Talus MB-764 amphibious tractor explained

Talus MB-764
Manufacturer:	Clayton Engineering Limited^[1]
Length:	3.88m (12.73feet)
Width:	2.26m (07.41feet)
Height:	2.95inches
Propulsion:	All Gear 4 wheel drive
Type:	Launch vehicle
Engine Model:	4 cylinder Diesel
Gross Power:	80abbr=onNaNabbr=on

Talus MB-764 is a four-wheel drive launch tractor which was specifically designed for the RNLI, to launch and recover inflatable inshore lifeboats from beach and shorebased launched lifeboat stations.^[2] The Tractor is produced by the British company of Clayton Engineering Limited who are based in Knighton, Powys.^[3]

Development

The MB-764 was the first launch tractor designed and developed in conjunction with the RNLI to launch the institutions smaller inshore inflatable lifeboat fleet. Clayton’s based the design of the MB-764 on Ford County Commercial Cars.^[4] At the design and development stage the company presented two Prototype models. The first being the main take up by the RNLI. The first of these launch tractors went into service with the RNLI in 1975 and since then over 30 tractors have been operated by the Institute around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The basic design, operating and performance characteristics have not changed from the initial design concept vehicle, with the exception of the propelled wading capability.

RNLI Talus MB 764 Fleet

Current Location

Op. No.	Reg No.	Station	In service^[5]	Image	Current Lifeboat Pay-load	Comments
TW01	XTK 150M J72200	New Brighton Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1974–1987 1987–1995 1995–1996 1996–2000 2000–2002 2002–2010 2010–2011 2011–2020 2020–
TW02	LRU 581P	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1976 1976–1987 1987 1988–1997 1998–2003 2003–2004 2004–2014 2014–2015 2015–2023 2023–
TW03	RLJ 367R	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1977–1979 1979–1981 1981 1981–1986 1986–1991 1991–1992 1992–1996 1996–1998 1998–2004 2004–2005 2005–2012 2012 2012–2014 2015–2016 2016–2017 2017–2022 2022–		Spirit of Loch Fyne (B-857)
TW04	TEL 705R J 93085	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1977–1994 1995–2002 2002–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2014 2014–2017 2017–2019 2019–		Eric W Wilson (B-841)
TW05	UJT 151S	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1977–1978 1978–1987 1987–1991 1991–1995 1996–2002 2002–2006 2006–2007 2007–2011 2012–		Mary Maxwell (D-770)
TW06	VRU 611S BMN 476L	Relief fleet	1978–1988 1988–1992 1992–1997 1998–2003 2003–2004 2004 2004–2007 2007–		James Burgess II (D-757)
TW07	MAN 49W XLJ 796S 88-D-43711		1978–1988 1989–1996 1997–2003 2003–		Louis Simson (B-866)	^[6] ^[7]
TW08	D508 RUJ		1979–1994 1995–1996 1996–2000 2001–		Edith Louise Eastwick (B-844)	^[8] ^[9]
TW09	PEL 169W J 93085	Atlantic College Relief fleet	1981–1992 1992–1993 1994–2002 2003–2009 2010–2019 2019–2022 2022–		The Missus Barrie (B-915)
TW10	VEL 99X	Relief fleet Relief fleet Training(Instow) Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1982–1992 1992–1994 1994–1998 1998–2002 2003–2006 2006–2008 2008–2010 2010–2012 2012–2013 2013–2017 2017–		Glaneley (B-861)
TW11	B251 HUX	Relief fleet Training(Instow) Relief fleet Relief fleet	1985–1986 1986–1987 1987–1992 1992–1997 1997–1998 1998–2003 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2010 2010–2012 2012–2015 2015–2016 2016–		David Bradley (B-882)	^[10]
TW12	D508 RUJ BPR 667T	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1987–1994 1995–1997 1997–2000 2000–2008 2008–2018 2019–2012 2021–		Annette Mary Liddington (B-838)
TW13	D948 SAW	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1987–1996 1997–2002 2002–2009 2009–2010 2010–2021 2021–
TW14	D659 TNT J 15014 87-D-38843	New Brighton Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1987–1990 1991–1995 1996–1999 1999–2001 2001–2007 2007–2009 2009–2019 2019–2020 2020–2022 2022–2023 2023–		James and Helen Mason (B-862)
TW15	E592 WNT	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1987–1991 1991–1992 1992–1994 1994–1998 1998–2005 2005–2007 2007–2017 2017–2018 2018–		Derrick Battle (B-829)	^[11]
TW30	L123 HUX	Relief fleet Relief fleet Training Relief fleet	1993–1998 1998–1999 1999–2005 2005–2006 2006–2016 2016–2017 2018–2019 2019–		Geoffrey Charles (B-843)	^[12] ^[13]
TW31	L526 JUJ	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1994–1999 1999–2004 2004–2006 2006–2008 2008–2009 2009–2019 2019–2021 2021–2022 2022–
TW32	L161 LAW	Relief fleet Relief fleet Relief fleet	1994–2000 2000–2003 2003–2014 2014–2018 2018–2020 2020–2022 2022–		Tommy Niven (B-836)
TW33	M562 OUX	Relief fleet	1996–2001 2001–2002 2002–2006 2006–		Mudeford Servant
TW34	M71 RUX	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1996–2001 2001–2002 2002–2015 2015–2016 2016–		Robert and Isobel Mowat (B-873)
TW35	N506 WNT		1996–2002 2002–2012 2013–		Elaine and Don Wilkinson (B-828)
TW38	N469 XAW	Relief fleet	1997–2003 2003–2013 2013–2016 2017–		Peter and Ann Setten (B-886)	^[14]
TW39	N687 YAW 96-D-61119		1997–2004 2004–		Joyce King (B-869)	^[15] ^[16]
TW40	P472 CUJ	Relief fleet	1996–2002 2002–2003 2003–2011 2011–2012 2012–2023 2023–		Douglas Murray (B-830)
TW41	P301 DAW	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1997–2002 2002–2004 2004–2013 2013–2015 2015–		My Lady Anne (B-884)
TW42	R473 UUX 97-G-8631	Relief fleet	1998–2004 2004–2005 2005–		Gordon and Phil (B-890)	^[17] ^[18]
TW43	S540 UNT	Relief fleet Relief fleet	1998–2008 2008–2009 2009–2017 2018–2019 2019–		Just George (B-879)
TW44	S193 RUJ	Relief fleet Relief fleet	2000–2007 2007–2008 2008–2010 2010–2018 2018–2020 2020–		Hereford Endeavour (B-847)
TW47	T315 FLG 99-D-87952	Relief fleet Relief fleet	2000–2006 2006–2007 2007–2021 2021–2022 2022–			^[19] ^[20]
TW48	V281 EUJ	Relief fleet Relief fleet	2000–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–		Rachael Hedderwick (B-876)
TW63	DS13 LGW		2013–		R. A. Wilson (B-854)	^[21]
TW64	HG63 VAO	Relief fleet	2023–

See also

• Fowler Challenger III launch tractor
• New Holland TC45 launch tractor
• Talus MB-H launch tractor
• Talus MB-4H launch tractor
• Talus Atlantic 85 DO-DO launch carriage

Notes and References

1. Web site: Clayton Engineering Ltd – Home Page. Home Page of Company web-site. Clayton Engineering Ltd. 25 March 2014.
2. Web site: Talus MB-4H Tractor. Description and details of the Model. Clayton Engineering Limited. 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.
4. Web site: The foremost in four-wheel drive - The Definitive County Register Online. Information about County Commercial Cars. County Commercial Cars . 26 March 2014.
5. Book: Leonard . Richie . Denton . Tony . Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. 2024 . Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society . 93–95.
6. Web site: Skerries Lifeboat Station – RNLI website. Home page of the Skerries station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313055446/http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Skerries-Lifeboat-Station.aspx. 13 March 2014. dmy-all.
7. Web site: Skerries – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW11 and registration No.. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
8. Web site: Kilrush Lifeboat Station – RNLI website. Home page of the Kilrush station. RNLI © 2014. 29 March 2014.
9. Web site: Kilrush – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW 08. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
10. Web site: Lymington Lifeboat Station – RNLI website . Home page of the Lymington station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.
11. Hayling Island Lifeboats. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher:Foxglove Media, 2010 edition. Work: Chapter – 1995 to 2005, page 47: reference to the arrival of TW43 in 1998. Chapter – 2005 to present, Page 54: reference to dates of service of TW43.
12. Web site: Red Bay Lifeboat Station – RNLI website . Home page of the Red Bay station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.
13. Web site: Red Bay – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW31 and registration No.. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
14. Web site: Abersoch Lifeboat Station – RNLI website. Home page of the Abersoch station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.
15. Web site: Clifden Lifeboat Station – RNLI website . Home page of the Clifden station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.
16. Web site: Clifden – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW 39 in the boathouse at Clifden. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
17. Web site: Youghal Lifeboat Station – RNLI website . Home page of the Youghal station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.
18. Web site: Youghal – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW42 and registration No.. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
19. Web site: Lough Swilly Lifeboat Station – RNLI website. Home page of the Lough Swilly station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141106140701/http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Lough-Swilly-Lifeboat-Station.aspx. 6 November 2014. dmy-all.
20. Web site: Lough Swilly – Talus Launch Tractor . Photograph of TW47 in the boathouse at Lough Swilly. © 2009-2014 Irish Lifeboats. 30 March 2014.
21. Web site: Largs Lifeboat Station – RNLI website. Home page of the Largs station. RNLI © 2014. 28 March 2014.