Columbus OH FD gets 5 new Sutphen Heavy Rescues

[Capttomo]

 

[AYoung]

They got these last summer, but I’ve seen this picture floating around as new delivery recently for some reason. SVI body on Sutphen chassis. Replaced all rescues in the city at once.

 

[Capttomo]

They got these last summer, but I’ve seen this picture floating around as new delivery recently for some reason. SVI body on Sutphen chassis. Replaced all rescues in the city at once.

Thanks for the update Ayoung. Stay safe

 

[FFM1938]

That must have been a pretty penny, Sutphens don't come cheap.

 

[Capttomo]

That must have been a pretty penny, Sutphens don't come cheap.

So quick question - because I don’t know the answer . Pound for pound are the Sutphens any more expensive than a similar Pierce rig? Thanks in advance.

 

[FFM1938]

So quick question - because I don’t know the answer . Pound for pound are the Sutphens any more expensive than a similar Pierce rig? Thanks in advance.

These days pretty much every manufacturer seems to be wildly expensive except the real bargain basement brands. I suppose it comes down to build quality and how much your municipality can spare for the costs that come with it. Case in point, my brother is a Captain in his local VFD and a was a Chief in a different VFD and has been involved in bids for new apparatus on several occasions and we would often talk about it over beers.

Back in 2007 they RFQ'd for replacement of their 2000gpm engine and a small rescue to replace their extant rigs; a 87 Pierce and a 84 GMC. Sutphen and Pierce wound up being the most expensive and KME and ALF were the cheapest. Smeal was competitive but apparently reports from Yonkers FD on their experiences steered the department away from buying them. They ended up going with KME for both and both rigs wound up being absolute lemons for different reasons, they didnt even take formal delivery of the engine due to a litany of electrical issues. Since the bond was already out they wound up having to buy 2nd hand ALF rigs which did better but since ALF went under they are pretty much one incident away from the junk heap.

In the end for all the hassle he said they probably should have just paid the extra for the Pierce/Sutphen rigs and gotten the peace of mind that they would be well built. To the best of my knowledge, both of those brands still have that reputation and price tags to match.

 

[Capttomo]

These days pretty much every manufacturer seems to be wildly expensive except the real bargain basement brands. I suppose it comes down to build quality and how much your municipality can spare for the costs that come with it. Case in point, my brother is a Captain in his local VFD and a was a Chief in a different VFD and has been involved in bids for new apparatus on several occasions and we would often talk about it over beers.

Back in 2007 they RFQ'd for replacement of their 2000gpm engine and a small rescue to replace their extant rigs; a 87 Pierce and a 84 GMC. Sutphen and Pierce wound up being the most expensive and KME and ALF were the cheapest. Smeal was competitive but apparently reports from Yonkers FD on their experiences steered the department away from buying them. They ended up going with KME for both and both rigs wound up being absolute lemons for different reasons, they didnt even take formal delivery of the engine due to a litany of electrical issues. Since the bond was already out they wound up having to buy 2nd hand ALF rigs which did better but since ALF went under they are pretty much one incident away from the junk heap.

In the end for all the hassle he said they probably should have just paid the extra for the Pierce/Sutphen rigs and gotten the peace of mind that they would be well built. To the best of my knowledge, both of those brands still have that reputation and price tags to match.

Thanks for the response and insight

 

[AYoung]

So quick question - because I don’t know the answer . Pound for pound are the Sutphens any more expensive than a similar Pierce rig? Thanks in advance.

Sutphen is running about the same at this point as everyone else. The big thing is Sutphen is in Columbus's back yard in Dublin(a inner ring suburb to Columbus). The department runs 100% Sutphen except for TDA's which are Pierce and make up about half of their ladder companies. The Sutphen TDA was rumored to be a response to a request for CFD, but they've yet to order from them and continue to order Pierce TDAs.

 

[CFDMarshal]

Like all rigs , the devil is in the details (specs) and how close and detailed the buyer holds the builder to the spec. I agree that all OEM suppliers are gigging the crap out of the customers and add to that the BS that the EPA is putting out on the power plants for the rigs then all you have is increased cost. I have literally heard good and bad out of every builder and it seems to all point back to what is built, wheter a one off spec or a tried and true spec that the department continues to order. Some builders are just better at some projects over others. Hence why Columbus has Sutphen Engines and Pierce TDA's. LA city and county have courted Pierce, KME and Seagrave.