Production[]
San Francisco Fire Department mechanic Daniel Hayes had designed the aerial in 1868, extension ladder that was raised by a spring-assist mechanism from the top of the truck, which was mounted on a wheeled chassis. LaFrance purchased the patent and in 1881 began offering its Hayes aerial, which was mounted on a turntable; hand cranks, gears, and pulleys enabled firemen to raise, extend and rotate the aerial, which was hailed as the safest ladder then in existence. This was one of the earliest inventions that paved the pathway for modern aerials and quints.
Gallery[]
