The 900 Series was a custom chassis made by American LaFrance, introduced in 1958.
History & Production[]
The 900 Series was a cab forward design like the earlier 700 and 800 Series, but it was an all new design. One of the major selling points was a larger 76" wide cab, as the 700/800 series had used a 68" wide cab. The 900 Series also had a rounded front, compared to the angular styling of the 700 and 800. It was used to build all types of apparatus from pumpers, aerial trucks, and rescues to specialty vehicles like airport crash rescue vehicles (that version was called the Airport Chief, being a 4x4 or 6x6 variant with pump & roll capabilities and a roof turret). The 900 Series would remain in production for 15 years, the first deliveries occurring in 1959, and the last in 1974. It was initially offered with gasoline engines made by American LaFrance and Continental. Later, Waukesha gasoline engines became an option.
In 1960, a Boeing gas turbine engine was offered (called the Turbo Chief) but this experiment was not a success, with only 3 including the demonstrator, being sold. In 1965 diesel engines from Detroit Diesel became an option. 900 Series pumpers were available with a variety of pumps from 500 to 2000gpm. In 1970, the 900 was joined by the similar 1000 Series. The Century Series was introduced to replace the 900 and 1000 series in 1973, but production of the 900 would continue for another year.
