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Future Fireman

Tillered Platform!

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Alright, now we've seen alot of tillered aerials, even some monster tankers and rescues, but how come no one has thought to make a TDP, a Tractor Drawn Platform???? Now I understand that it would have to be a little small in length, but how about a platform like an Aerialscope 75 ft. instead of 95+? There would be some space between the bucket and the tiller cab, (about 5 feet) and if necessary, the platform can have lock up sides that would rise up when one would manually lift them up (planned to be no more than 20 lbs in weight) and would lock into place like this:

post-5960-1195003340.jpg

So would this be possible?*

Mike

*If this idea is possible, I will make the material on this page copyrighted, so apparatus manufacturers BEWARE!!! ;)

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Too late kiddo, sutphen has already maunfactured this type of rig,didn't seem to catch on.........

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The Sutphen one had the bucket as part of the tiller seat. It was built about 15-20 yrs ago. Heaven knows what happened to it.

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the sutphen tiller tower

http://forums.firehouse.com/attachment.php...mp;d=1139788252

the only picture i could locate through extensive google searches !!

i have heard that it is sitting in the suthphen grave yard at the factory with the aerial device missing.

It was a design by one of the elder sutphens, it obviously never took off. Cool Concept.

Now.. If they only could make a tillered aerialscope.. now that would be the best :-)

Edited by ldrco195

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I think the problem was two things. One, since the bucket was part of the tiller box, it had a pop up roof but only only had a ceiling height (floor of box to inside of the pop top) of six feet, the box itself had to be closed up when it was raised from the stationary seat and steering wheel and set up was too complicated. The other I believe was the practicality of it since the design didn't give it too much scrub area and the jacking wasn't that great. They tries to design it as a tractor drawn aerial instead of a tractor drawn tower ladder.

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Yep, I saw the Sutphen last week when I was at the plant inspecting our new tower. In fact it is sitting right in front of our old tower.

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Yep, I saw the Sutphen last week when I was at the plant inspecting our new tower. In fact it is sitting right in front of our old tower.

So where are some pictures of the new tower? huh... well.. :-)

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I vaguely remember there being something like that in Northern New Jersey but I don't know where. I remember someone telling me they saw one when visiting a station there. Now obviously the bucket causes a problem since it is too big to see around, and the sutphen one must have had floor issues. I wonder if a collapsible bucket like Metz uses could be used and sit in front of a conventional tillerman's position? Since I'm not an engineer I have no idea if it would be feasible or not.

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There is a Sutphen tiller in Mamaroneck, NY.....but it's not a tower.

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There is a Sutphen tiller in Mamaroneck, NY.....but it's not a tower.

l20.jpg Its a beauty!VMFD

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l20.jpg Its a beauty!VMFD

The aerial super structure is huge. The tiller man definatly has his work cut out for him. I have tillered and that looks to be one of the more challenging rides to operate.

Maybe it is the picture, but it appears longer than other tillers i have seen.

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Is VMFD's Sutphen TDA the only one that company ever built and is in active service?

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I don't believe any department in New Jersey ever had one of these units. Something like this would stick in my memory.

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i remember seeing it at the NYS chiefs show About 6-7 years ago. i have a pic of it i just have to scan it and post it.

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it seems like a good idea wonder why nobody bought them

See my post above.

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oh thx didn't see that

Edited by texastom791

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I'm a member of the village of mamaroneck fd and as of now there are 3 other active tillered sutphens like ours in the US but most likely theres gotta be others out there used as spares

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