Holmatro Hct 5111 St
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GEAR REVIEW www.trescue.com HOLMATRO HCT 5111 ST Hand-Hydraulic Combi-Tool by James Hutchen e recently reproduced an article in our Emag, 'Snatch' rescues from IED Access&Rescue that was over 10 years old – it was a damaged or ambushed WGuide to Hand-Operated Hydraulic Rescue Tools and vehicles in combat zones featured 10 models. Such is the focus on battery technology have been common- these days that those 10 models are pretty much unchanged place since the first and still the current crop. One of very few additions Iraq war but is this model, or three variants to be latterly they are precise, from Holmatro who just as likely to already had our vote for involve a heavily one of the best hand- armoured family hydraulic saloon or SUV as combi tools a Hummer. Very we ever little has been done used (and still to help covert teams available). As usual out beyond a crow bar with European or Halligan/Paratool hydraulic tools this if you're lucky, a lump one is catchily hammer and a generally named the useless glass-breaker. HCT 5111 and Powered hydraulics, in this case even battery-powered, you can add are no good for light- the letters ST to mobile teams in cars. No that mouthful. space, no weight capacity We prefer to call and too busy on other things it the Titan – you're to worry about keeping the at a busy scene, what thing charged. When would you rather ask that armoured vehicle your colleague – (if it is armoured) 1)'fetch me the HCT 5111 has survived an IED it ST' will be mangled and 2) 'fetch me the Hand charred in different Hydraulic Combi Tool' or ways to a regular 3) 'fetch me the Titan' highway accident and See, that's 10 seconds that increased armour you've saved and no and reinforcing elements confusion about what's including bullet-proof glass could required. We had a very make extricating the occupants a specific requirement for this protracted nightmare. These are tool and it centred on rapid the specific conditions under which extrication in a combat zone – we reviewed the 'Titan' HCT5111 ST it needed to be compact, robust, and while we aren't able to report some powerful enough to deal with of the more useful elements of training at least some parts of armoured don't forget that this tool, or its dedicated vehicles and be heli-transportable. cutter and spreader versions, are as useful to any 26 TECHNICALRESCUE ISSUE 69 www.trescue.com GEAR REVIEW regular rescue team as they are in the tactical sphere and I’m fortunate that my role as a firefighter and member of rescuers using helicopter insertions in particular might like to an extrication team allows me access to a lot of cars, I’m consider how useful this is. also lucky enough to have some talented and experienced colleagues who can identify the faults and attributes of kit and Straight out of the box this tool impresses, one of those help generate techniques to try and create realistic training functional minimalist engineering pieces that can be environs. This complete I can then switch to my military appreciated as just that. Picked it up, had a weigh, a feel, a uniform and deliver training to specialist teams that require it. fiddle and it had all the smooth action, positive clicks that No matter what I feel about the tool, if end-users don't buy in you’d hope it would. The forward handle lays flush to the head then it won’t be on their itinerary. In the case of the HCT5111 until needed and the rear 'pumping' handle is telescopic and ST the buy-in was quite literal on the part of one government articulated to stow along the hydraulic body cylinder. agency which is high praise indeed based on one training/ orientation course. It is minimally marked with only the barest information for 'open' and 'close' in white-on-black pictogram form For the most part, this tool is ideal for around the cylinder so that you can read it in any operational civil or military teams orientation. The handle rotates 360 around working in convoys in hostile areas. It the main body it also clicks into two is self-contained ‘mandraulic’ powered. deployment positions for maximum This means it’s portable on any flight ergonomics and safety avoiding manifest not only thanks to its minimal pinched hands and damage size but also because there is no to the tool. hazardous fuel requirement. It also requires no batteries, this means A double articulation on the pumping no charging issues. Most convoys have arm best seen in the background an emergency response capability for diagram below right, allows it to self-help and, as previously mentioned emanate from the rear of the body this tends to be more hand-tools cylinder but still stow flush to the than electric because even with the body of the tool. On extension it has most diligent charging routine short all the leverage required to apply comings of under- or faulty charging whatever pressure needed for your will crop up at the most inopportune cutting, lifting or spreading operation. of times. This may not just be a missed What really makes this tool stand or failed charging cycle, the battery out from other tools of similar ilk could simply be past its best despite is that it is short. The title picture your fond attentions or the ambient shows it next to a standard helmet so temperatures, hot and cold may affect it really is the most compact model charging and charge retention. This kind that we've yet seen. of minimalist operating environment Short means packable, demands kit that can't malfunction and stashable until this hand-hydraulic tool is therefore as required. Larger, bulky trustworthy as it gets. kit takes up valuable room and at the expense of What really stands out even for those what is the question. of us used to using a wide range of hydraulic cutters and spreaders is the Short also means that you can more simple functionality of the tool. A easily manoeuvre it into confined combi rather than dedicated cutter or spaces. The previous Holmatro spreader is an obvious necessity and model we used is a great tool but easy compromise. The tips, although it's almost twice the length of this not super- narrow, were able to one and that makes negotiating pinch and peel shut lines efficiently. seats, casualties and mangled Remember you can still use hand tools wreckage much harder. to effect initial widening of shut lines before utilising the combi-tool to spread from there. Overly narrow tips will certainly get in to tight shut lines but they limit the spreading capability as they can tear some metal sheet before giving you the clear working ISSUE 69 TECHNICALRESCUE 27 GEAR REVIEW www.trescue.com area to get at a hinge or lock. hand combi it was a waste of valuable On toughened materials they time on C/D posts. It is achievable with could become a critical failure experience and more time but the tactical point with the possibility of environment rarely allows that – a small snapping off, so well done shaped charge or a hand saw can often be Holmatro for balancing that more expedient. You've got to know when aspect. Another balancing best to deploy the limited assets available act affects the very thing we in a tactical convoy and even a tool as most like about this tool, its capable as this is not a complete panacea. length. The length of the arms determines the spreading More things that it coped well with were distance and the spreading cutting pedals, steering wheels and some force available. Longer arms provide greater leverage and SPECIFICATIONS spread distance but even so our Max. working pressure 720 / 72 (bar/Mpa) 10443 psi 'Titan' packs a punch with spread forces ranging Spreading distance 281 mm 11.1" from just under 5 tonnes, which is what we Max. cutting opening 196 mm 7.7" typically expect from the smaller electric tools, Max. spreading force 457 / 46.6 (kN/t) 102738 lbf to just under 47 tonnes which is as good as most Min. spreading force* 48 / 4.9 (kN/t) 10791 lbf small Max. cutting force C0 206 / 21 (kN/t) 46311 lbf to mid Max. squeezing force 44 / 4.5 (kN/t) 9892 lbf size Operator type hand combis Dimensions (AxBxC) 540 x 223 x 145mm 21.3 x 8.8 x 5.7" shut-line on a Weight, ready for use 8.7 kg 19.2 lb regular WEBSITE: www.holmatro.com fire * (EN 13204) truck. Sometimes the structural components of armoured cabs. Quite surprisingly it techniques used was OK performing a dash lift but this is more of a civil-rescue can utilise firearms technique than snatch rescue under fire. With just under a foot and targeted of spread the dash-lift is a little slow but as a spreader it can explosive charges act as a small jack in lifting or separating entangled elements. A that are never used high-lift 4WD jack is the ideal accompaniment to a small combi in a civilian rescue and something that larger armoured vehicles will carry anyway – a shotgun to but sometimes be forgotten in the mêlée of an IED explosion. blow away a door In essence the HCT5111 ST excels as a rapid entry tool allowing lock and allow the a far, far greater capability than crow bars and hand tools combi to spread alone.