ALF/Toyne

[SFD_E73_RET]

Yes, there are still a lot regional builders that are going to use the Spartans, and as you mentioned, Crimson is still out there as well. But to still take away 50% of your annual sales is risky.



I haven't seen E-One build on another chassis in many years, and Pierce hasn't built on anyone else's chassis in decades. We had a KME rescue pumper built on a Spartan Gladiator chassis in my area last year, based on the customer's desire for a specific cab and body width.

It may be more risky for the foriegn owned Rosenbauer to stop using the most popular American made chassis and switch to their own. And who wants the first run of anything?

[npfd801]

It may be more risky for the foreign owned Rosenbauer to stop using the most popular American made chassis and switch to their own. And who wants the first run of anything?

I tend to agree. It's going to have to be a hell of a chassis to make us look beyond Spartan at my department (and I think there's a lot like us), so Rosenbauer just basically was eliminated from consideration at my department in the future (and we have two General's that a lot of us like, and as the old guard gets old, General had a real shot at more rigs with us instead of the crap we've recently bought).

I won't go so far as to say it'll be a foreign chassis, as my money says they'll be built in Minnesota alongside their ARFF chassis. But lots of folks had a real problem with the name when I sold Rosie, because of the so called "foreign" name... Right or wrong, that's there.

Obviously, if Rosenbauer had their way - they'd still have access to the Spartan chassis, I'm sure.

I know this gives them the coveted sole source line now, but this whole mess should be interesting to say the least.

[BoxAlarm187]

I won't go so far as to say it'll be a foreign chassis, as my money says they'll be built in Minnesota alongside their ARFF chassis.

The chassis is 100% US designed and built from the frame rails up. As you suspected, the chassis will be built in Wyoming, MN right alongside the ARFF rigs. It's not a European chassis with an American flavor to it. Since the president of Rosenbauer, Richard Schalter, was also a past president of Spartan Chassis, I don't think it's a stretch to say that you'll see Spartan influence on the chassis. Not that RBA's out to make a copy-cat chassis by any stretch, but there's no shame in exploiting the strengths of other competitors designs.

But lots of folks had a real problem with the name when I sold Rosie, because of the so called "foreign" name... Right or wrong, that's there.

Do you think that's a regional thing? I've yet to hear that comment in all of my travels, and I've seen some Rosies sold in some pretty out-of-the-way areas.

I hear from sources that something like 10 or more of the new RBA chassis have already been contracted.

[npfd801]

Do you think that's a regional thing? I've yet to hear that comment in all of my travels, and I've seen some Rosies sold in some pretty out-of-the-way areas.

I hear from sources that something like 10 or more of the new RBA chassis have already been contracted.

It's funny. I sold some Central stuff to some real hillbilly folks, and I'm not meaning that mean - they were Rosenbauer branded, and no one cared. But in the Chicago suburbs, you would have thought I was trying to sell the first rig off the line from a no-name company...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not slighting the Rosenbauer endeavor to build chassis. I just think it'll be an interesting thing to watch the dynamics of it all, regarding the new chassis, Spartan, if HME picks up anything out of it, etc.

[rmcatee1]

I understand that like Spartan, the RBA cab will be built by Marion and then shipped to General to finish. Is that your understanding Box?