Cambridge (MA) Fire Department Ladder Co. 1 operates a ladder pipe during the latter stages of an eight-alarm apartment complex fire in Waltham, Massachusetts. Pictured is a 2009 Pierce Arrow XT 105-foot rear-mount aerial. (Photo by Ted Pendergast/firstduephotos.com.)

By Bill Adams

“Apparatus Purchasing: Single or Dual Rear Axle? Part 1” (December 2017) described axle ratings and the governmental regulations and advisory standards apparatus manufacturers follow.

Included was commentary from fire apparatus manufacturers that build their own cabs and chassis. Part 2 continues the discussion with apparatus manufacturers that do not build their own. The intent is to help purchasers determine “How much weight can I put on this axle?” and “When should I go to a tandem rear axle?” All apparatus manufacturers purchase commercially made cabs and chassis and modify them for fire service use. Small to midsize apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) also purchase custom cabs and chassis from the limited number of OEMs that build and resell their own. Their input into this discussion as “users” is equally as important as the chassis builders.

1 Rochester (NH) Fire & Rescue Engine No. 7 runs this Toyne stainless steel pumper-tanker on a Mack Granite conventional chassis with a tandem rear axle. It features a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) Waterous pump and a UPF 3,000-gallon booster tank. Its midship pump house is fully enclosed behind roll-up doors. Toyne National Sales Manager Mike Watts says apparatus manufacturers must take into consideration that fire apparatus are fully loaded 24/7/365, whereas general service commercial vehicles are not. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of Toyne.)

OEMs not manufacturing a proprietary chassis can be caught between a rock and a hard place when discussing axles and axle ratings, especially if there can be multiple interpretations of standards, regulations, and industry norms. OEMs may have established in-house axle loading criteria that may not necessarily be in sync with those of the commercial and custom chassis manufacturers. It is tactless to claim one manufacturer’s interpretation of a standard is “better” than another’s.

Commenting are Mike Marquis, vice president, rescue sales, at Rescue 1; Mark Perkins, lead designer at Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company; Joe Messmer, president and owner of Summit Fir