Age on a used quint

[tony peric]

i have a question. My dept. has a 1978 Ford Pierce 50' Tele-squirt that is SHOT! The city and county both own this truck so they want to refurb. it. The problem is that for the cost of the refurb. It would be cheaper to spend a few more bucks and buy a good used 1oo'stick or platform.We don't have the money to buy own ourselves,we have bought two new engines in the last five years so at the time we are pretty tapped out as far as money goes. My main question is how old is too old for a used ladder truck? Keep in mind that the truck would be bought from a reputable dealer or dept.

[Engine 224]

NFPA 1901 made a major revision to the aerial strength requiremnts in the eighties. Don't buy anything built under the old standard even if the seller will "certify" it meets the current standard.
Only LTI and Grumman (now KME) had a 0 degree rating before the NFPA 1901 change.

The change to rate the ladder fully extended with a tip load at 0 degrees elevation forced many manufacturers to completly redesign their ladders.