jprleedy4680
Member
I've been wondering for a while...what do other people prefer for a fire truck chassis; commercial or custom cabs/chassis, and why?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Commercial v. Custom
- Thread starter jprleedy4680
- Start date
Custom. Hands down. Everytime.
Unless you're trying to save money! A custom cab truck is SO much roomier than its commercial counterpart. Not to mention much more functional and more maneuverable. A truck that is designed and built from the ground up to be a firetruck will always be better than a general use truck that rolls off an assembly line and is later turned into a firetruck. What keeps commercial cabs in business is the fact that they are much cheaper to build, therefore cost much less in the end. If you can afford acustom cab engine, go for it. You will not regret it!
Unless you're trying to save money! A custom cab truck is SO much roomier than its commercial counterpart. Not to mention much more functional and more maneuverable. A truck that is designed and built from the ground up to be a firetruck will always be better than a general use truck that rolls off an assembly line and is later turned into a firetruck. What keeps commercial cabs in business is the fact that they are much cheaper to build, therefore cost much less in the end. If you can afford acustom cab engine, go for it. You will not regret it!
FireEMSPolice
Member
bobcoop06 said:
This, we have 2 of each on my dept. Both front line engines are customs, and the rescue and tanker are commercial. The rescue was acquired when a salesman approached us (first mistake) and offered a really good deal on the chassis and the then officer corps bought it without checking power specs as compared to the weight of the box they intended to put on it. (second and worse mistake) Any of our other 3 heavy apparatus can be started and ran like hell from that moment. The rescue is an absolute dog for about the first 6 minutes after start up. Which pretty much means it sucks except returning to quarters. It's due to be moved to second line duty behind a light rescue within a few years though.
Our tanker is on a KW t800 chassis and it weighs almost 65k lbs. It's a well done rig, but it's a pumper as well and can only haul two firefighters. It could have gone onto a custom chassis designed for the weight of an aerial and been slightly more expensive (it was already 319k) and hauled 6.
ark_firefighter
Member
Smaller depts like ours can't afford that extra luxury of a custom rig. We spent the extra money that it would have cost on a custom on equipment.
A much wiser allocation of funds. Sure customs are pretty and such but there is nothing wrong with a well chosen commercial platform filled with equipment to fight fires, etc., rather than have it in a pretty truck with less equipment.
Pretty doesn't put out fires.
A much wiser allocation of funds. Sure customs are pretty and such but there is nothing wrong with a well chosen commercial platform filled with equipment to fight fires, etc., rather than have it in a pretty truck with less equipment.
Pretty doesn't put out fires.
kitn1mcc
Member
alot of the tankers around here are built on heavy commercial platforms. the commercial platform seems to work great for tankers.
firefighter7017
Member
All of our rigs are commercial chassis. We are currently ordering our next engine, which is going to be a custom cab.
kitn1mcc said:
I will agree here. A tanker is the only type of large fire apparatus that I don't mind being on a commercial chassis. And that is because a tanker is generally only used for water shuttle, therefore you don't have guys packing up and there isn't a need to carry much (if any at all) equipment at all.
At my volunteer department we have all Freightliner commercial cab trucks. All but the tanker are 5 man cabs and they include an M2 engine, an FL112 tanker, an FL80 engine, and an FL60 rescue. The FL80 engine is by far the roomiest, and there's only room to seat five guys comfortably. We have no room for any extra equipment, with the exception of a few extra radios. The M2 is cramped and downright uncomfortable; it's our newest but most hated truck.
Now at my paid department... we have all custom cab engines, six of them are various Pierce's, three HME's, and one ALF (mistake!). My engine is a Pierce Saber and it seats four very comfortably, and in the cab we have: a roll up compartment with EMS equipment (O2 bag, Lifepack 12, ALS box, C-collar bag, portable suction unit, peds bag, OB kit, PPE kit, spare O2 bottle, plus towels and blankets), we have another roll up compartment with water rescue gear (4 pfd's, two Mustang suits, rope throw bags, and two 200' rope bags), a backboard, four Streamlight Litebox's, a NY hook, a set of irons, a TNT tool, a 2.5 gal water can, a RIT bag with spare SCBA cylinder and tools, an MSA TIC, four vhf portables, an 800 mhz portable, and an MDT. And we STILL have room to throw our gear in the truck when we run medicals, and room enough to pack up comfortably with a full crew. And before anyone says anything, EVERYTHING in the cab is fastened down with straps, brackets, etc. We have a "clean cab" policy that dictates everything be securely fastened; thanks to this, there we only minor injuries when we had an engine roll over last year!
For a volunteer deparment with low run volume, a commcercial cab may get the job done. But like I said before, IF you can afford it.... a custom cab is THE way to go!
kitn1mcc
Member
Some of the Local Volunteer DEpt here that have Custom Cabs use them as extra storage and the like. around here most guys respond to the Scene Direct. its not unusual for a truck to go out with just a driver
this tanker that belongs to Colchester it is a bad ass truck. It was the biggest tanker in the area for many years
[Broken External Image]:http://www.colchesterfd.com/public/images/stories/colchester 184.jpg
this tanker that belongs to Colchester it is a bad ass truck. It was the biggest tanker in the area for many years
[Broken External Image]:http://www.colchesterfd.com/public/images/stories/colchester 184.jpg
philyumpshus
Member
It all depends on what you're doing with the truck. If you need the space and have the manpower to fill the cab, go custom. If not, save the money and put the savings towards something else. A lot of volunteer departments think they need a custom cab to keep up with the neighbors but then they only run the truck with 2 or 3 guys. One nice thing about customs is that you can fit more truck on the total length of the vehicle. The FD in my town at school has a station that was built in the late 19th century so space is tight. Because they have to double stack the trucks in each bay, they went with a custom cab tanker. Granted, this truck only has seats in the front and most of the back half of the cab is either gone or used as storage; they took a KME cab and essentially made it a snub nose, like a Mack MR.
theroofable
Member
kitn1mcc said:
Agreed, kenworth tankers are awesome. It is a great driving truck, I would gladly drive this over a custom tanker. The jake brake sounds crazy as well, you know water is coming when you hear that noise.
jprleedy4680
Member
Playing devil's advocate...I love custom chassis; they're truly purpose-built pieces of equipment.
However, it seems to me that if the spec on a commercial chassis truck is well-done and adequately powered, I can't see why it would do its job less. Sure, you might sacrifice some legroom/storage space in a 5-man Freightliner M2 verses a 5-man HME 1871, but you can still put a high quality body, engine, transmission, and pump onboard either.
I don't think I can write off a truck as a piece of junk simply because it says Freightliner, International or KW on the front; I'd think a builder could make an otherwise good chassis into a piece of junk because of poor craftsmanship.
I always hear such animosity towards commercial chassis, so I've always wondered...thanks for the responses, interesting read!
However, it seems to me that if the spec on a commercial chassis truck is well-done and adequately powered, I can't see why it would do its job less. Sure, you might sacrifice some legroom/storage space in a 5-man Freightliner M2 verses a 5-man HME 1871, but you can still put a high quality body, engine, transmission, and pump onboard either.
I don't think I can write off a truck as a piece of junk simply because it says Freightliner, International or KW on the front; I'd think a builder could make an otherwise good chassis into a piece of junk because of poor craftsmanship.
I always hear such animosity towards commercial chassis, so I've always wondered...thanks for the responses, interesting read!
jprleedy4680
Member
jprleedy4680
Member
kitn1mcc
Member
a few Depts around here have Pumpers on commercial chassies just to Draft and fill tankers. there less than an actual engine
theroofable
Member
Thanks! You should hear it, jake is always on level 3 when Im driving :yes: Its like driving a train hahajprleedy4680 said:
360SafetyGear said:
"pretty" can get you to the scene of fires that plenty of commercial chassis engines can't get to. Not everyone has the luxury of nice wide open roads and intersections.
theroofable said:Agreed, kenworth tankers are awesome. It is a great driving truck, I would gladly drive this over a custom tanker. The jake brake sounds crazy as well, you know water is coming when you hear that noise.
Price shipped to Iowa please!! Beautiful truck.
theroofable
Member
Thanks, it is a 2002 S&S 4000gal, but they are out of business now. I forget what we paid for it, but we will never ever get rid of it, it will last forever!Will B said:
Im a big fan of the elliptical tankers (tenders), I hate when they are square! They should always be commercial, customs look funny, but only for tankers. KME just built a beautiful mack elliptical tanker that looks awesome. If I had to pick a commercial chassis, it would be either a mack or kenworth. But imo they are too long for engines, they need to be cutsom for my liking.
haha...awesome.
bobcoop06 said:This is an engine!
And THIS.... is a tanker! I guess it would even count as a commercial cab firetruck! lol
All of our engines are Commercial Chassis. However, the only one in our fleet that I like, is the '01 Freightliner FL80 4 door, 6 man cab. (the others are the 2 dr, 3 man) I've been driving this truck for the better part of 6 years and I absolutely love it. I've driven an older Grumman Custom cab once or twice for another dept, and can NOT stand it.
my vote... Commercial.
my vote... Commercial.
kitn1mcc
Member
the old FL series were very nice trucks.C-Dot had a bunch and still do the guys love them they rode well too
We spec'ed out these two tankers. They haul, I believe, 2500 gallons of water, as well as class A and B foam and purple K powder.
We also have a few other tankers in the county, as shown below.
We also have a few other tankers in the county, as shown below.
kitn1mcc
Member
some of the areas here the access to the water is down some back dirt roads. the custom looks like it would get beat up faster