Where firefighters come to talk training

Defective American LaFrance?

So I'm sure we have all heard how American LaFrance has gone under. Were so pleased to know that our brand new truck has SO many problems and now its not under warranty.

What problems are your departments having with your American LaFrance truck?

As for ours... Its beautiful don't get me wrong, but we have nothing but issues.
1) Electrical system is always shorting out

2) Snow chains don't fold back up so they were stuck dragging until we tied them up.

3) The lock holding the front cab down, failed and it tilted pretty far forward while responding with a full crew and myself in the front seat after we hit a manhole. Luckily it tilted back in the correct direction and it was quickly taken out of service.

4) Foam pipes and tank, are CONSTANTLY leaking all our foam out.

There are some other problems were having but i don't wanna take away someone elses issues

Attachments:

E-43-11.jpg, 673 KB

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Fox on May 6, 2009 at 7:11pm

We have a 2003 LaFrance that is a real POS. Numerous electrical issues as well as foam issues. We have spent thousands of dollars in repairs and lost time for this rig.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Peter J. Scarinzi on October 27, 2010 at 10:11pm

I feel your pain. We have a 2005 100' Ladder Tower that EATS alternators to start with, the grounds for our portable radios were tied into our TIC and the village garage didn't know, so our radios weren't charging when they took out the TIC and charger to be repaired....oh and the best of all....Last year we were out @ our fire academy when the truck decided to do things on its own. After putting the outriggers away and shutting down the high idle, I just put away the remote control for the outriggers when the officer's side front out rigger decided to deploy on its own. Needless to say, I along with quite a few of the chauffeurs in my company do not like this truck in any way, shape or form.......ALF, no where close to what they USED TO BE!!!!!!!!

▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Welcome to
Fire Engineering Training Community

Sign Up
or Sign In

Or sign in with:

Policy Page

PLEASE NOTE

The login above DOES NOT provide access to Fire Engineering magazine archives. Please go here for our archives.

CONTRIBUTORS NOTE

Our contributors' posts are not vetted by the Fire Engineering technical board, and reflect the views and opinions of the individual authors. Anyone is welcome to participate.

For vetted content, please go to www.fireengineering.com/issues.

We are excited to have you participate in our discussions and interactive forums. Before you begin posting, please take a moment to read our community policy page.

Be Alert for Spam
We actively monitor the community for spam, however some does slip through. Please use common sense and caution when clicking links. If you suspect you've been hit by spam, e-mail peter.prochilo@clarionevents.com.