Spartan/Quality/Ai 85' platforms

[GA_Dave]

Is it me or does the basket seem small on those platforms ?

As I recall, the platforms on these rigs had a special design.  If you look at the top edge, it appears to have two layers, one outside and one inside and slightly above the other.  The inside one is the top of a second sidewall, which raises up to a normal height when the aerial is in operation, but stows away for travel, giving a lower overall height.

 

And to me, it appears that the bucket/basket appears to extend considerably farther out over the front of the rig on Ladder 16 than Ladder 18's bucket/basket....just sayin

That's because it does.  If you look at the body of each rig behind the rear axle, you will see that Ladder 18 has an extra compartment and is a longer truck.  The turntable is farther back from the front of the cab.