Custom Fire Service Aerial Ladder Platform

[Little Jo]

Wow, quite impressive.  Again a masterpiece, Tim. 

How long is the ladder fully extended?

(I'm also interested in the question, all the others already asked, because I made similiar "experiments" with 3761 crane which also can be extended to a distinct height, and I also made the experience, that with certain angles, even nothing is hanging on the hook, the complete vehicle skips. But actually I do not have these nice and useful stabilizer plates  )

I really enjoy your general explanations about the usage of specific features/methods/vehicles/tools in the fire fighting area (especially, because I'm currently looking to extend my collection a little bit by some fire fighter stuff/vehicles,  so now I know which is used for what )

I also like the handle at the stabilizer plates. Where are they taken from? (These might become handy for other purposes too.)

[playmofire]

The fire fighter in question is certainly very brave having to operate at such heights, especially when sometimes he can be right over burning buildings .

When I was with the fire brigade, there were not a lot of occasions when I had to go up an aerial appliance, but if it was a straightforward turntable ladder I didn't really mind.  You had on a safety belt which clipped to the top rung of the ladder and the only thing you had to remember was to keep your toes from jutting out too far over the ladder rung.  (If you let them stick out too far, you ran the risk of them catching on the rungs of the lower part of the ladder as the section you were on was extended upwards.)  It was a bit offputting if it was windy and the ladder swayed about but the actual extending and retracting of the ladder and its movement when swinging round were quite smooth.

The situation where you had a platform to stand on as in Tim's custom or in the case of a snorkel was, stangely enough, different.   Everyone thought with having a platform to stand on and a guard rail round it wouldn't be scarey at all, but it was.  The platform or cage automatically maintained itself horizontal, but it didn't do this in a smooth fashion.  It was programmed to correct itself once it was a given number of degrees away from the horizontal (5 dgerees I think, but it may have been 10), and it corrected itself in a single jerk!  Very offputting! 

Here's a view of what Tim's klicky will see.

[Tim_w]

Hello  Little Jo

Thank you very much indeed for the kind feedback. I am glad that you find my explenations helpfull. It is quite hard sometimes to explain certain things without getting to complicated. I really can't wait to see some of your future fire service vehicles.
I am really interested in the experiments you did involving the 3761 Crane. Do you have any pictures that you can post on the forum for us ? If you go over to http://www.playmodb.org/ you should be able to find a picture of the handles i used by typing in part number 30 21 0040.

Kindest Regards  Tim

[Tim_w]

Hello  Gordon

  Thank you very much indeed for the kind and informative addition to my post  . The picture is amazing and is a very valuable indeed in demonstrating not only the view a fire fighter gets looking over a fire from such a vehicle but the atmosphere of all those flames below.

I found your post very interesting indeed but this was particularly fascinating

the only thing you had to remember was to keep your toes from jutting out too far over the ladder rung.  (If you let them stick out too far, you ran the risk of them catching on the rungs of the lower part of the ladder as the section you were on was extended upwards.)

That must have been quite a scary thought even though you were attatched by a safety belt .

Kindest Regards  Tim

[playmofire]

That must have been quite a scary thought even though you were attatched by a safety belt .

Well, I think you had to have particularly big feet, and it was the sort of thing you only did once!

[Little Jo]

Well, I think you had to have particularly big feet, and it was the sort of thing you only did once!

... yes, I assumed, because than the feet have became shorter ... 

[playmofire]

... yes, I assumed, because the than the feet have became shorter ... 

Nice one, Jo!   

[Little Jo]

I am really interested in the experiments you did involving the 3761 Crane. Do you have any pictures that you can post on the forum for us ? If you go over to http://www.playmodb.org/ you should be able to find a picture of the handles i used by typing in part number 30 21 0040.

Thank you for the hint. Actually the 3178 Fire Support Vehicle -- where this handle is also included -- is on my wish list and probably will be one of my next purchased sets 

(Hm, when I look at the part at playmodb in full size and colored black, I'm not sure, if I hadn't seen this in some other set too ... the lower part seems somehow familiar ... but maybe I just mix this up with a quite similiar part from the pirate ship.)

[playmofire]

It also appears in 3070, the rescue SUV.

[FireChief]

Hey Tim,

Thats really cool. I like the control panel for the ladder too. Very detailed. I think I've seen this custom before. I said I was going to get you a picture of a truck like this near me and I never did.    I ll get right on that.
very nice Tim.

Ben