I am a really big American LaFrance fan . The one on my pics is a 2001 American LaFrance Eagle Series Rescue/Engine . My second favorite would ba a Pierce Dash
We had Stuphen engines and ladders. Then we went to American LaFrance and those 3 enigines have been nothing but junk. So we ordered a new ladder about six months ago and we went back to the STUPHEN!!!!
Permit me to inform you of our desire of going into business relationship with you. I am quite aware that my message will come to you as a surprise because it is indeed very strange sandra_dim3@yahoo.com
I've worked with nearly every brand of apparatus there is (and was) and my personal favorites are Macks, hands down. I've worked on everything from the old C-series to a few CFs, a MB, and several different MC models. I know the MCs were mostly used for garbage trucks, but they had a lot of advantages fo the fire service. They were tough, for starters. Remember "It's built like a Mack truck?" How many times have you ever seen a MC behind a wrecker, even the garbage trucks, and you know how they get abused by the sanitation guys. MCs had the best visibility for the driver and officer of any closed cab I've run with. Hagerstown CRS's old Squad 75A was a classic MC, as were Tri-Community's '79 Engine 1 and Tanker 1 - the 3000 gallon monster. Tri-Comm had some problems with the tank on Tanker 1, but that was a vendor add-on, not a Mack original. Every Mack I've ever worked had plenty of power, plenty of torque, was easy to pump. and had good road speed for Interstate highway responses.
The Mack-Baker Aerialscopes were probably the best tower ladders ever invented, although I'll admit that some of the LTIs and Sutphens could give them a run for the money. I liked the Aerialscope's ease of operation from the bucket a lot.
Another old apparatus manufacturer I really liked was Peter Pirsch. The sculpted rear edges on the canopy cabs gave them a very distinctive look, and the ones I worked around always gave good service. Saulsbury (the original mfg.) had some nice apparatus, too. I worked on and old 750-gpm front mount pumper tanker of theirs that is still in reserve 30 years later, and is still servicable.
I've operated good apparatus and lemons from just about every manufacturer there is. Sometimes I think it's luck of the draw as to what you get.
Well, I don't have any favorites, but from listening to members of my fire company they seem to like Sutphen the best. We have a Seagrave, but they've said that Sutphen's are better in their opinions. Our Seagrave had to have some additional mounts and stuff added to it and it was done horribly. Whatever company was dealing with them did a horrible job, but I forget which company it was. P&E maybe?