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Thanks for the service. I always think of the quote from Alan Brunacini, the former FC of Phoenix, AZ. When the troops were engaged in a fire op in the 110 degree plus summer Phoenix heat he would quip "But, it's a dry heat."

Normally we would be there by now, but the hot weather has deterred us among other things. It is bad enough down here, but at least everything is air conditioned, not so up there. A lobster and steamer dinner is just not as much fun when the dining room or deck is 90 plus. I'd love to come see the B-81. I'm sure it will bring back some memories of my (mis)spent youth. Falmouth also holds a special place in my heart for me; that's where I met my wife.

A club member has an absolutely beautiful 1932 American LaFrance fire truck that he restored himself over a six year period. He and his bride use it to go out to dinner when it is not being shown. Now that's class!

No, another legend in the BFD annals: Killduff. As I recall it was District 14 and he was the fill-in DC for any district that caught a job. I was maybe 10, (A long, long time ago, in a far away world) so I could be wrong. My best ride with the BFD was riding on the fire boat (E-31 as I recall) when they did their monthly harbor tour on a Sunday. My Dad knew the company Captain so we would catch a ride with them once or twice a year. Pretty heady stuff for a 8 to 12 year old. I even got to run one of the guns on a job at a pier on one trip. Best quote was from the jake who handed me the wheel; "Just point it in that direction, there is so much fire you can't miss."

I had air conditioning installed in the garage-mahal yesterday. Do I feel a little guilty about spending the cash to keep fire trucks and the mechanic (me) working on them cool? Yeah, a little, but I'll get over it. It sure is nice to be able to work out there when it is 95 degrees out and not sweat my ... off.

Paul, Not saying it didn't happen; in Boston anything is possible. Yes, I do know about Wentworth and NU. My dad was a Wentworth alum and my uncle an NU alum. Hopefully I'll be in your neck of the woods next month. We'll be visiting my sister-in-laws place in Centerville. Nothing like the cool Cape weather when it's steaming down here.

Until you get a rookie on board with a bunch of jakes harassing him about his backing ability. Our company was drive through bays, but we used to fill an old station with narrow back in only bays. We would always make sure the engine got there first so we could perch in the second story windows and harass the tiller man as he tried to back in. One miss and it was all over. After we were done screwing with him the driver would feign indignation, tell him to hold the damn wheel still, and back the truck in like you would any trailer just to prove how worthless the rookie was. Oh the shame! And while the hand theory is sound you cannot "shuffle" turn the wheel fast enough to make a hard 90 degree turn such as when you back in to spot the turn table. You have to go hand over hand to get it done and that is when you lose your place.

That is the same truck company, L26, where Lt. Kelly was killed when they ran the ladder truck into a building last year. Very sad event. My Dad and I used to catch a ride with the DC that was quartered there every now and then when I was a very young lad. For years the BFD never turned the red lights off on the rigs, coming or going, but I can never recall them using sirens to return. They did hold with tradition and rang the bell on occasion when returning. (The original purpose of ringing the bell was to signify that the apparatus was returning, not responding, before red lights and sirens were used.)

Yep, always use some type of lube. I have been told that the tire shops in my area will not do locking ring wheels any longer. I break mine down by pressing on the tire with the pallet forks on my loader.

Try to do a mental picture of how a trailer tracks behind the tractor, especially if the driver cuts the corner too closely with the tractor. The wheels of the trailer cut an angle to the inside of the tractors path resulting in struck curbs, parked cars , etc. The job of the tiller person is to steer the wheels of the trailer in the same track as the pulling unit to prevent that. Going around corners is actually pretty intuitive and easy, what throws a lot of trainees is trying to keep/get the trailer in-line with the tractor when they are going straight. A good tractor driver makes it so the tiller person doesn't have to do much, but if he/she wants they can make life miserable for the tiller person by cutting every corner short. The real trick in tillering is backing the trailer up. The steering wheel is turned in the opposite direction of where you want to go and will get you talking to yourself very quickly.

The story I got from an attendee was that a 1924 Prospect owned by a PPP member with mechanical brakes struck a parked car, supposedly after the "loss of brakes", and that vehicle was in turn rear ended by another truck in the parade (the WLF??). It would be nice to get the full story from someone in the know.

Yes, but the engine failure is probably not the cause. My speculation is the driver was distracted by the engine failure, if that is what occurred. Many of the early rigs had mechanical brakes, often rear wheel only, which were problematic to say the least. Basically, brake pressure was dependent on how hard you could push the pedal to retract a cable that pulled on the shoes.

Mack458; What kind of rig did you see on the hook?

Here here! It always disturbs me that someone will buy an antique apparatus and not go through the brake system to ensure it is in proper operating condition. As we all know the old stuff does not use dual master cylinders, so a failure of any line will result in the complete loss of brakes. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (unlike WC Fields it likes and attracts water) so it will cause steel lines to rust out from the inside. One of the necessary evils of owning an old rig is replacing the brake fluid on a regular basis to prevent this and replacing old brake lines even if they look ok from the outside. If you plan to keep the rig for awhile and you don't want to do this than use stainless brake lines; the expense is worth it. If the rubber hoses have any cracks or brittleness they must be replaced as well. I always replace them all when I do the brakes on a truck. I also use brand new hardware if I can get it. Trying to save $50.00 to $100.00 by not replacing them seems pretty foolish to me. If you are not mechanically inclined than suck it up and take it to a shop to have it done. It is part of the price of ownership and compared to the cost of fighting a lawsuit, or worse, it is cheap.

Get well soon and we are looking forward to hearing the latest on the B when you feel up to working on it again. Just remember being down and out beats the hell out of the alternative!

Never had an issue with locking type rings and I have taken more than a few apart and re-mounted them. If you do not have a cage, and most of us do not, use an air hose with a remote control valve (or simply unplug it), lay the tire ring side down with a locking type air chuck connected to the inflation valve, remove yourself a safe distance away (I go about 50 feet) and turn the air hose on. Most of the time you will not even hear the tire seat, but occasionally it will pop as it seats. The key is to make sure the ring is clean and seated correctly before inflating.

Sounds like a bad head gasket. Any coolant or foam in the oil?

I'll get some pics on this week. So far he has put the lanterns and brackets back on, removed the windshield, added the suction strainer, and cleaned everything up.

Welcome aboard. The one thing you have going for you is there is no way to go but up. My theory was that I always wanted to take over a losing situation; if it got better I was the reason, if it failed it was that way when I got here and no one is going to fix it. The hardest thing to change is an organization's culture. Quite often the only fix is to fire the team instead of the manager. Not easy, but often necessary. The lead mechanic who pooh-poohs the changes needs to go. He will always undermine your authority; whether with kindness or meanness it will keep you from making changes. All the new systems and policies in the world will not work if the people you have don't get with the program. Everything in every organization is dependent on people, not things. Establish viable performance goals, meet with the staff regularly to ensure they are sticking with them, and do not accept excuses for failure. Poor conditions may keep good people from performing to their max, but perfect conditions will never coax good work from a poor employee. I would look for a faulty ground on the rig that is flashing the lights. All the symptoms fit.

Sometimes the dual ignition got discarded when the head was replaced. Is there a hole for a second distributor or magneto? Don't get me wrong; I prefer the chrome look. That is what a fire truck is supposed to look like.

The Model A chief's buggy belonged to Mike Denbar, Chesapeake, VA at the time. He has since sold it.

Here, here. Not to open an old discussion again, but without "outside" ownership the brand would be gone along with the museum and the heritage and legacy we all admire.

I don't believe Hahn ever built their own ladder. All of the Hahn's I have seen have either LTI's or Grove sticks.

Have you written to the Mack Museum to get the truck's specs? Send them the CN and they will supply an owner's manual, delivery pics (if available), and the build sheet. They will include information on the engine and it's accessories. Nice Type 45. Was it always chromed out or did someone add it after the fact? Most war trucks did not have any chrome.

A tragedy for everyone involved. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased and the operator of the truck. Not to get preachy, but this really brings home how important it is to keep your truck properly maintained and insured.