Ahrens Fox Fire Trucks

Ahrens-Fox fire engines were manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1852 to 1977. From 1869-1903, & outsold all but two other brands of steam fire engines in the
U.S.: Silsby & Amoskeag. From 1915 to 1939, Ahrens-Fox was the third largest selling motor fire apparatus make in the U.S., after American-LaFrance & Seagrave, with the fire engine division of Mack Trucks finishing a very close fourth. The pictures above are from various places & show the true nature of the truck. I believe they were one of the better looking trucks due in large part to their unique look. The company manufactured fire trucks until they ceased production in March 1940, & under the name, Ahrens-Fox Corporation, started making lathes for boring holes in battleship guns during WW II. When they reopend the doors to make fire trucks the advertising skill wasn't there to sell the trucks.

In 1923, Ahrens-Fox perfected the air-hoist aerial ladder, which provided quicker & smoother operation of a ladder apparatus than the spring styles. They also unveiled the double-banked ladder rank, which allowed ladders to be stacked side-by-side, lowering a ladder truck's center of gravity, & reducing the risk of overturning while turning around tight street corners. Another innovation that is now taken for granted in the fire service around the world was the booster tank (1913), which was faster to deliver water than soda-and-acid chemicaltanks, & eliminated the need for firefighters to handle dangerous sulphuric acid bottles. The booster tank made triple-combination pumpers (pump, hose, and booster tank) practical, & the first such triple was a 1916 model for Carlisle, PA. Adding their double-banked ladder racks to the triple made the world's first Qaudruple Combination or 'quad' fire engine possible, which they made in 1927 & sold to Walpole,MA, in 1928. Both the first triple & quad survive today owned by private antique fire truck collectors.