maintain order
Some control centres therefore use modular, interchangeable containers that hold the materials required for the particular operation. In an emergency, these can simply be loaded onto an additional trailer.
This is straightforward, as, for example, a technically advanced click system for trailers from Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik GmbH ensures that this process takes only a few seconds. This medium-sized manufacturer from Trebbin, Brandenburg, produces car trailers and truck bodies, designing very special trailers for fire brigades and police with a gross weight of more than 2.5 tonnes.
“Our trailers with this system offer significant time savings. This is especially true for volunteer firefighters who first have to drive from home to the fire station,” explains Dr Wolfgang Herold, managing partner of Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik GmbH, founded in 1997.
AL-KO ATC in Trebbin
Taking corners quickly with the trailer
However, because these operations sometimes involve taking corners very quickly, it’s not just the trailer’s click system that is challenged by high centrifugal forces. The trailers themselves must maintain their lane during thunderstorms, snow, rain or traffic jams, even during slalom-driving and rapid movements in emergency corridors.
Dr Herold says, “Brigades don’t generally drive slowly to their operations. In roundabouts, for example, this can lead to hazardous situations with a high risk of swaying. Often the routes are unfamiliar or the road conditions dangerous. This can quickly result in uncontrolled trailer sway.”
To prevent this, Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik GmbH has brought a specialist for chassis and running-gear components on board. “We chose AL-KO Trailer Control from AL-KO Vehicle Technology. The system is equipped with an anti-sway feature which uses a lateral acceleration sensor to detect swaying. When the system detects that the permitted lateral movement tolerance has been exceeded, the ATC intervenes—even before swaying can build up—by activating the wheel brakes via Bowden cables,” says Dr Herold.
AL-KO ATC in the road safety trailer of the fire brigade
Already in use by the Günzburg fire brigade
By briefly braking the trailer, the vehicle and trailer combination is stabilised and re-aligned. This reduces lateral acceleration and defuses the hazardous situation—so discreetly that drivers barely notice it, if at all.
The challenge here: with utility trailers, total weight depends on the load, and this changes every time. The ATC is oriented to the maximum permissible gross weight of the trailer and dynamically adjusts the system according to the current load. This gives operators greater safety when handling utility trailers at speed and with changing loads. The volunteer fire brigade in the Bavarian town of Günzburg is already convinced by this solution.
AL-KO Vehicle Technology in use for the fire brigade
Creating safety for those providing safety
For industry expert Dr Herold, this applies not only to fire brigades: the combination of click trailers from Trebbiner FahrzeugFabrik and ATC from AL-KO VT also increases road safety for highway maintenance authorities, police vehicles and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW). The managing director knows this from his own experience behind the wheel: “Before deciding to use the AL-KO system for our trailers, I tested it for myself. Going forward, we will install this solution in various trailers and even distribute it ourselves.”
Dr Herold was able to experience the ATC at first hand during the ATC test days at AL-KO Vehicle Technology in Kötz. “These test days are particularly important for us as developers. When it comes to safety, trust is paramount, and the testers were able to gain that trust directly on site. We are proud that we have been able to win over customers like Dr Herold, whose trained eye as an industry representative appreciates the high quality, safety and innovation of the ATC,” says Lukas Schwehr, Product Manager at AL-KO VT.
ATC put to the test
Trust is paramount
“The ATC test days are a great example of how sales should take place nowadays. Being able to see the quality and functionality of a product for yourself is no longer a given. All the more reason we're delighted that Dr Herold seized the opportunity and that we can maintain our longstanding relationship and expand it with our ATC solution,” adds Pierre Auf dem Brinke, Regional Sales Manager North at AL-KO VT.
The ATC should be seen as an aid when handling combinations. It is neither capable nor intended to compensate for grossly negligent driving or highly unfavourable loading – it cannot guarantee that accidents will always be completely avoided. The ATC is available in versions for trailers with a maximum permissible gross weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. AL-KO Trailer Control can be installed only in conjunction with an AL-KO VT axle and AL-KO VT wheel brake. The system should also be fitted exclusively by qualified specialists.
