The Lacon-Sparland (IL) Fire Protection District needed to replace a 1990 front-mount pump Ford 3,000-gallon tanker and had a list of requirements for its new vehicle.
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Alan M. Petrillo |
Specifically, Lacon-Sparland's truck committee wanted a minimum 500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) midmount pump, a larger water tank, plenty of compartment space to allow for additional equipment storage in the future, and a closer cab-to-water-tank fit. And, the district wanted it all on a Caterpillar (CAT) chassis.
"Our Ford tanker was 24 years old and had a steel tank, so it was good timing for us to replace it," says Brian Snyder, Lacon-Sparland's chief. "For this vehicle, we didn't go out to bid but instead sat down with Stan Froelich, the salesman at Alexis, to see what they could do for us."
Snyder points out that Jeff Morris, the president of Alexis, sat in on spec meetings and helped make things happen for the fire district. "We wanted a tank that was closer to the cab so there was no gap between the two," Snyder notes. "So, Alexis worked with the tank manufacturer and customized the tank so it fit the way we wanted. We also wanted to try to build it on a Caterpillar chassis."

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Chassis
Froelich says the Lacon-Sparland tanker is one of the first fire trucks in the country to be built on a CAT chassis. "The fire district spec'd out the chassis, and we gave them the wheelbase and weight distribution engineering, which they took to Altorfer Inc., the authorized CAT dealer in Peoria, to have the chassis built."
The resulting vehicle is mounted on a CAT CT660S two-door tandem chassis with a 66,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and a 219-inch wheelbase; an overall length of 31 feet, five inches; and an overall height of 10 feet, four inches. The tanker is powered by a CT14 410-horsepower diesel engine and CAT CX31 automatic transmission. It carries a 3,500-gallon elliptical polypropylene water tank with a stainless steel wrap.
Snyder points out that his truck committee compared the CAT chassis and 13-liter diesel engine to a Peterbilt chassis with a comparable engine and ultimately decided to go with the CAT product. "We have a locking differential and locking rear end on the driveline that allow us to get across less stable ground-rocky areas, gravel, dirt, and snow," Snyder says. "We are able to lock all the rear wheels together on the tandem axle."
The tanker also carries a 4,000-gallon portable tank bladder on the right side of the tanker, accessed using a Zico electric rack. "We're very happy with the way everything is laid out on the vehicle, especially how there is plenty of storage that we can grow into," Snyder notes.
Froelich says the Alexis tanker has a customized Whelen red split lens LED warning light package all around on the vehicle. "There's also a 2½-inch preconnected hose tray above the dump valve at the rear, as well as a dead-hoselay tray below the dump valve. The back end also has a color backup camera and