What is a fire truck pto pump?
Without its powerful water pump, a fire truck is nothing but a ladder, sirens and a Dalmatian. PTOs (Power Take-Off) drives give fire trucks the power to pump thousands of gallons a minute without stop.PTO PurposeThe PTO routs engine power to the truck’s powerful water pump, which can take several hundred horsepower to run at its more than 1,000 gallons per minute capacity.Mechanical PTO CaseA PTO case is nearly identical to the transfer case used on a four-wheel drive, except that it is capable of being engaged without sending power to the primary drive wheels.Hydraulic PTOMany large fire trucks use hydraulic PTO mechanisms that utilize an engine-driven hydraulic pump. The engine’s hydraulic pump sends fluid to the water pump’s slave unit.Gear RatioMechanical PTOs use a gear reduction unit that alters the input-output ratio from 3,000 to 6,000 rpm (input) to around 300 to 1,000 rpm (output).
