Fire Engines Photos

1931 was the year the Metz steel ladder was introduced, so this wooden one could actually have been a new one, as some that were already on order were still being produced after the steel versions started to be manufactured. In addition:

Although I have not seen any conclusive documentation, it is rumored that Magirus won the race by introducing their steel ladder earlier in the year 1931, so there was a short period when Magirus had their steel ladders before Metz started production. During these months, Metz was indeed selling brand new wooden ladders in 1931.

Ed; my gut feeling is that this is Magirus wooden

Added by Rob Johnson on 21 June 2024.

The twin chain driven extension wheels were a feature of mechanical Metz ladders until they introduced their hydraulic versions. Leyland was the UK importer for Metz in the 1930s and the combination of a Metz ladder and Leyland chassis was vert commonplace. The contemporary Magirus mechanical ladder had a snickers screw for elevation, and the UK importer was John Morris. This firm used mainly Dennis chassis, badged Morris Magirus.

Added by Rob Johnson on 23 June 2024.

picture 23658 on this site has a rear view of a 1932 Magirus ladder, nicely illustrating the difference between their single screw elevating design compared to the quite different Metz twin chain solution.

Added by Rob Johnson on 23 June 2024.

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