Working the Quint

I am working today on one of our new Quints. It is really a fire engine that tries to "do it all." This one has a 75' ladder, a 2500 gallon per minute pump, and is very large. In an attempt to make it small enough to go to many medical calls in trailer parks, it has a fairly short wheelbase. This translates into a long rear overhang.

Today I learned a lot about automotive design, particulary that part about weight and balance. Since we had to go for some repairs and few miles away, we hit the freeway with the Quint. As soon as we were up to speed, it became very apparent that the vehicle has a very annoying tendancy to wander and sway at highway speeds. So, if you think about all that weight as well as the physics of a long "arm" holding that weight far behind the rear wheels, it makes sense that when you turn one way, that weight moves in the other direction. Again, with physics 101 we know that "an object in motion tends to remain in motion". Apply that to the design we have and even I with no formal education in physic or design can see WHY WE SWAY. It is so nice to see what great engineering you can find with only $650,00o tax payer's dollars.

At least it isn't like one truck we bought that was so big and heavy that it would not fit in the fire station and it was banned from crossing one of the main bridges in town.