Seagrave’s Aerialscope Refurbishment Serves N.Y. Department

Oct. 19, 2010
Clintonville, Wisconsin:  Seagrave offers a nationwide program to rechassis and refurbish existing 75’ Aerialscope Tower Platforms on a single or tandem rear axle, saving a substantial amount of money as compared to an all new apparatus. The combination of Seagrave’s technological advances for Aerialscope lovers and the lighter weight components of older Aerialscopes including the boom, turntable and superstructure make the 4x2 option possible.

Clintonville, Wisconsin:  Seagrave offers a nationwide program to rechassis and refurbish existing 75’ Aerialscope Tower Platforms on a single or tandem rear axle, saving a substantial amount of money as compared to an all new apparatus. The combination of Seagrave’s technological advances for Aerialscope lovers and the lighter weight components of older Aerialscopes including the boom, turntable and superstructure make the 4x2 option possible. Seagrave Engineers minimized weight with a stronger  hi-tensile steel torque box combined to maintain the single rear axle option for a renewed Aerialscope. This is specifically important in communities where maneuverability is a challenge due to narrow streets, tight street corners and turning to get in and out of the fire station.  A rechassis’d Aerialscope on a single rear axle is capable of transporting the weight of a full complement of NFPA recommended equipment and a crew of six safely, comfortably and quickly.

Pelham Manor, New York, was the first Fire Department to rechassis-refurbish a single axle Aerialscope with Seagrave and has the apparatus in service. Their original Mack/Aerialscope was purchased new in 1973.

Chief Joseph Ruggiero said, “Our Aerialscope served the village reliably and cost effectively. As the predominate tower ladder on the market, it provided us with exceptional payload capacity, water flow and maneuverability in our small village streets by virtue of its short wheelbase single axle design.”

As Pelham Manor’s Tower Ladder 3 neared the end of its useful life, Chief Ruggiero approached their local Seagrave dealer, Excelsior Fire Equipment Sales. The Fire Department worked with Santo Curro every step of the way, realizing that Seagrave, as the OEM for Aerialscope, had the resources of their Engineering staff to explore and design an apparatus that would maintain its versatility.

“Instead of purchasing a brand new Aerialscope II on a tandem axle, a complete re-chassis was specified for Tower Ladder 3 at a cost savings of more than $500,000 dollars of taxpayer money,” Ruggiero continued.

Tower Ladder 3 received a new Seagrave Marauder II stainless steel cab and chassis featuring a rigid stainless steel subassembly that totally surrounds and protects occupants.

Seagrave CEO A. Joseph Neiner said, “In addition to an extreme cost savings, Pelham Manor received the two most important benefits of owning a Seagrave -- safety and longevity. Their new Seagrave is the safest environment for their firefighters getting to and from the call scene. And when you spread the initial cost, which is lower on a rechassis-refurbishment to begin with, and then you factor in lower maintenance costs for things like brakes, suspension and tires,  you are talking about a remarkable savings when you get a useful life of 30 to 40 years out of a Seagrave,” said Neiner.

The original boom assembly and related components were disassembled and all of the original hydraulics were rebuilt or upgraded. All electrical components including harnesses and electronics were removed and replaced with the latest technology.

“Seagrave was extremely thorough with their inspections to the point of having a third party inspect all welds of major components. This is no dress-up refurbishment. It is my opinion that this apparatus will give our village years of worry-free, reliable service,” said Ruggiero.

Whether a customer chooses to have their single axle or tandem axle Aerialscope rechassis’d, all refurbish work is tailored to the customer’s needs and done at the Seagrave factory by dedicated and skilled technicians.  Seagrave can either completely rebuild the apparatus or just a portion of it, depending on existing vehicle condition and the future requirements of the Fire Department. Financing programs are available as well as prepayment discounts with performance bonds, to serve all size departments and budgets. For more information, contact your local dealer or Seagrave’s Refurbishment/Warranty Parts Coordinator, Pat Schutt, at 715-823-2141, Ext. 1313.

Seagrave is the manufacturer of the Aerialscope and Aerialscope II products and genuine replacement parts. Seagrave has built a reputation for safety, durability, longevity and dependable performance in the most demanding Fire Departments across the nation since 1881.

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