ALF - Ladder Chief

[boardmansteve]

The Ladder Chief was ALF's offering to the rearmount aerial market.  It was offered in various body and chassis configurations, as seen here, with up to a 100' stick:

Florence, AL
1981 ALF #7104
100'
Diesel/?
Ladder 1

Roseville, MN
1978 ALF #5970
100'
Diesel/?
Ladder 728

Baton Rouge, LA
1978 ALF #6020
100'
Diesel/?

Grove City, PA
1982 ALF #7499
1000/200/100'
Diesel/?
(I visited the GCVFD shortly after this girl was delivered.  It replaced a '56-ish Chevy with a Memco electric aerial, which was still sitting in the back of the station.)

(factory photos)

[boardmansteve]

Grove City, PA
1982 ALF #7499
1000/200/100'
Diesel/?
(I visited the GCVFD shortly after this girl was delivered.  It replaced a '56-ish Chevy with a Memco electric aerial, which was still sitting in the back of the station.)

Okay, so it's a '55 model:

http://www.familyoldphotos.com/pa/mercer2/grove_city_fire_department_1955.htm

[Engine33Truck]

Am I correct in saying that the single axle 100ft sternmount was American LaFrance's response to Seagrave's Rear Admiral?

[boardmansteve]

Am I correct in saying that the single axle 100ft sternmount was American LaFrance's response to Seagrave's Rear Admiral?

Yes, it was, although there's no such thing as a "sternmount" aerial.  The Rear Admiral was introduced in 1965; however, Seagrave actually built their first rearmount 10 years earlier.  Built for an industrial department in TX, it was a 65' job on a tandem-axle 1955 Chevrolet chassis.

[Engine33Truck]

Thank you, I say "sternmount" as I was always taught to refer to fire apparatus like ships.

[wf33ret]

                                                    Here is another view of the Grove City
                                                    1982 Ladder Chief # 7499.



                                                           Photographer Unknown

[boardmansteve]

Here's the first one:

Gary, IN
1968 ALF #?
100'
?/?
Ladder 8

(factory photo)

[FDNYTRUCKScom]

12-1-1132   Gary, Indiana   IN      100' Rearmount Aerial

[Engine33Truck]

When was the Ladder Chief and associated Water Chief introduced?  And this is a question I've often wondered and failed at trying to find an answer for:  I know with the Seagrave Rear Admiral, using low-profile chassis was very popular, where as with ALF the Century Lowboy, I believe it's called, certainly doesn't seem popular.  Were the Ladder Chief and the Water Chief available with 900 Series, 1000 Series and Century chassis with notched roofs like the Aero Chief was offered with?

[GA_Dave]

The Ladder Chief came out in 1968, the Water Chief in 1976.  I don't recall seeing any that had the roof notched, but there were a few with open cabs, which could have had a lower travel height. 

[Engine33Truck]

Thanks.  Open cabs would lower the travel height, though they wouldn't exactly be comfortable in the winter time, LOL.  I've never seen any notched-roof Ladder Chiefs either, but that doesn't meant that there aren't any out there.

[boardmansteve]

Were the Ladder Chief and the Water Chief available with 900 Series, 1000 Series and Century chassis with notched roofs like the Aero Chief was offered with?

I've seen a few:

Orangeburg, SC
1972 (no data plate)
85' (fairly rare; most Ladder Chiefs were 100' jobs)
Diesel/manual
Ladder 9

(SL photo)

[GA_Dave]

I don't recall seeing any that had the roof notched

And I've shot that one too.....

D'oh!

[boardmansteve]

And I've shot that one too.....

D'oh!

Did you happen to get the job number?

[GA_Dave]

I did not, it was shot many years ago, well before I began taking down production numbers.  I did find another rearmount with a notched roof.

Ladder 1, Parker District FD, Greenville, SC
American LaFrance 1000 Series
1000/300/100'