KME plant tour

[ff002]

[quote name='Juice' timestamp='1355356845' post='505319']

That's the other thing that I don't care for, the rubber fenders. Do you have a closer shot of the grille? Supposedly they were pretty big pushers on keeping the square grille!



Trav!

[/quote]



We demanded rubber fenders on our new trucks. Being an urban area, a good chunk of our trucks have their stainless fenderettes crunched. Damage means collision report.....collision report goes on your file. No damage- no collision report. The rubber bounces back and does scratch a car if you tap one. We even adopted FDNY's rubber rub rails....the e-ones u shaped rub rail we have open a car like a can opener.

The new LA county pump parked beside had a square grille....the Tiller had the new grill. I suspect you can keep the square one on the 96 inch cabs but if you have the 100 inch you may have to go to the new one......

[senatobiafire704]

[quote name='ffdrive' timestamp='1355354159' post='505309']

Here is one of KME's new ladders with the tip controls for the ladder. Thi is new to me-always had controls up there on buckets but had never seen it on a stick. I would think you can throw the stick close to the building from the turntable and then ease it close when youre up at the tip.....

[/quote]

We have them on our '89 Pierce stick. It works great in a tight spot, but ours are very sensative and will jerk you around a little. Also the turntable operator can override the person at the tip at all times.

[GA_Dave]

[quote name='ffdrive' timestamp='1355354159' post='505309']

Here is one of KME's new ladders with the tip controls for the ladder. Thi is new to me-always had controls up there on buckets but had never seen it on a stick. I would think you can throw the stick close to the building from the turntable and then ease it close when youre up at the tip.....

[/quote]



Maxim had this as far back as 1970, if not earlier.

[chfc14]

[quote name='GA_Dave' timestamp='1355410507' post='505351']

Maxim had this as far back as 1970, if not earlier.

[/quote]Doggone it, Dave; you just beat me to it!!! TJ

[GA_Dave]

[quote name='chfc14' timestamp='1355410770' post='505352']

Doggone it, Dave; you just beat me to it!!! TJ

[/quote] <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Guest]

[quote name='GA_Dave' timestamp='1355410507' post='505351']

Maxim had this as far back as 1970, if not earlier.

[/quote]

I was a volley in West Hazleton, PA and they ran a 1961 Maxim 75' mid mount with the tip controls. It was purchased from Spring Garden Twp. in southeast PA. I believe Maxim marketed it as "TopTrol". I only used it a few times, but I remember it being very slow and very bouncy when starting or stopping.

[Guest]

Hope their new rigs are more dependable than the 2008 line

[firescooby]

[quote name='readingpafire' timestamp='1355418759' post='505356']

Hope their new rigs are more dependable than the 2008 line

[/quote]



We've got 10-15 2008's...NOT happy.

[ff002]

[quote name='firescooby' timestamp='1355428854' post='505362']

We've got 10-15 2008's...NOT happy.

[/quote]



I have to ask...and its not being satirical....but is anyone really happy with their new rigs? I read where the FDNY union head (I think) said Seagraves were "jalopies"....if you look on the DCFD and the Richmond thread their pierces are called shop queens.....hearing different complaints about KME but places like LA County continue to but them in droves...The fellas in Mass. where the building collapsed onto their KME (and it stayed up) were likely pretty happy it had almost twice the tensile strength of an aluminum ladder....A story on firehouse showed a Sutphen's cable snapped and injured 4 people on one of their platforms....Up north they had an RK bucket tip when extended.......Boston has gone from (recent modern history) E\-One to Pierce to Eone and now to KME.....Toronto apparently has had multiple cracks in the H frame outriggers on their smeals......Crimson? havent heard a lot.....

I know all the electronic sensors are mandatory but I miss the old days -give me an old girl that went up and came down in sleet and snow and if it faltered you taped stuff together with bandaids and duct tape and dammit it worked...I know this may be a hornet's nest...So I ask- no matter who you buy from, do you just "inherit" a different set of problems?

[GA_Dave]

[quote name='HIT6' timestamp='1355414733' post='505355']

I was a volley in West Hazleton, PA and they ran a 1961 Maxim 75' mid mount with the tip controls. It was purchased from Spring Garden Twp. in southeast PA. I believe Maxim marketed it as "TopTrol". I only used it a few times, but I remember it being very slow and very bouncy when starting or stopping.

[/quote]



Thanks, I had forgotten the name. I operated one owned by Lakewood, NY, a 1970 Maxim S 85' midship ladder. The operation was slow, but smooth. Jamestown, NY had a 1967 Maxim F 100' midship that was not equipped with that feature. From the turntable, both operated the same. My understanding was that Maxim introduced the TopTrol in 1968. Perhaps the Spring Garden Twp./West Hazleton rig was a retrofit???

[firescooby]

[quote name='ffdrive' timestamp='1355435592' post='505368']

I have to ask...and its not being satirical....but is anyone really happy with their new rigs? I read where the FDNY union head (I think) said Seagraves were "jalopies"....if you look on the DCFD and the Richmond thread their pierces are called shop queens.....hearing different complaints about KME but places like LA County continue to but them in droves...The fellas in Mass. where the building collapsed onto their KME (and it stayed up) were likely pretty happy it had almost twice the tensile strength of an aluminum ladder....A story on firehouse showed a Sutphen's cable snapped and injured 4 people on one of their platforms....Up north they had an RK bucket tip when extended.......Boston has gone from (recent modern history) E\-One to Pierce to Eone and now to KME.....Toronto apparently has had multiple cracks in the H frame outriggers on their smeals......Crimson? havent heard a lot.....

I know all the electronic sensors are mandatory but I miss the old days -give me an old girl that went up and came down in sleet and snow and if it faltered you taped stuff together with bandaids and duct tape and dammit it worked...I know this may be a hornet's nest...So I ask- no matter who you buy from, do you just "inherit" a different set of problems?

[/quote]



I agree to a certain extent, but we had a very open mind when we got our new engine, we were coming out of a 1999 Freightliner with about 170k miles, so anything would have been an improvement. Our engine was OOS in 2010 46% of the time.



We got our new aerial in 2007 replacing a 1994 of the same type. I still LOVE that truck...even with it's quirks. All the electronics are problematic for everyone...but you can ask anyone in my department what brand they like best and want to drive and ride on...starts with an "S".

[Guest]

John Kovatch, all but flat out admitted to Reading Bosses that the company was in over their heads and had taken to many orders. Readings 5 rigs. along with many others, were rushed through the line.



The rigs are plagued with electrical, suspension, and motor issues. The rig I'm assigned to is out of service more than it's in.



For example, the multi-plex electrical system shut off our headlights when were going to calls if the ground lights are on. The rig goes out to be repaired, then the headlights go out when you tap the federal. Another time the rig would throttle up and down when you were sitting at a traffic light. At some points the RPM's would drop so low the rig would nearly stall.



KME has been repairing the rigs frequently under the 5 year warranty which is going to be done in February.

[Guest]

And I agree, don't have a favorite manufacturer. Miss the old days of ALF and Mack

[Roto-Ray]

[quote name='firescooby' timestamp='1355440590' post='505373']

...but you can ask anyone in my department what brand they like best and want to drive and ride on...starts with an "S".

[/quote]



Smeal, Seagrave, Sutphen, SVI, Southern Fire...? <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[drfeelgood]

[quote name='Roto-Ray' timestamp='1355445791' post='505387']

Smeal, Seagrave, Sutphen, SVI, Southern Fire...? <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[/quote] Shitbox??

[Frank B]

Every Builder has Lemons. <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/oops.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> But KME seems to be having more issues on a larger scale than everyone else.

Even E-1 and Ferrara seem to work out issues (you hear about them sometimes but again not as bad as KME)

It is a shame, I live in Pennsylvania and we dont have many builders here any more, i woluld like to have one to be proud of. LTI is OK but the ALF group is hurting them. 4 Guys is doing great but they are in Pittsburgh territory!

[theunknowncomic]

[quote name='HIT6' timestamp='1355414733' post='505355']

I was a volley in West Hazleton, PA and they ran a 1961 Maxim 75' mid mount with the tip controls. It was purchased from Spring Garden Twp. in southeast PA. I believe Maxim marketed it as "TopTrol". I only used it a few times, but I remember it being very slow and very bouncy when starting or stopping.

[/quote]

the maxim is at ABC auto parts in hunlock creek,pa

[Truckman]

As regards to the Richmond apparatus, most of the 1998's have an access of over 250,000 miles on them. They have been run hard and operated at a lot of jobs. Money is a big thing in Richmond, as they are trying to replace some of the fleet each year. The put 6 new quints, 2 heavy rescues and a pumper in service this past year with hopefully more will be ordered as the money becomes available. Richmond is like other cites hurting be the economy and being ran by not the sharpest knives in city hall.

We had 7 KME's are one time. They were an OK piece. I've been through the plant, it looked like any other apparatus maker plant to me.

[drfeelgood]

My department has bought units from the "best" manufacturers throughout the years and I have worked on all types of rigs in a past life and I can say they all have issues. I take "service after the sale" and a manufacturer's willingness to fix issues quickly and admit the mistake as a buying decision on rigs.



Truckman I agree that all the factories are all the same

[Guest]

That old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link comes to mind. The weak link in todays rigs (ALF, Pierce, et al) is computers...there are a huge number of computers and problems arise when they begin "saying" things that conflict with one another. As an example, I worked on a rig from one of the big three that when in pump gear would idle up and down constantly, no matter if you had water flowing or not. Turns out, the transmission computer was saying one thing while the computer in the Detroit Fire Commander was saying the opposite, thus causing the oscillations. All three computers were replaced and no more problems, it had nothing to do with the logo on the grill.