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Mirrors…..
Ok, so we are in the middle of a debate that is starting to become an unhealthy discussion in the fire house about mirrors. Some of the new truck manufactures have these ugly bugs looking side mirrors. We are in the process of bidding out a new ladder and a pumper now and have a lot of the engineers in the organization sold on them but the old guys are not budging on the old fashion door mount mirrors. NEED FIRE POWER either way before we have to live with a bad decision on two trucks.
What is the preference the old or the new truck mirrors?
What is the preference the old or the new truck mirrors?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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Having driven a few newer trucks and several older ones, I'd have to say placement is more important than type. I find it's relatively easy to use either type when they are located with function in mind rather than looks, and give a good field of view.
Okay, maybe not the answer you were looking for, but it might be something to consider!
TCSS
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Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on
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I agree with Reg, Dose it really matter what they look like, or is it
more important on there function???????????
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Permalink Reply by Mike Brosig on
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Definitely looking for functional responses. The new bug mirrors seem to look different but are up and out of the way and also offer a better look at the front bumper.
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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on
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I recommend going with what the manufacturer suggests. TCSS
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Permalink Reply by Jason Koontz on
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I've driven both, and I must concur. Its about function. What do you need to see? Is it more important to be able to see everything behind you as well as the sides of your rig, or do you give up some of that to see the front bumper? Personally, I prefer the older type, simply because I already know whats on the front bumper, and I have to look at it everytime I step into the drivers seat. The new forward mounted ones also give me some issues, simply because I sit tall in the seat and they give me problems seeing the entire mirror, not to mention what they're showing. I'd say make the manufacturers let you sit in the drivers seat of cabs with all the mirror types they're proposing, and see which you like best. Make the people that are going to drive the rigs the most do it, as well as the tallest and shortest in the company/dept, and make sure everyone, or at least a majority, agree on the ones they want. It's a little more time involved, but if you're going to spend the money, better make damn sure its what you want, rather than spending more down the road because the ones you got suck and you need to replace them.
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Permalink Reply by Michael C. Harrison on
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I have driven apparatus with both style mirrors and I prefer the old style for numerous reasons : Instinct of looking to my right to see....no matter how much I drive a piece with the "bus" mirrors I don't "automatically" look forward for my mirror(that could probably change over time.....but remember how many drivers you have and how many responses you have, some slower places it could take years for people to get used to them.)
Price....the bus mirrors are considerably more expensive to purchase AND to replace (and with some of the arms that hang out on the bus mirrors, you are more likely to incur body damage if a mirror is "smacked" against something) ALSO REMEMBER most salesmen will recommend the most expensive things, that way they make more money....so think for yourself, don't rely on them.
Availability.....most truck stops have "old style" mirrors on hand, so replacement should take no more that 10 to 15 min if a mirror hits something, as opposed to having the unit O.O.S. just for a mirror.
Try to think about all possible situations....fix the problems before they occur, and do what is right for your dept (not just because it is the "newest" or "coolest" thing....and if you find that it ISN'T broke, why fix it?)
I am sure some "Safety Nazi" will disagree with everything I just posted, but who cares...I have the mirrors I like :-)
P.S. the small spot mirrors (bug eye, fish eyes, convex) on an arm off the officers side roof will let you see the right front corner of the bumper with no problems when you are in tight areas.
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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Sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks, but if you can’t the only advice I can offer is POWER and if you’re in a cold climate, HEATED
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Permalink Reply by paula beckham on
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i think if you look to europe you will find the answer to this essentially it comes down to the elimination of blind spots around the truck the new mirror configurations afford you better view of the drivers side and across the front this has come about mainly from the amount of cyclists/small vehicles that have being cleaned out by turning trucks and bussess in the cities one thing i have found with them is they distort distance this you need to adjust to
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Not trying to warp the subject, but I saw an ad today for a small video camera system for less than $100. Small button camera with a GPS(Garmin/Tomtom) type of monitor.I would LOVE to have one on our engines. One of my pet peeves is the tailgate blind spot. You can physically check that no one is behind the engine, but by the time you get back to the drivers seat and buckle up, some on-scene dufus has enough time to slip up behind you. And anybody who has been on the job for a while knows that on-lookers will do the dumbest things.
With a bit larger monitor and 4 cameras, you could see the front bumper, the rear bumper and both sides!
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Permalink Reply by Kirk D. Baughman on
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it's a fire truck you need to get what best works for your dept. it's not the mirrors that makes a firetruck. it's the guys that respond in the truck. is it clean do they take pride in their tools? the kids are the ones that really go crazy when they see a firetruck. their not going to look at the mirrors. so to tell you just pick what is best for you dept.
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Permalink Reply by John Sees on
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I have never driven a rig with the new "bug" mirrors, I do drive a E-One with bus mirrors and a tanker with West-Coast mirrors. I like the bus mirrors, smaller blind spot than West-Coast. Also I have never driven a rig with
West-Coast mirrors on the door that did not need to be reajusted after you opened and closed the door a couple
of times. Our tanker has the a 3 camera set-up like Ted talked about, works great for tankers, the side cameras
over the discharges helps, but side cameras on an engine, I don't know how much they would help, I guess they would help spot a hydrant. Michael has some good points about repair and availability. I do agree with Trainer power and heated (cold climate) is a must no matter what you get. This debate will go on long after you
get the rig, so the first thing you need to do is bring your discussions back into the healthy range.
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Ted, I don't know what kind of tanker you are getting or how you are going to set it up,
but one of our members came up with this idea at the last minute and it has been a big help.
Our cab is a 2 man cab and the tank does not sit up against the cab, so we put windows in the back of the cab this also helps with locating the dump tank. Our tanker does have a 3 camera set-up and it helps, but I use the windows more than the camera. I attached a picture to help show you. How about e-mailing me a picture of our tanker when you get it. - Attachments:
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