KME Apparatus Repair After the Production Wind Down
Written by Fleet Account Manager, Fleet and Commercial Account Manager, OCRV Center. Reviewed by Claims Coordinator
In shortKME production wound down after 2020, so cab and body panels are slower to source. Departments get better outcomes from repairing panels than waiting on replacements.
Can KME apparatus still be repaired properly?
Yes, and the emphasis shifts to repair rather than replacement. With KME production wound down, our Yorba Linda shop repairs cab and body panels in aluminum or stainless for departments serving Rancho Santa Margarita instead of waiting on parts that may not come.
- Predator and Panther cabs are the common configurations
- Bodies were built in aluminum and in stainless depending on order
- Panel repair is usually faster than sourcing replacements
- Aerial devices still require certified specialist inspection
- Status
- Production wound down after 2020
- Body materials
- Aluminum or stainless steel by specification
- Body rate
- $210 per hourWelding, panel repair and refinishing
- Parts reality
- Repair favored over replacement
- Estimate
- $150Credited in full against an authorized repair
Last verified
There are a lot of KME rigs still in service, and there is no longer a factory building them. That combination puts departments in a familiar position: a fifteen year service life ahead of a vehicle whose replacement panels are increasingly difficult to obtain.
The practical answer is repair, and it works because of what these bodies are made of. KME built in aluminum and in stainless steel depending on the order, and both are materials we can work, weld and finish without a part number.
Identify the material before touching the panel
KME bodies and cabs were specified in aluminum on some orders and stainless steel on others, and the repair procedure for the two is entirely different. Filler selection, heat control, tooling and even the grinding discs are not interchangeable, and cross contaminating stainless with carbon steel or aluminum debris causes corrosion later.
So the first step is identification, not estimation. We confirm the material at the damaged area, keep tooling separated by material, and select filler accordingly. Shops that assume aluminum on an apparatus body get caught by this regularly.
Repairing panels when replacements are slow
With production wound down, a cab panel that would once have been ordered may now take months or be unavailable. That changes the economics in favor of metal work: forming, welding and finishing a damaged section returns the vehicle to service on a schedule a department can plan around.
We quote repair and replacement side by side where a replacement exists, with honest lead times attached to each. Where nothing is available we say so plainly and price the repair. What we will not do is put a rig in a bay while a part that is not coming stays on order.
Dissimilar metals and corrosion on older rigs
Apparatus carry a mix of materials: stainless panels, aluminum brackets, steel fasteners, brass fittings. Every interface between two of them is a corrosion site once salt air and washing chemicals get involved, and coastal Southern California service is harder on this than an inland department.
During any repair we inspect those interfaces, replace corroded hardware with appropriate fasteners, and isolate metals where the original build did not. On a rig that has to last another decade, that inspection is worth more than the cosmetic part of the job.
Reproducing reflective marking and lettering
Department lettering, unit numbers and reflective striping are specific to the agency and frequently were applied to a layout that only exists on the rig itself. When a panel is repaired or replaced, that layout has to be reproduced accurately, including the rear chevron pattern.
We document and measure the marking before disassembly, then reproduce it with correct reflective material. For departments that have changed their graphics standard since the rig was delivered, this is also the natural moment to bring one vehicle into line with the rest of the fleet.
Rates, planning and our standing
Body, welding and refinish work bills at $210 per hour. Electrical and mechanism work is $260. Sourcing and diagnostic time on hard to find components is $285 per hour with a one hour minimum, credited against an authorized repair. A written estimate is $150 on the same terms.
OCRV Center is an independent shop with no dealer agreement or affiliation with KME or REV Group. All work is performed in shop at Yorba Linda. Aerial devices and their supporting structure go to certified aerial specialists, and we sequence our work around that inspection.
KME Fire Apparatus lines we work on
- Predator custom cab configurations
- Panther cab and chassis apparatus
- Severe service pumper and rescue bodies
- Aerial ladder and tower configurations
- Commercial chassis pumpers for smaller departments
Parts. KME's Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania operation wound down after its assets were acquired in 2020, which changed the parts picture for departments running these rigs. Body and cab specific sheet metal is harder to obtain than for a current production brand, and lead times are longer. That pushes the balance toward repairing panels rather than replacing them, which is workable because KME bodies were built in aluminum and in stainless steel depending on specification.
What we see on this brand
- Cab sheet metal damage with limited replacement availability
- Compartment door hardware wear with thin parts supply
- Weld cracking at high stress body joints
- Corrosion at dissimilar metal fastener interfaces
- Reflective marking damage requiring layout reproduction
Appendix: questions and answers
- Why does it matter whether my KME body is aluminum or stainless?
- Because filler, heat control, tooling and grinding media are not interchangeable, and cross contaminating stainless with carbon steel or aluminum debris causes corrosion later. We confirm the material at the damaged area first and keep tooling separated by material throughout the repair.
- Are KME cab panels still available?
- Some, slowly, and some not at all since production wound down after 2020. We quote repair and replacement side by side with honest lead times attached. Where a panel is not obtainable we say so and price the metal work rather than leaving a rig waiting on an order that will not fill.
- Is corrosion worse on apparatus in coastal service?
- Yes, notably at interfaces between dissimilar metals: stainless panels, aluminum brackets, steel fasteners. Salt air and wash chemicals accelerate it. During any repair we inspect those interfaces, replace corroded hardware and isolate metals where the original build did not.
- How do you reproduce our department lettering?
- By documenting and measuring the existing layout before anything comes apart, then reproducing it with correct reflective material. If your department has updated its graphics standard since the rig was delivered, this is the practical moment to bring the vehicle into line with the rest of the fleet.
- Do you charge for time spent hunting discontinued parts?
- Yes, at $285 per hour with a one hour minimum, credited against an authorized repair. Sourcing for a wound down brand is real investigative work rather than a phone call, and burying it in a body line would misrepresent what the job actually involves.
- Can a KME compartment door be fabricated if no part exists?
- Often yes, and after the production wind down it is regularly the only route left. We measure the original opening, the hinge and latch geometry and the drip profile, then form a replacement in matching alloy or stainless. A fabricated door is dimensioned from your rig rather than from a catalog, so it fits the opening it was made for, and the labor bills at the posted body rate.
Open a file on this repair
Tell us the vehicle, what happened and whether a claim is open. We will tell you what the scope looks like and what it takes to get you back on the road.
Or call (949) 799-3387