DUBLIN, OHIO – Sutphen Corporation, the largest family-owned fire apparatus manufacturer in the nation, announces the launch of the Sutphen tractor drawn aerial.
Adding to Sutphen’s expansive family of aerials, the 131-year-old, family-owned business offers its renown mid-mount design, its leading rear-mount design and, now, its new tractor drawn aerial design.
“Sutphen is proud to introduce our new TDA into our product mix, allowing us to welcome more fire departments into the Sutphen family,” said fourth-generation family member and Sutphen vice president, Julie Sutphen Phelps. “It is designed to support the needs of today’s firefighters, featuring our extreme-duty chassis and the unmatched strength of our aerial device. We are confident it will be the most sought-after TDA on the market.”
The first Sutphen tractor drawn aerial will be manufactured for DeKalb County Fire Rescue in DeKalb County, GA. The truck was sold through Sutphen’s official Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina dealer, Williams Fire Apparatus.
“Since the 1980s, DeKalb County Fire Rescue has been a loyal Sutphen and Williams Fire Apparatus customer,” said president and owner of Williams Fire Apparatus, Matt Williams. “With their intimate knowledge of our aerials, processes and people of both Sutphen and Williams Fire, they were the perfect candidate to be the first department to receive the new Sutphen TDA.”
DeKalb County Fire Rescue will take delivery of the Sutphen TDA later this year. Until then, details and finishing touches are being placed on the apparatus.
“Working with Sutphen on this project has been an incredible and exciting experience,” said DeKalb County Fire Rescue Captain Bryan Dobson. “Although we have worked with Sutphen and dealer Williams Fire Apparatus for over 32 years, this is the first time to help build not just a new apparatus, but an entirely new product alongside Sutphen’s team, we have been blown away. From the concept of design to the production line, we have worked together every step of the way to ensure a strong product!”
Additional information will become available once the truck is officially completed.
To watch Sutphen’s TDA announcement video, follow this link:
About Sutphen: Sutphen Corporation is an Ohio-based, privately held, family-owned business that has manufactured the highest-quality, heavy-duty, custom-built emergency response vehicles since 1890. The company’s headquarters are located in Dublin, Ohio, a northwest suburb of Columbus.

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Posted: Feb 25, 2021
In this rural hitch, both apparatus are set up to supply tank water to the fireground. Photo courtesy of Nashua (NH) Fire and Rescue.
Some firefighters dread placing a dump tank on the ground. Some apparatus are not designed to make dump tank operations easy. Because of this, some departments do all they can to prevent using dump tanks. One operation makes this possible. It is “The Rural Hitch.”
The Operation
The rural hitch uses a gated wye attached to the first due apparatus’s supply line. The wye will connect via hose to the next due apparatus to supply their tank water to the first due apparatus. Once the supply apparatus is empty of its water it will disconnect to go refill and return to repeat the process. The gated wye allows for multiple supply apparatus to be connect to the first due apparatus at the same time. This allows little to no interruptions in water supply.
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Gate valve with various size connections. This works well if y
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