Irish Army MAN SX45 8x8 wrecker in action (Part1)

Two MAN SX45 8x8 recovery vehicles/wreckers are in service with the Irish Army. One vehicle is equipped with a Modular Armoured Cab (MAC) that protects the three-man crew from rifle fire and mines. This version is used by Irish troops serving overseas. The second MAN SX45 is equipped with a standard steel cab and is based in Ireland for use in recovery tasks and training. Both cabs tilt forward for engine, transmission and cooling pack servicing/repair. The Irish Army MAN SX45s have an identical specification to the British Army’s MAN SX45 recovery fleet as the Irish Defence Forces were permitted by the British Ministry of Defence to ‘piggy back’ on a huge British Army order. Thus the Irish taxpayer was able to obtain the same discount on each vehicle as the British taxpayer. Similar savings were achieved in 2004 and onwards when the Irish Army was able to ‘piggy back’ on a Royal Netherlands Army order for Scania 8x8 and 6x6 military spec. trucks. The video shows a trainee three-man recovery crew undergoing a direct pull recovery test in Ireland while under the keen eye of Army trainers and safety experts. The Irish Army trains all its personnel to the latest NATO standards and is recognised internationally as having highly skilled and motivated personnel. Video by Karl Martin. Photos by Karl Martin and Jimmy Guinan. Note: parts of this video were the first video footage ever shot by me. I was using very basic equipment so apologies for the poor colour reproduction in some parts. MAN SX45 spec.: Engine - MAN D2066 water cooled six-cylinder 10.518 litre Common Rail diesel. Developing 440hp (324 kW) @ 1900 rpm. Transmission - ZF 6HP902 six-speed auto with torque converter. ZF VG 1600 two-speed transfer case. Permanent all-wheel drive. A CAN bus-based comms system connects all the recovery sub systems. This allows a trained operator to operate all the winches and the crane together if necessary. Main recovery winch: ROTZLER TR200 constant pulling force capstan winch, 2-speed. 25 tonne dynamic pulling force. 50 tonne pulling force @ 50 m stand off with snatch block. Rope (i.e. cable) length 120 m. Rope diameter 26 mm. Self-recovery winch: ROTZLER TR80 constant pulling force capstan winch, 2-speed. 8 tonne minimum dynamic pull. Rope length 90 m. Rope diameter 16 mm. Auxiliary (or pulling) winch: ROTZLER HZ010 hydraulically operated drum winch. Usable length of rope 235 m. Rope diameter 6 mm. Rear Recovery Boom: Lifting capacity 13 tonnes at centre of boom. Adaptors are carried to fit all the Irish Army’s fleet from the MOWAG Piranha APC to the Scania R124 8x8 DROPS to the DAF T244 4x4 TCV etc. Recovery crane: Terex/ATLAS telescopic crane with ROTZLER TITAN TC5 hoisting winch. Max reach 9.7 m. Max lift 7 tonnes @ 8.05 m radius & 15 tonnes @ 2.3 m radius.