CO 10FSB Lt-Col Kim Faithfull is dwarfed by the massive size of the battalion's new rough terrain container handler. Photo by Cpl Jason Weeding, 1JPAU(P)

By Sgt Tim Blad
CARGO Specialists of 30 Terminal Sqn, 10FSB, shivered in awe at the sight of the first two Kalmar Rough Terrain Container Handlers (RTCH) being presented to CO Lt-Col Kim Faithful.

The $1.2 million price tag on these is almost as impressive as the size of these giants.

The RTCH allows for the loading/unloading, transporting, placement and stacking of all 20 and 40-foot International Standard Organisation (ISO) containers taking Army material handling and 10FSB into the 21st century.

Before the RTCH’s handover to 10FSB, a course was conducted by a Kalmar representative from the United States for unit trade testing officers and unit instructors.

The training provided trainees with a good working knowledge of the operation and operators maintenance of the container handler.

Course instruction covered charts, maintenance procedures, and tests and self-help information pertaining to operation and operator maintenance of the RTCH.

The RTCH–RT 240 is designed to lift, stack and unstack ISO containers three high with a gross weight of 24,062kg in the first row.

They can also be stacked three high in the second row with a gross weight of 12.4 tonne.

It will operate on hard and/or unimproved surfaces to include beach operations.

Capabilities of the RTCH include an electro-hydraulically operated 10m tophandler which is capable of sideshifting, rotating, forward/rearward titling, left or right oscillation and load position levelling and locking.

It can also interface with a forklift attachment.

It has a maximum speed of 37 km/h on level ground with no load and a maximum speed, loaded on level ground of 24 km/h.

These giants can also drive through water to a depth of 1.5m.

The container handler is self-deployable over small distances but can also be deployed by road, rail, sea and air (trialed in the US in a C5 Galaxy and C17 Globemaster III Aircraft).

It can be made ready for transport in less than 30 minutes.

For axle load distribution during transport the RTCH can be equipped with bogie-wheels at the rear and dolly wheels attached to the tophandler, to reduce wheel loads.

It features a 400 horse-power, six-cylinder turbocharged Cummins engine with four forward and three reverse gears.

It can operate in two or four wheel drive and has two-wheel, four-wheel and crab steer modes. It has a single joystick control used for all boom and tophandler operations.

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