My company just started selling Sutphen Fire Trucks. I am in charge of doing install work, and figure I will be doing alot of work with these trucks. Any tips, tricks, ideas, or any info at all that I should look out for???
- Thanks,
Nick
Sutphen Installs? Anyone?
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KuhnElectronics
- NOT ALLOWED TO BUY/SELL/TRADE
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 11:27 am
- What radios do you own?: Moto, Vertex
if your doing radios, i find it best if the department tells you where they want it, then its not your fault. i have seen it in my department where we have had radio people relocate radios at there exspense due to a bad decision so let them decide. also its best to put radios they dont always use away from the firefighting, i found that our old mobiles that are on low-band, the dam mic cords are always tangled on the scba. if you doing lighting installs, wire the rear lights to a separate switch, so if a department is at a MVA on a highway, they can use the rear warning instead of all lights, and if you reccommend lightbars etc, go w/all federal signal, but if you have a heavy duty sutphen pumper, they look good w/the mx7000 from code 3, thats what i would do.
Nick,
Our entire fleet is Sutphen. Since the trucks are almost all custom jobs your cab configurations will vary.
Power is available in the officer side kick panel. There is a 200 amp relay behind the electrical panel in the kick panel that feeds the trucks electrical system. Very easy to work with.
I have Sutphen run power to the space just aft of the officer's seat and this is where I mount my drawer units. We do not place a seat behind the officer's seat and this provides us with an ideal location for a poly "truck library" that we fabricate and protected space for commo equipment .
The warning lamp control panel on the engine cowling has a track system that will support contol heads or a lightweight two way.
Get yourself some spare screws with a snap head on them for headliners. You will need them.
The styrofoam they place in the cab roof between supports is a pain to get off cleanly to mount antennas - be patient.
I don't like to mount antennas on the very top of the command cab - the trucks are tall to begin with and the antennas will get sheared off.
We use strictly David Clark intercoms and I attatch aluminum plates to the cab frame under the headliner where I mount the engineer PTT and the master station this ensures that the components are securely affixed and it looks good. I mount the officer PTT to the cowling just left of the warning lamp control panel.
I just about always use a greenlee punch to mount antennas and the punch will cut through the aluminum easily - make sure you use thick materials NMO mounts.
For MCT mounting we remove the glove compartment and install a custom fabricated aluminum cover that provides a sturdy base for an L&E docking station. The GPS will attach directly to the bottom of the plate and will remain out of the way. The wiring for MCT / GPS runs right down into the kick panel from there and the antenna cable can come right down the A post to the GPS and MCT.
I hope this helps.
Bret
Our entire fleet is Sutphen. Since the trucks are almost all custom jobs your cab configurations will vary.
Power is available in the officer side kick panel. There is a 200 amp relay behind the electrical panel in the kick panel that feeds the trucks electrical system. Very easy to work with.
I have Sutphen run power to the space just aft of the officer's seat and this is where I mount my drawer units. We do not place a seat behind the officer's seat and this provides us with an ideal location for a poly "truck library" that we fabricate and protected space for commo equipment .
The warning lamp control panel on the engine cowling has a track system that will support contol heads or a lightweight two way.
Get yourself some spare screws with a snap head on them for headliners. You will need them.
The styrofoam they place in the cab roof between supports is a pain to get off cleanly to mount antennas - be patient.
I don't like to mount antennas on the very top of the command cab - the trucks are tall to begin with and the antennas will get sheared off.
We use strictly David Clark intercoms and I attatch aluminum plates to the cab frame under the headliner where I mount the engineer PTT and the master station this ensures that the components are securely affixed and it looks good. I mount the officer PTT to the cowling just left of the warning lamp control panel.
I just about always use a greenlee punch to mount antennas and the punch will cut through the aluminum easily - make sure you use thick materials NMO mounts.
For MCT mounting we remove the glove compartment and install a custom fabricated aluminum cover that provides a sturdy base for an L&E docking station. The GPS will attach directly to the bottom of the plate and will remain out of the way. The wiring for MCT / GPS runs right down into the kick panel from there and the antenna cable can come right down the A post to the GPS and MCT.
I hope this helps.
Bret
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Mikey
- Posts: 410
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2001 4:00 pm
- What radios do you own?: CDM1550 LS+, HT1250, MCS2000
I just did an Install for a Department that bought a new Sutphen and a new Pierce engine, the Sutphen was a piece of Cake, like they said there is a Track system that you can mount control heads to. Plenty of space under the officers seat. The Pierce on the other hand is a piece of SH**. All there power controls and relays are under a Fiberglass Dash cover that never fits tight, relays are loose under it, It wouldn't surprise me if the Unit started bellowing out smoke from under the dash the way Pierce has there Power Distribution setup.