1958 F.W.D.

There's a couple of Superdog firetrucks out there.............

It may or may not help. Part of the problem here in Pennsylvania (as I am sure it is everywhere else....) is the lack of knowledge, even and across-the-board enforcement and also lack of knowledge among PENNDOT offices. I have many friends and contacts who are Police Officers through my being a firefighter. I have the opportunity to speak with these guys professionally and personally at many events, and every time the subject comes up, I try a little experiment. I ask them what the laws are. And almost never do I get the same answer, never mind the correct one!!!! The biggest offenders of all are Pennsy State Police Officers!!! The ones who SHOULD know!!!!!!

Weren't they "Fire Spires?" I thought those were Hahn's ladder???

When it's time to leave please stay clear of the left-hand lane.

Leslie: I'm kinda confused here....(ok wait kinda bullshit I AM confused....) We're talking the Superdog, right? That's a full blown grown up class A tractor, which should have a GVWR of 80,000....Yes? No?? Are you sure it is only registered as 21,600? Or does it WEIGHT 21,600? He is absolutely, positively correct. I have reviewed the law inside and out, forwards and backwards and even have a letter from the Commissioner of PENNDOT to confirm it. You do NOT need to have a CDL for any privately owned antique vehicle, not operating in commerce and weighing less than 26,001 lbs. You do however have to have the appropriate-class NON CDL for anything in excess of 26,001.

I will most likely be there- Still debating whether I want to get a hotel room Friday night or just suck it up and get up early Sat AM and drive out- I'll have the three kids, so either way it's a pain in the ass/pick your poison kind of thing. (Oh and it will be in the pickup- that's a bit too far for the FWD.)

..........waiting.............

The closest I have ever come to doing that Wildland firefighting shit was range fires at Aberdeen Proving Ground- which was usually from the comfort of the cab of the air-conditioned brush truck and telling the helicopter on the radio where to go with the bambi-bucket (for air-dropping water.....) because you could not leave the road due to UXO's (unexploded ordinance.) I've been a structural firefighter my entire adult life and I will stick to structural firefighting, you can keep that wild land shit- NEVERTHELESS they are still firefighters, still my brothers, and I am absolutely heartbroken. I was literally sick to my stomach last night when I heard the news.

Yes, yes I am sure that's what it is....... THUNDER PUMPKIN FOREVER!!!!!

Slpwlkr forgot to tell you the 2-stroke surcharge he has.........

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has just declared Memorial Park in Macungie an EPA SUPERFUND SITE,

Mike if you go lemme know maybe I'll take a ride with ya.......

CONTACT: Lori Rausch Fire Apparatus Services, LLC P.O. Box 512, Auburn, PA 17922 Office/Parts: 570-366-1801

That CF ladder truck was marketed by Mack as the "Bulldog 1" in conjunction with Hahn Fire Apparatus (Hamburg Pa.) who made and mounted the aerial ladder. They were not extremely popular but did sell a few here and there. That particular one was recently donated to the Museum by a local VFD- who rather than sell it for it's fair market value (essentially the scrap price) donated it instead and did some kind of tax write-off. It was a win-win for everyone. I just can't remember which department had it originally.

When I was a career firefighter I worked at a jurisdiction that had part of AMTRAK's high-speed northeast corridor running through it- the part between Baltimore and Wilmington De and Philly.....Where the speeds get as high as 100+mph......If you are walking along those tracks with your back to the train and have headphones on (as much of America's youth seem to these days) you'll never know about it until you are a red smear all over the front of the locomotive.

Message sent to Lori Rausch. If you dont know her, she is quite well known among Hahn enthusiasts. She worked for the Hahn factory in Hamburg, Pa. and when they folded she worked for East Penn Fire Apparatus for quite a few years. Not 100% sure who she's with now, I think she and a few others may have started their own company refurbishing old apparatus. She has forgotten more about Hahn's than any of us could ever hope to know. I recently connected with her on Facebook and she helped me with a couple of oddball pieces including NOS knobs.

if you get cut off on a railroad you got a helluva lot more to worry about than the other ahole driver......LOL!!!!

There is a vintage truck tire source in Double Clutch and Wheels of Time but I'll be damned if I can remember who/where.....I just gave any copies of WOT I had laying around to Vlad. Look in there or DC....or pick up a copy of Hemmings Motor News and check the rubber guys in there.

Going back into my memory banks to when I was a junior wrench turner- the fan clutches will fail in the locked position. You will want to get that fixed because turning that thing is robbing horsepower which leads to more fuel consumption.

Oh thats right I forgot, Ken got to dine with her.....AT THE TILTED KILT of all places!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAAH!!!!

On the beach at Cape Hattaras, NC.......

I'll have to find something appropriate, or you can ask Vlad who has met her, or Slpwlkr, mikemack69man, or one or two other guys on here who are also facebook friends and have seen pics.....I do have a little something I can change my avatar to, let me see if I can dig it up..........

If my wife flashed you, you would have a heart attack.

To this day, whether I am in the FWD or my 4-Wheeler, I always flash passing big trucks into the lane, and most of the time I don't get a thank you flash in return. When I am in my 4-Wheeler I have to wonder if the ones who thank me are surprised they got a flash to "come on in." I taught my wife to flash in big trucks, too. She couldn't be bothered with it until one time I took her for a spin in a buddy's rig on I-78 just up one exit from the house- a grand total of an 8-mile round trip and in that time got cut off 4 times. Made her sit in the rocking chair, too- so that she could learn to appreciate what operators go through. After that she respected big trucks more and flashes them in regularly. Once in a while I even catch her saying "you missed me, come on in driver...." which I always used to say on the radio and still to this day will say out loud......LOL

This topic rears it's ugly head every once in a while. Many states differ, and what makes it even more confusing is the fact that the very officials of the states (State Troopers/DOT Employees) who are charged with enforcing these very laws either have little knowledge of them or are completely wrong in their enforcement of them. In the STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA for example: One does NOT need a CDL to operate a privately owned antique vehicle that is not operating within commerce- no matter what the combination is; whether it be a straight truck weighing less or more than 26,001 lbs. It can be a Tractor and Trailer weighing 35,000 GVWR- as long as it is a privately owned and registered as such and is not operating within the laws of commerce- no CDL is needed, however you do need to possess the appropriate non-CDL operators license. My 1958 FWD Firetruck has a GVWR of 31,000lbs however only weighs 18,500- were it a commercial vehicle operating in the laws of commerce, yes I would need to have a class B CDL. It does not have air brakes so the air brake endorsement would not be needed. But again, it is a privately owned vehicle and registered as an antque/historic vehicle and is operated for private purposes and not for commercial gain, I do not have to have a CDL. When I first bought it, I was curious as to the proper operating requirements. I wont bore you with the long story but the short version involves several hours of telephone calls to one of my elected representatives office staffers, and another hour or two with people at PENNDOT in Harrisburg- which probably resulted in several bottles of MAALOX and TYLENOL being consumed on their part as I could not get the same answer from any two people. So I made a stink and in the end, I received a letter from the Commissioner of PENNDOT himself, stating the requirements. I have never been pulled over, I do not intend to get pulled over, but that letter remains to this day- in the glove box. All that being said, do yourself a favor, and obtain a CDL- it's in everyones best interests.