Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company

Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company
	1937 Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine at the Automotive Museum
Type	Fire Apparatus Manufacturer
Founded	1910
Headquarters	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company was an Ohio-based fire truck manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by John P Ahrens and Charles H Fox and built its first motorized fire engine in 1911. By the end of the following year production of horse-drawn fire apparatus ceased completely. Since then, over 1500 pieces of fire apparatus were built until 1977. Ahrens-Fox fire engines were recognizable by the chromed sphere above the pump that held air and smoothed the outgoing pressure fluctuations from the piston pump.

1927 Ahrens-Fox fire engine

1939 Ahrens-Fox engine

During the year 1913 only, Ahrens-Fox built a 44 hp (following then-actual rating practice) automobile. Like at rival American LaFrance, the idea was to sell these cars to bigger fire brigades as a car of duty for their chiefs. Also like at ALF, it was not successful for Ahrens-Fox either, although for Ahrens-Fox the results were more consequential; there was only one model, a huge six-cylinder called the E-C Battalion Roadster. It was guaranteed to go faster than 50 mph, and featured a four speed gearbox. A small pickup bed was added for some items that were thought to be useful for the head of a fire brigade, and was included in the base price. Only six of these roadster-pickups were built during 1913; it seems all stayed in Cincinnati. Ahrens-Fox abandoned the idea and never returned to it.

Today, Ahrens-Fox and all of its assets, parts, and paper is owned by W. Kenneth Menke III, president of the Fire Products Company (Powerarc), Webster Groves, Missouri. The Ahrens-Fox name is licensed to HME, Incorporated, which also manufactured Hendrickson Trucks.

The old Ahrens-Fox factory at 214 East 14th Street in Over-the-Rhine has been converted into luxury condominiums.[1]

Notes

Vaccariello, Linda (Nov 2006). "The New Downtown". Cincinnati Magazine. p. 122. Retrieved 2013-05-16.

References

Clark, Henry Austin, Jr. (1985). Kimes, Beverly Rae (ed.). Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 1805-1942 (2nd ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 19. ISBN 0-87341-111-0.

External links

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[1] Vaccariello, Linda (Nov 2006). "The New Downtown". Cincinnati Magazine. p. 122. Retrieved 2013-05-16.