Talus MB-4H amphibious tractor

Talus MB-4H
Talus MB-4H RNLI Launch Vehicle
Type	Launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Clayton Engineering Limited [1]
Length	4.475 m (14.68 ft)
Width	2.66 m (8.7 ft)
Height	2.75 m (9.0 ft)
Weight	9.38 Tonnes
Propulsion	4 wheel drive
Engine model	Caterpillar 3114, 4 cylinder, 4.4 litre, Turbo Diesel
Gross power	105  hp (78  kW)
Drawbar pull	5-6 Tonnes
Speed	22 miles per hour (35 km/h)

Talus MB-4H is a four-wheel-drive launch tractor which was specifically designed for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), to launch and recover inshore lifeboats from beach launched lifeboat stations. ^[2]

The tractor is produced by the British company of Clayton Engineering Limited who are based in Knighton, Powys. ^[3] The tractor plays an important role within the operations required for saving lives at sea.

Technical specification

The driver can be seated facing forwards or backwards. The tractor has a steering wheel and throttle pedal for each direction, with fully automatic transmission.

The enclosed cab is fully waterproof, and the vehicle can be operated in calm water to a depth of 1.6m.

Two glazed waterproof boxes containing headlights, side and tail lights, indicators and blue flashing lights, are fitted to both ends of the tractor. There are two cab mounted floodlights at the front and rear. ^[4]

RNLI Talus MB-4H Fleet

Op.No. [a]	Reg No.	Station	In service [5]	Image	Current Lifeboat Payload	Comments
TW16Hb (Mk.1.5)	H610 SUJ	Aberdovey Relief fleet New Brighton Blackpool Relief fleet Mablethorpe	1991–1993 1993–1995 1995–2001 2001–2009 2009–2010 2010–		Atlantic 85 Jacqueline Saville (B-887)
TW17Hb (Mk.1.5)	H593 PUX	New Brighton Blackpool Relief fleet Redcar Relief fleet Atlantic College Relief fleet Training Relief fleet	1990–1995 1996–2001 2001–2003 2003–2010 2010–2011 2011–2013 2013–2014 2014–2018 2018–			[6]
TW18Hb (Mk.1.5)	H710 RUX	Cullercoats Relief fleet Redcar Flamborough Hunstanton Clacton-on-Sea	1991–1993 1993–1995 1995–2003 2003–2012 2013–2021 2021–		Atlantic 85 David Porter MPS (B-863)
TW19Hc (Mk.2)	J120 VNT	Redcar Relief fleet Newbiggin Hunstanton Relief fleet Rye Harbour Relief fleet Aberystwyth	1991–1995 1995–1998 1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–2006 2006–2010 2010–2014 2014–		Atlantic 85 Florence and Ernest Bowles (B-937)
TW20Hc (Mk.2)	J125 WUJ	Hunstanton Relief fleet Newbiggin Relief fleet New Brighton	1992–1999 1999–2003 2003–2014 2014–2016 2016–		Atlantic 85 Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No.51) (B-837)	[7]
TW21Hc (Mk.2)	J495 XUJ	Newbiggin Relief fleet Cullercoats Relief fleet Littlestone-on-Sea Relief fleet	1992–2003 2003–2004 2004–2017 2017 2017–2023 2023–			[8]
TW22Hc (Mk.2)	K501 AUX	Cullercoats Relief fleet Sheringham Newbiggin	1993–2004 2004–2005 2005–2015 2015–		Atlantic 85 Richard Wake Burdon (B-864)
TW23Hc (Mk.2)	K805 CUX	Flamborough Hunstanton Relief fleet Whitstable	1993–2003 2003–2013 2013–2014 2014–		Atlantic 85 Lewisco (B-877)
TW24Hc (Mk.2)	K313 ENT 93-D-45502	Sheringham Bundoran	1994–2005 2005–		Atlantic 85 William Henry Liddington (B-834)	[9] [10]
TW25Hc (Mk.2)	L807 KNT	Bundoran Newquay Happisburgh Relief fleet	1994–2005 2006–2017 2018–2023 2023–
TW26Hc (Mk.2)	M423 OAW	Newquay Penarth Relief fleet Blackpool	1995–2006 2006–2021 2021–2022 2022–		Atlantic 85 William and Eleanor (B-867)
TW27Hc (Mk.2)	M741 RUX	Penarth Relief fleet Porthcawl Relief fleet Sheringham	1996–2006 2006–2008 2008–2015 2015–2022 2022–		Atlantic 85 The Oddfellows (B-818)	[11]
TW28H (Mk.3)	N671 UAW	Rye Harbour Relief fleet Aberystwyth Relief fleet Trials	1996–2006 2006–2013 2013–2014 2014–2019 2019–
TW29Hc (Mk.2)	N144 WUJ	Porthcawl Relief fleet Happisburgh Relief fleet Porthcawl	1996–2008 2008–2009 2009–2012 2012–2015 2015–		Atlantic 85 Rose Of The Shires (B-832)
TW36Hc (Mk.2)	N805 XUJ	Relief fleet Criccieth Training(Instow) Relief fleet Happisburgh Relief fleet Looe	1996–1997 1997–2003 2003–2007 2007–2012 2012–2017 2018–2019 2019–		Atlantic 85 Sheila & Dennis Tongue II (B-894)
TW37Hc (Mk.2)	P898 CUX	Relief fleet Hunstanton Relief fleet Littlestone-on-Sea Sheringham Newquay	1996–2000 2000–2003 2003–2008 2008–2015 2015–2017 2017–		Atlantic 85 Uncle Johnny (B-936)
TW45Ha (Mk.1)	T249 JNT	Littlestone-on-Sea New Brighton Relief fleet Cardigan Relief fleet	1999–2008 2008–2016 2016–2023 2023–2024 2024–			[12]
TW46Hb (Mk.1.5)	V938 EAW	New Brighton Relief fleet Aberystwyth Rye Harbour Relief fleet Sheringham Flamborough Relief fleet Cardigan	2001–2008 2008–2009 2009–2013 2013–2014 2014–2017 2017–2022 2022–2023 2023–2024 2024–		Atlantic 85 Albatross (B-871)
TW49Hb (Mk.1.5)	W652 RNT	Whitstable Relief fleet St Bees	2000–2008 2008–2010 2010–		Atlantic 85 Joy Morris MBE (B-831)
TW50Hb (Mk.1.5)	W419 UUJ	St Bees Redcar	2000–2010 2010–		Atlantic 85 Leicester Challenge III (B-858)
TW51Hb (Mk.1.5)	X651 BUJ	Mablethorpe Relief fleet Cardigan Relief fleet	2001–2010 2010–2011 2011–2023 2023–
TW52Hc (Mk.2)	Y506 JNT	Cardigan Relief fleet Flamborough Relief fleet Flamborough	2002–2011 2011–2012 2012–2022 2022–2023 2023–		Atlantic 85 Elizabeth Jane Palmer (B-820)
TW53Hb (Mk.1.5)	DU51 FET	Atlantic College Relief fleet Staithes and Runswick	2002–2011 2011–2012 2012–		Atlantic 85 Sheila & Dennis Tongue III (B-897)
TW54Hc (Mk.2)	DU02 WEJ	Aberystwyth Relief fleet Staithes and Runswick Relief fleet Rye Harbour Relief fleet	2002–2009 2009–2011 2011–2012 2012–2014 2014–2020 2020–
TW55Hc (Mk.2)	DU52 XGA	Staithes and Runswick Relief fleet Burnham-on-Sea	2003–2011 2011–2017 2017–		Atlantic 85 Doris Day and Brian (B-914)	[13] [14]
TW56Hc (Mk.2)	DY52 EFR	Burnham-on-Sea Relief fleet Rye Harbour	2003–2017 2017–2020 2020–		Atlantic 85 Hello Herbie II (B-900)
TW57Hc (Mk.2)	DX03 UZF	Looe Relief fleet Hunstanton	2003–2019 2019–2021 2021–		Atlantic 85 Spirit of West Norfolk (B-848)
TW58Hc (Mk.2)	DX53 VRF	Criccieth Relief fleet Littlestone-on-Sea Relief fleet	2003–2013 2013–2015 2015–2017 2018–
TW59Hc (Mk.2)	DU04 DVW	Relief fleet Whitstable Relief fleet Newbiggin Relief fleet Cullercoats	2004–2008 2008–2014 2014 2014–2015 2015–2017 2017–		Atlantic 85 Daddy's Girl (B-935)
TW60Hc (Mk.2)	DX54 UYM	Clacton-on-Sea Relief fleet Penarth	2006–2021 2021 2021–		Atlantic 85 Maureen Lilian (B-839)
TW61Hb (Mk.1.5)	DX09 LRZ	Blackpool Relief fleet Littlestone-on-Sea	2009–2022 2022–2024 2024–		Atlantic 85 Jean McIvor (B-922)
TW62Hb (Mk.1.5)	DX59 LHZ	Rye Harbour Criccieth	2010–2013 2013–		Atlantic 85 Frank Townley (B-938)
TW65H (Mk.3)	HF24 BWO	Margate	2024–		Atlantic 85 Colonel Stock (B930)
TW66H (Mk.3)

1. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the tractor.

See also

• Fowler Challenger III launch tractor
• New Holland TC45 launch tractor
• Talus MB-764 launch tractor
• Talus MB-H launch tractor
• Talus Atlantic 85 DO-DO launch carriage

References

1. "Clayton Engineering Ltd – Home Page". Home Page of Company web-site. Clayton Engineering Ltd. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
2. "Talus MB-4H Tractor". Description and details of the Model. Clayton Engineering Limited. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
3. OS Explorer Map 201 - Knighton and Presteigne Tref-y-clawdd a Dyffryn Elan, Author: Ordnance Survey. Publisher: Ordnance Survey. Work: Folded Map. ISBN   9780319237588
4. "Talus MB-4H". Clayton Engineering Ltd. Clayton Engineering Ltd. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
5. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 107–109.
6. "RNLI stations West Wales and Southwest England – Talus Launch Tractor". Photograph of TW17H at Atlantic College. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
7. Hunstanton Lifeboats. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher:Tempus Publishing, First edition,2008. Works: Page 63, Reference to the arrival of the new Talus (TW20H0) on station in 1992. ISBN 9 780752 447490
8. "Cullercoats Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Cullercoats station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
9. Sheringham Lifeboats: By Leach, Nicholas and Russell, Paul :Published by landmark Pub Ltd, 2009.Work: Page 85, reference to the arrival of TW24H in 1994. ISBN   978-1-84306-473-2
10. "Bundoran". Photograph of TW24H in the boathouse at Bundoran. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
11. "RNLI stations West Wales and Southwest England – Talus Launch Tractor". Photograph of TW27H. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
12. "New Brighton Lifeboat Station - RNLI". RNLI - Station Website – History – Reference to new tractor and lifeboat. RNLI. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
13. "Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Staithes and Runswick station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
14. "Staithes Town - Staithes Inshore Lifeboat Equipment". Photos of the Talus MB-4H (TW55H). RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.