[Scan-DC] Alexandria T203
BoxAlarm187 at aol.com
BoxAlarm187 at aol.com
Thu Aug 26 18:53:26 EDT 2004
Yes, you're correct on several accounts. This particular rig is called a
"mid-mount" tower, whereas the turntable (where the ladder operator stands to
work the ladder controls, it's also the point at which the ladder is mounted to
the rig) is mounted in the center of the rig. This allows a much lower overall
ride height, but conversely, it's over 200" from the center of the dual axles
to the back of the rig, making for some tricky driving. Compare it to this
rig, which is of a similar length, but is a "rear mount" tower (higher overall
height, bucket hangs down in front of the windshield, but allows more
compartment space and shorter wheelbase):
http://www.singerfire.com/Deliveries-ManassasPark.htm
The 47' length is average for a moden ladder truck.
Finally, tillers (the articulated type) are much more expensive, though you
can get them in tighter places. Each department evaluates the strengths and
weaknesses of each type of apparatus, and buys what they feel fits their needs.
Sorry to bore you all with the fire truck talk, back to the frequencys! :-)
Taylor
b-thom hath scribbled:
I'm sure Alexandria knew what it was doing, but after watching it back
slowly out of a dead end street, with the help of a few spotters, I can
tell you that Tower 203 might be a difficult piece of equipment to drive
through some of Alexandria's streets. Both my sighting and the photo you
provided show it is rigid, not articulated. The specified travel length
is 47'-3". That's the length of a railroad boxcar.
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