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Look for a "Motors" truck manual that covers the year your truck was made. Most of it is generic, but there will be a section on Macks that will cover some of the components. There are also some specific manuals available that cover topics such as brakes, electrical systems, etc. that are intended for use on all heavy trucks. You should get a pump operation manual from the museum as well. Did you get it home yet?

Yep, it looks super, but according to the museum manager it has the "blonde" syndrome; all looks and no depth. He claimed the engine was dropped in without proper motor mounts and it will torque right out of the frame if you let it. It's a shame, because it would be a cool driver to take to shows and parades. The 55 Chevy next to the truck is the cleanest 55 I have ever seen. What a beautiful ride.

Been almost 2 weeks. Any progress?

I don't know the tire size, but one of the few things the previous owner completed on the truck was to equip it with brand new tires. I'll plead ignorance on the White Bash; what is it?

Have you written the museum yet to get the specs and other info?

There was a thread about the Keystone Tractor Museum recently, so I thought there might be some interest in these photos. We moved a 1924 Maxim pumper on my truck and trailer to the museum that was purchased from a deceased club member's collection. The museum will display it to show what an original fire truck looks like before restoration. As the other thread said if you haven't seen the collection you really need to get there. Quite the collection of trucks, tractors, fire apparatus, and even cars.

I am looking for an aluminum pumper ladder for my new truck. It needs to be built to the old specs, 21" wide I believe. Please send me a PM if you know of any that are available.

Louie, Run, don't walk away unless the price is way south of 5K. Just fixing the items you described will be 10K or more. There will be another. Carl

Ya gotta love the New England paint work. Nothing else like it anywhere else. And if they are like many of these rigs even the dash will be pin striped. OBTW; The "sanders" worked best with abrasives like aluminum oxide granules used in sand blasters. If you used sand it plugged up pretty quickly. We had them on all of our ladder trucks back in the day.

IMO that design beats the hell out of the trailer mounted sleepers that were hung under the trailer I've seen in other ads and magazine articles.

Yep; one fire truck is like one beer or a trailer fire. No such thing in the real world.

The value of CF's is strictly based on their condition because they are so common. By 1978/2005 I assume you mean the rig was rehabbed in 2005. If so did they use aluminum or stainless steel to replace the body? Either will greatly increase the scrap value. An acquitance just bought a really nice CF that the volunteers had put $60k into just a few years ago for $3200.00 if that helps set the price. Diesel/Automatic tranny, very low mileage might raise it a little. If it was rehabbed it should be in really good condition and as such should command anywhere from $3000.00 to $5000.00 depending on how much you want the truck and what equipment it has on it. The bell alone can bring $1000.00 for example. Most rigs that are bought fresh out of the station should come to the collector fully equipped since the replacement rig is already in-service and the equipment was not needed for the new truck. What often happens is someone decides they might need the ladders, hard sleeves, etc. down the road so they take them off. They stay in the station for a few years and then get sold at a flea market for nothing or get thrown out. When factory issued equipment is removed, including the bell, it greatly devalues the truck and truly does make it only scrap value. As a new collector you have to understand that fire trucks in general do not have any great value. They are too big to store and too slow to drive for the average collector. In my opinion the only way to look at the purchase of an antique fire truck is to put into the same category as another toy such as a boat you might buy. No one ever made money buying and selling a boat and your truck will probably turn out the same. I assume you have a place to store it. If you don't consider the cost of renting space as well. If you plan on keeping it outside it will be worthless to any serious collector in less than a year except as a parts piece. So, if the truck has value to you and you have the asking price; buy it. If it turns out to be a mistake the most you will lose is probably half of what you paid. Not a big deal in my mind if you get pleasure out of owning it and you want to preserve it. And if you do buy it welcome to the club of the certified insane.

There is a saying in the old car/truck world "If one human built it the first time, another can build it the second time." In other words, try making a replacement yourself. If you are stuck on how to go post a picture of the part here and you will get some help.

I have called and e-mailed him asking him to send me a list of the fire trucks he has for sale without any response from him. Seems pretty strange to me that a company that is in business to sell items won't respond to a customer's request. I have spoken to the owner at a couple of shows and on the phone once. Seems like a nice guy, but as I said he doesn't seem to want to sell anything when you get right down to it.

One of the reasons I went for this one was my Dad was a big IH Travelall fan in the sixties and early seventies. My uncle also had a 71or 72 1310 that he placed a big slide in camper on to take his 6 kids on a cross country camping trip. I always did like the early 70's corn binders.

1972 IH 1310 AWD, 304 V8, 4 speed with a body by Oren. The rig has 10,500 original miles, about 250 miles per year, and is in pretty good overall condition. It was purchased by the State of Maryland for the Springfield State Hospital. The interior is spotless, it runs great, and I think it has a classic fire truck look that most mini-pumpers lack. The pump and PTO work great and the chrome is in excellent condition as well. On the bad side there is some rust in the rear fenders and the undercarriage, a dent in the back of the cab, and it has a leaky wheel cylinder. I plan on removing the fire body so I can sand blast and paint the undercarriage, replace the entire brake system, and re-wire anything that needs it. I also need to find a set of ladders for it and place the equipment that was removed from it back on it.

That would be very easy to make. And probably less hassle and expense than trying to find a replacement. There are Mennonites in PA that do excellent metal work at very reasonable prices. If you are interested I can hook you up with a collector that has had work done on his Hahn who can put you in touch with them.

Many times when I was taking action against a house of worship that failed to comply with the codes I would get the excuse of we're a church and God will look out for us. I would always reply "That's why he sent me."

Or he tried to bid it up himself. Non-paying buyers are a great excuse when you have a friend bid the item up in an effort to get the action moving or to create the illusion of value. I'm always pretty skeptical of any re-listing that has previously "sold".

I assume you have been to a locksmith to see if the tumblers can be loosened up. How about swapping the drivers side, which I assume is the one that is worn, with the passenger side? Junk yard? Check the PN to see if Chrysler used the same parts on another vehicle.

41chevy..You are more than welcome to join us in the Old Dominion. Not a bad place to live, especially for an antique truck person. Easy to title, no tax or state safety inspection on antiques and you only pay a one time $50.00 fee for antique tags. It will be nirvana compared to the regulations and BS you guys have ended up with in NY.

What are the markings on the LS85?

Please say it isn't so. I will greatly miss your humor, wisdom, fairness, and hard work. I hope there is nothing bad going on in your life that caused you to slow down and that you are going to use the time to work on your many projects. Thank you! Carl

There are those of us in the fire truck group that want to puke every time the Tidewater N model comes up. They removed an extremely rare fire body from that chassis to make a plain old city delivery truck truck that the last time I heard about it is in pretty sad shape from sitting outside. The truck was built for Hicksville NY as a light wagon and is pictured on page 153 of Harvey Eckart's Mack Fire Truck book. Mack made only five N model fire trucks.

And never buy based in a picture unless it is an absolute steal (say 2k for this truck). They always look better in a picture than they do in person. Paint runs and sags, pitted chrome, missing tools, incorrect extinguishers and tools, etc. never show up in a picture. For example it will cost north of 1k just to re-plate the radiator shell if it is already rusty or pitted. Trust me, you can put 8 to 10k in a truck that was pretty nice to begin with just in chrome, brakes, and a few small repairs. You have to go look at it to determine the true condition. And by the way; where is the IH in your picture from? We had a similar rig in Ashland, MA when I was a kid there.