Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Jewett on October 6, 2007 at 12:09am

Ww also have two alf eagles. one is a 2006 custom eagle pumper, and the other is a 2007 custom eagle pumper rescue. We really dont have many promblems with them. it helps that the plant is right up the street but no major promblems. Now on the other hand the city of buffalo is changing there entire fleet. But from what i am hearing from some of the guys that have the new engines and ladders that they are having nothing but promblems with them. The million $$$$ rescue that they got is in the shop every other week.

Permalink Reply by Tony Leonard,Jr. on November 20, 2007 at 6:17pm

Our company had a '61 1000 series pumper w/gas engine,a '74 PionerrII pumper,and an '86 Century Pumper.And since i worked at the local plant/repair facility I can tell you that yes there is MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW TRUCKS,THAN THE OLD ONES,that where made in Elmira,N.Y.
The problem may be relitve to the fact that the chassis are built in one locaton and then trucked to regional facilities that manufature and install the bodies,plumbing and accesories.Plus most of it depends on how everything is spec'ed out.Plus I am personally disappointed that they DID NOT submit a bid on our new truck,when it was posted.

Permalink Reply by Shane on July 9, 2008 at 8:37pm

My department has had ALF since it bought it's first motorized apparatus. We HAD a 1917 ALF, we still have a 47 that we are trying to restore for a parade truck. We also have a 72 pioner that was referbished about 5 yrs ago. We have a 99 eagle w/ a smeal body (before they made their own bodies again). We just purchased a 07 eagle rescue. We haven't had any major problems with the one's still in service.

Permalink Reply by Steve Williams on February 12, 2009 at 4:20pm

Hey all we have two ALF's both 2004 sister trucks. The trucks are heavy duty rescue/engines. We always have something wrong with the trucks ALF said the trucks were very complicated to build because they were a first for them. The trucks are actualy Rescue bodies with a pump housing. We average around four to five runs a day, we usualy have the truks being repaired for something once a week. The trucks look great and work great as long as they are in service. Just yeasterday one of the trucks was OOS for half the shift.

Permalink Reply by Tony Leonard,Jr. on February 19, 2009 at 9:30am

That IS Just An Excuse For,"WE DON'T #$%^&*#@ NO WHAT THE PROBLEM IS EITHER" Truth is its still apparent that they'll sell you anything you want with out regard to complications,because the company (YOU GUYS) will pay for the repairs.As I learned working for ALF they "Commitment" to Exellence is so astronomiclly high that they cant even obtain it.Plus alot of the problems with they're trucks is the turn over rate at the shops due to the "commitment" But after all the bad that happened they are still my favorite fire truck,even though when we replaced our '86 Century , ALF NEVER SUBMITTED A BID!, to replace an ALF!

Permalink Reply by Jeffrey C. Faber on June 11, 2009 at 3:56pm

Our department has an 01 ALF-Frieghtliner custom eagle pumper, pictured above. Now we only average around 100 calls yearly, but we have never had any major problems at all. We had to change the water tank gauge in 08, and this year in 09 we've had to change a t fitting in the plumbing b/c it would pull a draft. Other than those 2 problem, which were easy and cheap fixes, we been good for 8 years so far. We also had an old 49 too. Although we still dont' own it, the collector who does keeps it clean. We just went down to check it out again and it still runs like a champ!!

Permalink Reply by Shane Palmer on January 29, 2010 at 2:37pm

This is our 85' LaFrance. It serves as our primary Rescue and secondary Engine. Its a great running truck and ever since i been in the dept we never really had a major problem with it. It Defiantly out pumps our 97' Freightliner FL70. Personally the only bad comment have have about this truck is sitting in the right jump seat waiting for the rest of the crew to climb on while the truck is runnin, the fumes from the exhuast blows against the wall and right back in your face

Permalink Reply by David Earl Gregory on March 6, 2011 at 6:12pm

When I was working at the Atlanta center, our turnover rate was astounding. All they were hiring were guys from Job Service that the only fire truck experience they had was getting hell out of the way when one came screaming past them. Commitment to excellence? All horn, no driveshaft. Lots of chin music on the subject but the bottom line was, "screw 'em, get the damn money and get it outta the shop."

My last project truck was one from Oak Ridge, TN. It was still sitting up on jacks, no ladder on it, still needed to go to the paint shop, then back to mount the ladder, finish the pump, test it, final touch-up, and then send her home. Boss came out on the shop floor and announced, "This damn truck gotta roll by the end of the week or we all outta a job." I started packing my tools up. He asked me what the hell I thought I was doing and I told him I wasn't wasting my time. If I was going to be unemployed because he was a dumbass, and didn't know how to bid jobs, I was gonna go get me a real job while I could. Five weeks later that truck finally went back to its home. Morons. People like that are what killed the original ALF.

I later quit ALF because of BS like that and the goons they were bringing in for me to train. Couldn't get a pay raise but the "FNG's" were getting paid $1.00 less than I was and didn't know squat. Some didn't even have friggin' tools. ALF shot themselves in the foot by over-pricing everything and sending out crap.