Lyndon Steenberg – Testimonial
Afrikaans VersionExperts in water pumps and hydraulics
“We don’t shop around for cheap pumps and have fitted only hydraulic drive water pumps from KM Hydraulic Solutions to our firefighting tankers for the past 15 years,” says Lyndon Steenberg of Unicab.
They have manufactured custom-built trailers and truck bodies in Eshowe since 1994 for customers throughout South Africa as well as in Cameroon, Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and the Philippines.
Their range includes 5,000 litre firefighting water tankers and trailers fitted with twin stage hydraulic drive water pumps. The pumps require a minimum hydraulic oil flow of 30 l/min @ 150 bars and pump up to 250 litres of water per minute at 6 bars with a 12 mm nozzle (or 400 l/min at 6 bars with a 16 mm nozzle).
“We manufacture 25 firefighting units per annum on average. KM Hydraulics’ hydraulic drive water pumps are very reliable and we are not aware of customers having any problems,” adds Steenberg. “In fact, when we get repeat business from customers who order new firefighting tankers, they always insist on the same pump.”
He explains that a hydraulic drive water pump is a good solution for avoiding potential problems at the scene of the fire.
“When a tractor is hitched to a water tanker the two units must be in a straight line for the PTO shaft to operate. This may not be possible during firefighting because of the terrain. The tractor driver may also have to reverse or panics if the fire gets too close to him. This could result in the PTO shaft breaking. Since KM Hydraulics’ water pump does not use a PTO shaft, this is not a problem.”
Although there are many suppliers of pumps, Steenberg regards KM Hydraulic Solutions as experts when it comes to selecting the correct pump for the hydraulics of the tractor. “They know what they are doing and are knowledgeable in hydraulics. I value their expertise because it gives me peace of mind. KM Hydraulics Solutions also provide good customer service and always supply on time,” concludes Steenberg.