tower ladders?
- Thread starter cfd123
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Not entirely sure what you mean by prefer... ???
All FDNY towers are 75' or 95' Seagrave/Aerialscope midmounts. The only FDNY rearmount towers I can think of were a pair of 1984 ALF/LTI 100' rearmount towers that served at TL14 and TL163, but they were "one-of-a-kind" rigs and they were both replaced by midmounts. There might've been one more but I can't remember where it was off the top of my head right now.
All FDNY towers are 75' or 95' Seagrave/Aerialscope midmounts. The only FDNY rearmount towers I can think of were a pair of 1984 ALF/LTI 100' rearmount towers that served at TL14 and TL163, but they were "one-of-a-kind" rigs and they were both replaced by midmounts. There might've been one more but I can't remember where it was off the top of my head right now.
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Yes, I can still remember seeing TL163's ALF/Saulsbury/LTI rearmount tower navigating between those Roosevelt Ave. el pillars. :
;D
;DThey prefer mid-mounts, easy to position and works perfect when positioning the bucket for those first floor fires. Common sense also allows for a slightly lower center of gravity for hitting those turns.... except for the accident that wreck TL120's old rig... :'(
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Yes all CFD Tower Ladders are rear mounts. And Aerial Tower 1 is also a RM.
Just a point of interest. Several years ago while at the FDNY Fire Acdemy, as a buff, Ladder 163 (rearmount Tower) was parked next to a Midmount traditional Mack Tower Ladder. Both buckets were raised at the same time and it seemed Ladder 163 reached its full height before the other Tower Ladder. But how those drivers of Ladder 14 and 163 got those HUGE rigs through the streets, I"ll never know. They had to be some of the best drivers the FDNY ever had. If Chicago runs that type of Tower, those drivers sure got my respect.
On aside note, I"ve seen Providence, RI guys get their Rear Mount Tower Ladder 1 through those tight streets and onceagain, "I am impressed"
On aside note, I"ve seen Providence, RI guys get their Rear Mount Tower Ladder 1 through those tight streets and onceagain, "I am impressed"
i know some of the drivers at tower ladder 39 on the south-side of chicago. some of the streets in their response area are so tight that they have problems getting the jacks out to put the basket up. these guys know the streets like the back of their hands and know the best ways to get on the scene. that is not a job i want to have to do lol
hey CFD, are they actual jacks, or the arm type outriggers below the mdimount turntable like what FDNY has? With these outriggers, it is possible to use a 6 foot hook to judge distance needed for clearance.... avoids destroying parked cars, definitely a good way to preserve property..
not sure what they are called they extend out then down if that helps. they are not like FDNY jacks. the tower sometimes short jacks them which means they dont extend them all the way. and then lowers them to support the rig. but u cant do that on the side the ladder will be extending to
I am familiar with raising a tower (rearmount Tower) where the outriggers first have to be extended out, then down to ground level. We had two on each side. It just seemed like it took up so much room to set this up. When seeing the FDNYs Macks and Seagraves midmount Tower Ladders with just the one arm jack dropping down, it just seems like it doesn"t take up as much room. With parked cars and narrow streets, it just appears to be more suitable for city firefighting. As far as short jacking, as mentioned above, that is possible but it does limit the towers operation. I just think the FDNY has the right type of tower ladder for city firefighting. For the city depts that use the rearmount Towers, I give the operators alot of credit. They can be tough getting in the right position to be set up.