Mount Vernon Ladder Truck Down Again

[JM15 386]

That is a funny picture thanks for the laugh. On a side note is that pic from Amish country?

[Truck4 48]

[SageVigiles 1,194]

What's causing all these problems? Improper spec'ing of apparatus? A shop with less-than-stellar mechanics? Ineffective policies regarding apparatus maintenance/inspection? Lack of funding for maintenance? I'm not pointing fingers, I just would like to get an idea.

[x635 4,066]

A shop with less-than-stellar mechanics?

Mount Vernon FD has ONE awesome mechanic. And I mean one literally-there's only one mechanic and NO other shop staff. He has to handle all this workload on his own, with no real budget or resources to assist him. He spends the majority of his time taking care of the constant breakdowns to keep the fleet in service, and barely has any time for PM. He also has no help, and very cramped and outdated facilities. He has to fight tooth and nail to get the city to pay for even the most minor part. I think he does a heck of a job for the situation he's in.

The thing is bomb proof - and it sees work. It is the most durable and reliable piece in our fleet. It is too bad it is now a spare. We purchased one of the original Aerialscopes (Post Baker, Pre Seagrave). It was a nightmare for many reasons, so for better or worse, we got rid of it and bought a Pierce.

Hartsdale TL-15 has that same problem...great truck, great capabilties- however it was a maintainence nightmare while I was there, in the shop more then it was in service, had a variety of "bugs", and it also is a 1994, which is also post-Baker, Pre-Seagrave. I think that truck has had so much money dumped into it by now they could've bought a new one, lol!

[paratrooper75 41]

I was wondering why I saw MV's TL-1 on 9 up in Fishkill....

[ny10570 745]

Seth are you sure 15 was post Baker? TL-5 I believe was the same design, same problems. Baker scope all the way. The hydraulic system is a maintenance nightmare. By their own admission a poorly designed system. Everyone that was placed in service eventually failed catastrophically and resulting in either a new boom or entirely new truck. After asking around it looks like Pleasantville is going to be the first to try and rebuild the boom.

[x635 4,066]

Seth are you sure 15 was post Baker? TL-5 I believe was the same design, same problems. Baker scope all the way. The hydraulic system is a maintenance nightmare. By their own admission a poorly designed system. Everyone that was placed in service eventually failed catastrophically and resulting in either a new boom or entirely new truck. After asking around it looks like Pleasantville is going to be the first to try and rebuild the boom.

I'm pretty sure TL-15 was an "inbetween", at least that was often cited as the cause of many of the issues.

-break from above post-

I wanted to clear up something........we shouldn't let Mount Vernon's Aerialscope or some bad apples produced during some bad, pre-Seagrave years dog the current brand.....read at the following link for further:

http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=29282

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Its funny that on the Seagrave site about Aerialscopes there is a picture of Mt. Vernon's Truck 1.

http://www.seagrave.com/index.cfm?display=...ial_aerialscope

[SIGNMAN 4]

How's this

Do what you gotta do, HUM. gotta love the try.