Here are some photos of Waukegan’s Seagrave engine during the final inspection. The engine was due to be delivered in Waukegan yesterday, 11/14. Specs for Engine 5: Marauder cab, Cummins L9 motor, 750-gallon tank, 1500-GPM pump.
Waukegan FD photo
Waukegan FD photo
Waukegan FD photo
Waukegan FD photo
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#1 by Bill Post on November 16, 2019 - 8:31 AM
Waukegan has been more or less a Seagrave town for quite a while. They are not exclusively Seagrave but I know that in late 1990s and early 2000s at least two of their engines and their truck were from Seagrave. The truck which was before the Piece was a low profile rear mounted quint that was running out of Station 3, their most centrally located station. The squad is also a Seagrave that stands out because Seagrave squads are not that common.
There’s no doubt that the new Aerialscope is going to be a show piece especially being a 95 footer. It will be one of the few in the midwest.
While Aerialscopes aren’t that common outside of New York City they are durable and dependable rigs that have stood the test of time. It has been New York City’s primary platform aerial since 1964. 61 of their 143 ladder companies are Aerialscopes. Only about 15 of them are 95 footers primarily due to space and weight restrictions in many of the stations. The majority are 75 footers.
During the early to mid 1980’s, New York tried two other brands when they were testing aerial platforms. They purchased two Sutphen towers and two rear mounted LTI tower ladders on low profile American LaFrance chassis. After running with them on a few ladder companies they decided to stay with the Aerialscope.
Aerialscope wasn’t originally a Seagrave product. They bought the rights to Aerialscope and continue to be New York’s only supplier of aerial platforms. That’s fortunate because New York stopped purchasing Seagrave rear mounted ladders in 2011, however they still purchase tillered aerials from Seagrave.
#2 by Mike C on November 16, 2019 - 7:28 AM
Just as Mike W said the smaller motor will be plenty sufficient. I’d much rather have the X12 but hard to justify the price difference. This is a no nonsense rig! Love the simplicity of it! Why waste the taxpayers money on things that aren’t needed. I think I would have opted for LED headlights, and I like the ATP hose bed cover but I’ll be honest…they’re HEAVY! A few years ago, ROM had some roll up hose bed covers. I don’t know if they even offer it anymore but that was a nice option. I’m surprised it never caught on with the market. This rig was built on Waukegan’s spec. This is not a Fastrack pumper.
#3 by Mike W on November 15, 2019 - 4:02 PM
Waukegan takes a simple and somewhat utilitarian approach to our equipment. As far as the power plant selected, the engineering of the smaller motor is on point and offers plenty of power and torque for what we need. I can’t say enough about the quality of the product Seagrave has delivered to us with the last two engine purchased.
#4 by Big Moe on November 15, 2019 - 8:42 AM
Surprised they didn’t go with a raised roof and painted roll ups. Rigs look unfinished with plain doors. Looks kind of like a Seagrave fast program truck. I still like it and the new tower will be awesome.
#5 by Tim on November 15, 2019 - 8:21 AM
Love seeing Seagraves coming back to this area. Nice rig…cool booster line (“Hey Chet or Marco, grab the reel line.) LOL I’m surprised they went with an L-9 and not something with a few more ponies.
#6 by Crabbymilton on November 15, 2019 - 7:58 AM
Nice to see more SEAGRAVE’s for a change.