![american lafrance elmira ny american lafrance elmira ny](https://trucksplanet.com/photo/american_lafrance/type_12_45_48_75/type_12_45_48_75_14622.jpg)
The company has recently undergone a major rebirth and is once again producing custom fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Some of the company's innovations led to changes in the industry, most notably the cab forward style cab. The classical style of the American LaFrance apparatus is easily recognized. Over the years, American LaFrance built thousands of fire trucks including chemical engines, combination pumpers, aerial ladder trucks, Aero Chief snorkel trucks, and airport crash trucks. ALF delivered its first motorized fire engine in 1907. It also operated aCanadian plant in Toronto, Ontario, where it sold apparatus under the name Lafrance-Foamite, until 1971. Its corporate offices and manufacturing plant were in Elmira, New York. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was formed in 1903. The International Fire Engine Company name was changed to American-LaFrance Fire Engine Company as all production moved to the LaFrance plant in Elmira, NY, in 1904, but just as with AFEC ten years earlier, post-merger profits were not as great as had been anticipated, in part thanks to a new kid on the block. Apparatus built by International included horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, and hook & ladders to chemical engines, water towers and combinations. The International Fire Engine Company, corporate predecessor of American LaFrance, built some steam power fire engines between 1903-1907. American LaFrance was a leader in the manufacturer of. Founded in 1873 by Truckson LaFrance and his partners as the LaFrance Manufacturing Company selling hand powered equipment. This engine is also one of the last to be manufactured in the American LaFrance factory in Elmira NY.
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I would meet him on the corner of Lake and Water Street where the old New York State Electric and Gas Company was located. With roots that go back to approximately 1832, the companies that went on to become American LaFrance built hand-drawn, horse-drawn, and steam-powered fire engines. I remember riding the bus from 14th Street in the Heights and meeting my Dad when he got out of work at American LaFrance on Elmiras Southside.
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Though the refuse collector was short-lived, American LaFrance remained as a specialist vehicle builder, primarily fire apparatus but also some cabs and chassis for refuse service. This body is very similar to units sold by Von Keller and Keystone, though any relationship between the makes has not been established. Unloading was by hydraulic tilt of the drum carriage and reversing the rotation.
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Like the KUKA, the American LaFrance body featured internal vanes to automatically trim the load as the drum revolved at idle speed, turning at about 6-12 R.P.M. To drive and maintain this vehicle, Captain L.F. Thus, the thirteen degree forward pitch of the drum would be needed to avoid 'fallback' of refuse into the loading opening, which was about 60 inches above street level. In 1913, the first motorized pumping engine was purchased from the American. These early American versions are open-ended drums and lack the rear cone bulkhead used on the German KUKA refuse collectors. The example shown here appears to share many features with the Von Keller. The famous maker of fire apparatus added this American LaFrance refuse collector to the product line about 1933.