Red Horse

Thx-nothing specific-just a "civilian" with an interest in fire trucks. Rest assured the next time my town goes to bid, I will probably be asking questions. And it seems this question of "commercial vs custom" seems to pop up from time to time. But always learning something. Like I was led to believe biggest reason for a custom cab was need for everyone to be in a seat that had the scba in it. But as GA-Dave posts-not really the case. And by the way, $1.072 mil for a "quint" -is that some sort of aerial?

I'm not sure Kevin what prompted your comment but I think the key difference is what they offer on "opinion" pages are just that-and IMO they offer a platform for both sides of an issue. As for the article on the Navy, while it was on the "opinion" page it was in fact written by an "editorial page writer" and was identifed as such. And I have to say, when those ship collisions occurred my first thought was .".WTF- we are talking about basic seamanship-rules of the road-what is going on?". The current issue- I have no clue about what is good Navy procedure-I think there are some posters who do- but having spent my life in a haz mat industry I have some knowledge of what should be done when systems are taken out of service for maintenance/modification/new construction. And I'm that old that I started long before "big brother" was taking care of us with OSHA and all the other agencies that spawned procedures such as...lock out/tag out, confined space entry etc. In my early days we had a ton of in house procedures that were constantly reviewed and updated- plus the rookies if they had any brains would stay close to the veterans to benefit from the stories of their mistakes. Like I said.."shit happens". Perhaps the investigation will reveal that there were truly unforseen circumstances that led to this disaster. My bet though is this is just plain inattention-what can go wrong will go wrong. As for the WSJ I think if you want to read a newspaper, it is as independent as can be. Example, rarely do you ever read an editorial piece where they provide some sort of positive position on Trumps actions, without recognizing the negative side of his position. As for news, while I don't hesitate to quote the WSJ on a story, I have often said, when you have specific knowledge about an industry or subject, and some WSJ writer covers that industry/subject, I have frequently found myself saying.."that is BS-the guy didn't dig deep enough". Now if you want to see bias, pick up a copy of the Boston Globe. And the NYT? Forget it!

Coincidence. On "Opinion" page of today's WSJ.."The Navy's Cultural Ship is Listing" Then Bonhomme Richard incident was the basis for the article but the writer then brings up the collisions at sea as well as the incident involving the Roosevelt and Captain Crozier's decision to go public with his plight. A key paragraph...."High profile mishaps and unwanted publicity point to an overarching problem: for several years the Navy has been forced to do too much with too little, a debate that deserves wider attention. The Navy also seems to be suffering from a cultural dysfunction in the chain of command. To repair it, the Navy will need to reinvent its process for refining leaders and even the the services broader mission." It went on to say..."Also implicated was the Navy's "can do" culture-the propensity of naval officers to try to get the job done no matter the cost." And in so many words a failure to say "no" to a mission regardless of the consequences.

Makes me wonder what Adm. Gilday's rank was in 2012 and did he see that report? My guess is he was a Commander or maybe a Captain back then? Add this to some of the recent accidents involving ships that were underway and makes me think if perhaps the Navy has lost "focus" to use a worn out term. I know the bumper sticker.."shit happens" is true but.......????

Thx QF. I took a quick look at Marion's summary and while you might think they would be biased as they are a custom builder, looks like IMO they were fairly objective. To a "civilian" like me, biggest case for a custom is to have at least 5 guys who are ready to jump out with their SCBA on when they reach the scene. Best you are going to do with a commercial crew cab is 3? That says to me if its a staffed paid department, that is key. Rural or non paid- different story I would imagine. My 5000 population town? two paid guys M-F daylight. rest of the time truck rolls I think once two guys are at station. I have to say, I'm surprised premium for a custom is only $30,000 vs a commercial. Then again when I see some of the "recent deliveries" that some manufacturers post and the commercial is a Pete or a KW vs the old days when it might be a Ford or a GMC that figure is not so surprising. I'm sure many guys on this thread have varied opinions.

Well I would say there is no doubt that many deaths attributed to covid 19 would have happened if the infected had come down with the flue or a bad cold never mind covid. But to put covid in perspective, someone sent me the following description of what it means to go on a ventilator. I had no clue it was this bad so I sent it to my sister-in-law who is a retired nurse practioner (nurse with typically a masters degree) for her comment. Her response..."that is why I'm listed as "DNR"!"

So guys, what spec(s) does the NFPA have that makes the use of a commercial chassis difficult?

Talk about Icons.. Ever notice how many ads you see that feature Early Broncos? My son actually had his used in a recent ad shoot. They shot a total of 4 days. His is the Brown/tan one in the picture of mine that I recently posted.

Complete dumbass move. But classic Ford-develop a nice package, then ignore it. I see more Fusions around my neck of the woods I'm surprised the annual sales figure wasn't higher-actually I think it was closer to 200 vs. 100. And its sister the MKZ? I have a 3.0T AWD. It averages close to 25 mpg. On a road trip, with a heavy foot it will do 28 MPG. Not bad for 400HP. And again, a great car IMO that was never advertised

Stock up 3.14% as of 11AM. It better be up given the amount of money they have in this thing. In an age of condensed specs geared to packages the option list looks huge.

Uh Maddog-ignore my dig on Visors-not intended to include Lunds😎

Nice-have fun with it. rears 38's??? And the visor? ugh-but I'm an old guy😎

I'm afraid it's like the tide! Or like Don Corleone said quoting a bird......." I just want a little taste, just enough to get my beak wet"

And from both of my "Operation and Maintenance Manual(s)" No Print date- I think they are both "bootlegged copies Mack Trans Lube 5 (1).pdf

You think so? You familiar with Fairfield County Connecticut? On Long Island Sound, last county on Conn coast before NYC. It is where the rich and famous live-. Well the area took a big hit when GE closed their corporate HQ there. Guess what, all of a sudden, wealthy New Yorkers who had very expensive NYC condos, town houses etc are bailing out and headed to Conn. Guess why?

YOU NAILED IT HERE IMO. BLM is funded by who? The left claims when it comes to climate, Trump ignores facts. When it comes to BLM, the left ignores facts-or should I say statistics. Blacks comprise what13-15% of US population? Yet Blacks are involved in 40% of murders. 50+ % of robberies. Think it might be statistically accurate to say when a much smaller percentage of population is involved with let's say half of serious crime, isn't it logical they are more likely to be involved with Police? In the same week that Floyd died-and no need to beat that dead horse-cop involved was a POS- I think 10 blacks died in Chicago and I think about 40 were wounded. No police innvolved- but we don't hear about that. When we start hearing.."Black Fathers Matter", or "Black Families Matter" maybe we will see some real progress. Google Bob Woodson. This guy nails the problem-and it has nothing to do with us old white guys. I look at attention my grandkids get and then I think of black kids that are growing up with no family or father figure present. Not surprising where so many end up.

Agree- so Gumby stick around- everyone is a contributor and you don't always have to agree.

Now you did it! And I thought they made good stuff😎

Well guys without taking "sides" this old guy likes both sides of an issue. Now at the risk of getting flammed, when I watch Hannity, Every now and then I say..."cut the bullshit" . Trump will say some completely dumbass thing and Hannity lets it slide. and lets face it guys..He does say stupid shit. Not senile stuff like sleepy Joe, but stuff that is let's say .."far from accurate"? Remember when Covid was going strong in NYC? Trump is making speeches that they are bringing in "Freezer trucks to store the bodies.!. Uh Donald, they are "reefers"- and you don't Freeze bodies! Then just recently.."I've saved millions of lives".....he was talking about all his good work in handling Covid. Be honest-your first thought .."millions?" The way I look at it, the people that want him to win, have an obligation to try to get his handlers to get him in control. The election is his to lose. I said to some liberal Left coast relative of mine the other day about all of his "lies" that supposedly get tracked by the left, don't confuse outright lies with exaggeration or mis statements. Example. He was talking about what a great company Boeing was. "They were flying covid supplies in the biggest plane in the world..carries 63,000 lbs." (Or maybe 61? i forgot) Uh Don, I think a 50 year old C-130 does what? 45,000? C-5? Over 200,000! Is that a lie? No its a misstatement. Ah but I'm getting sidetracked- my initial point was two sides to a story make for maybe a better conclusion And cut me some slack-I've been married 50 years and if I get divorced now it will be over my support for trump. But as I tell my wife.."did I work with assholes in my 44 years? Yes. Did I have subordinates that were jerks? Yes But always I would say were the results usually good? Was the objective met? If yes case closed. That is how I can support Trump. Arrogant guy who says a lot of stupid stuff, but look at the alternative.

Just waiting for them to land in US. Better yet, for the sake of my stock I'd settle for that 9L Duratorque landing in Ohio Assembly Plant

How true that is. Amazing how clueless they are as to the history of their party

Correct-brain dead. when was the last time you saw an ad for a Lincoln Continental or an MKZ? I have a 3.0T MKZ. 400HP, AWD and it gets typically 24 +mpg average driving. I reset it yesterday for a short road trip and it hit 30 MPG. But have you ever seen an ad for one? Truly if ever there was a "Hot Rod Lincoln" from the days of old this is it. But no one knows about it.

Ok Kevin, Now how about a picture of an R-700 or LT-9000 in Big R colors for old times sake😎

No- WAS a disaster with the launch-or are you hearing of new problems. Friend is a small dept LEO. Love the first one they have and ordered a second this week

Such a disappointment??? according to who?