Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire

[npfd801]

It's a heavier axle. There are some better people that can answer this question properly though. Taylor Goodman possibly can?

 

When I sold apparatus, you could get a heavier than normal rear axle that used larger tires and wheels.  I sold Hinsdale, IL a Metz which was a true "quint" (actually had enough water, hose and ground ladders to qualify) but in order to do so we had to go very heavy on the rear axle, tires, wheels, etc.  Don't remember the actual rating, might be a 31,500 under your average 75 foot quint, but I think you can go to a 33K or 34K and still stay a single rear axle.  I'm sure some states weight rating limits wouldn't approve.

 

Two side effects - it raised the height of the rear bumper and steps considerably, and you could only get steel wheels with that heavy of an axle.  Not sure if someone is making aluminum wheels yet capable of the rating needed, but we couldn't get them from Spartan at the time.

 

My guess is that the steel aerial and the 500 gallon tank pushed Pierce to the heavier rear axle.