Powered by a four-stroke Otto cycle engine MAN 5 KVB ladder truck from 1928

A technologically advanced truck featuring the most advanced direct diesel injection technology of the time was on display at the December 10-18, 1924 Berlin Motor Show.

The MAN Saurer truck on display at the MAN Museum

The truck in question was the MAN Saurer, which undoubtedly marked a major turning point for diesel engines in trucks. And this highly legendary truck is housed inside the Mann Museum in Germany.

In 1927, MAN developed the MAN 5KVB truck chassis on the basis of the Saurer truck, which had a payload of 5 tons, an original standard diesel engine and a top speed of 30 km/h. The truck was designed to be used as an engine and was designed to be used with a diesel engine.

The MAN 5?KVB series trucks are available with a choice of two diesel engines, a 4-cylinder (5?KVB/4 type) engine and a 6-cylinder (5?KVB/6 type) engine. The vehicles used ZF transmissions, twin main gears and pneumatic brakes, and the frame was a short section steel frame construction with welded beams.

The ladder truck was built by MAN in 1928 on the chassis of the 5?KVB truck, vehicle number "B-130". The square radiator front panel is thin, compact and unadorned, with the black "M-A-N" logo prominent on the red body and two round headlamps flanking the grille to illuminate the front.

The Mann 5KVB ladder truck on display at the Mann Museum

The open-topped cab has a split front windshield mounted on a metal bracket, air horns on the left side of the engine compartment, and gill-shaped vertical heat vents in the metal compartment on the side of the engine compartment.

The wood grain of the wooden body is visible in the cabin, the leather-wrapped seats are slightly more comfortable, and the vertically displayed center console doesn't make it easy for the driver to view the gauges, but don't worry about it when you consider that the maximum speed is no more than 40 km/h.

Wooden four-spoke steering wheel grips

The car's parabolic leaf-spring suspension, with lugs at one end of the leaf springs secured to the very front of the frame, and traction pins at the front of the car secured to the center of the axle, are inherited from the Mann Saurer design. However, the concave brackets under the radiator are gone, and instead, load-bearing brackets are added to both sides of the axle. The square interface of the axle has been changed to an "I" shape, and the center arc has been retained.

The seats on the platform behind the cab are similar to park benches, with three wooden strips mounted on metal brackets that are so simple that it's impossible to sit on them steadily when the vehicle is in motion.

The ladder truck is powered by a four-stroke Otto Cycle 1580A gasoline engine with a bore of 11.5 centimeters, a piston stroke of 18 centimeters and an output of 65 horsepower.

The axles are mounted directly on wooden rims, single longitudinal tires add some stability, and traditional rounded fenders half-wrap the wheels.

Boxed stirrup pedals provide a generous pedaling area and storage in the box below, which can be opened by a metal pull tab on the side of the box, and both the stirrup pedals and the body platform are treated with a non-slip finish.

The fire truck's ladder can extend up to 26?meters in length, with an automatic tilt safety device and universal shaft drive.

While the logo on the front of the truck has been changed to "MAN" in capital letters, the logo on the axle is still in the MAN English pattern design from MAN Saurer. The rear axle adopts multi-plate spring damping, and the chain drive form has been canceled.

The dimensions of the body are 3.15 meters high and 8.6 meters long, with a vehicle mass of 7 tons and a maximum design speed of 40 km/h. When the museum took over the truck in 1971, the mileage of 8,000 kilometers proved that it was often involved in rescue operations.

This article comes from the authors of the Motorhome Car Family, and does not represent the views of the Motorhome's position.