bulldogboy

An open cab "Granite"!!!! Wow, that would be awesome although a bit chilly in the winter here in New Hampshire. bulldogboy

slpwlker: I have not seen the Seminole Mack tankers in person, only in pictures. They may be in the Clewiston/Brighton, FL area. bulldogboy

Swab Wagon Company from Elizabethville, PA built a 3000 gallon pumper/tanker on a "Granite" chassis for Tylersport, PA in 2009. You can see a picture of it on the Tylersport website: http://tylersportfireco.com/apparatus.html#Tanker72. bulldogboy

dek1581: The Mack "C" cab does not tilt. In order to remove the engine the canopy over the jumpseat area can be unbolted and removed. bulldogboy

joes mack: Another manufacturer who will build on a Mack chassis is 4 Guys from Meyersdale, PA. The Seminole Indian Nation in Florida has two Mack "Granite"/Pierce 6X6 pumper/tankers. Some manufacturers will buy lots of chassis' to have on hand when orders come in; naturally, they will push to sell these chassis because they have money tied up on the purchase and need to recoup it. A Mack chassis will not be the cheapest that's why most departments go with IHC or Kenworth but if you can afford it I say go for it. Like Terry T says, an automatic for fire apparatus is better due to fewer and fewer people being able to drive a standard. In a volunteer department you never know who will show up and you hope that someone can drive the rig to the scene. I've seen trucks that could not respond because the guys who responded to the station could not drive a standard. Good luck with your new truck; it must be exciting for your department. Hope that you keep the "CF". bulldogboy

I wondered why the military spec'd a Chysler engine in a Mack truck. If they wanted a engine similar to their other industrial engines did they also spec Chysler engines in all their other administrative vehicles in order to maintain commonality? I've never heard that the "B450CF" and "B475CF" models were built on Dodge chassis. I know that during WWII Mack mounted fire bodies on Chevrolet and Brockway chassis but during wartime trucks had to be rushed into service and everyone built similar vehicles. Seems strange that Mack would mount their own cab and body on another manufacturer's chassis. The U.S. Navy had a Mack stationed at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Massachusetts. bulldogboy

How long after the Bighorn was introduced did Dodge exit the heavy and medium truck market? bulldogboy

According to the Upper Saucon VFD website they had a 1958 Mack "B" model 750/500. It was sold to the North Plainfield (PA ??) Exempt Fireman's museum. It will be on display and also used as a hearse for firefighters' funerals. bulldogboy

Not only an "R" model tanker but also a big Autocar (Volvo !!!!) at the scene. If you like old in service fire equipment come to northern New England. While many small departments are now buying custom apparatus there are still lots of trucks more than 20 years old still in service. bulldogboy

That's a terrible story. Hopefully, other departments pitch in and help get them back on their feet soon. It's always a shame when a fire station burns down due to a lack of an alarm system or sprinklers. Those should not be luxury items but with many departments short on cash they often get left out. Of course, in this case all the alarm systems and sprinkler systems in the world wouldn't have helped. bulldogboy

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!! Clarence Clemons, the greatest sax player ever, R.I.P. bulldogboy P.S. other dog Talking Heads were right up there on my list.

Hose 4 sure has had an exciting life since it left Nashua. bulldogboy

This was Nashua, NH Hose 4, later renumbered Engine 4. It was sold to a private collector in the 1970s. It later ended up with the Londonderry, NH Fire Department. Londonderry rehabbed it for a parade vehicle but I don't think that they kept it for very long. I saw it on E-bay a few years ago; it was owned by a collector in Barre, MA. I hope that it finds a good home. bulldogboy

I'm giving my age away by referring to the Durham-UNH Fire Department. Several years ago they dropped the UNH name but I'm not sure how the funding situation is being handled by the town and the university. I remember that old fire station; the Mack tractor-trailer was parked outside; no room in the station I guess. Today, Durham still runs a 1985 Mack "R"/3D 350/1500 tanker, Engine 3. I think that Appleyard's was based in Methuen, MA but not 100% sure about that. bulldogboy

I passed through the Woodstock/Bridgewater area on Route 4 in December and there was still damage along the road. It was amazing how much damage Hurricane Irene inflicted on Vermont; there were towns completely cut off and supplies had to be airlifted in by NH National Guard helicopters. bulldogboy

I remember when this truck was in service with the Durham-UNH Fire Department. Durham-UNH also had a tractor-trailer tank truck with a "B" model tractor. That's a shame that such a beautiful truck was cut up. bulldogboy

I saw R608F10-1015 sitting in a junkyard in Gill, MA. in September, 2011. It was still lettered for Indian Ford Fire Department. bulldogboy

Hopefully, you and your friend can get the 1925 "AB" to look as sharp as your "A". Looks great, congratulations. bulldogboy

Not to nitpick but the first rule in firefighting is rescue, then exposures, confinement, extinguishment, overhaul, with ventilation and salvage thrown in for good measure (this is why firefighting is so labor intensive). But in this case there was no rescue so go for the exposures. bulldogboy

I was in the fire service over 30 years and never chocked a burning vehicle, either. Makes sense but back in the "L" and "B" model days it was never mentioned; just put the fire out with the booster line (no one bothered to mask-up either, just a run of the mill car fire). bulldogboy

The Mack "MB" was developed in the 1960s as a city delivery truck. It was available as both a straight truck and a tractor. Around 1972 or 73 Mack introduced a fire apparatus version of the "MB"; it definitely was an economy model especially when compared to the "CF". For many small departments the "MB" was their first "custom" apparatus. Both the "MB" and the "R" model fire trucks had bodies built by Howe and other manufacturers (Thibault, Hamerly, etc.). During the 1970s fire apparatus from many manufacturers had serious rust problems. I saw trucks from Mack, ALF, and Ward LaFrance and all had to have new bodies installed at some point. My department had "CF"s and "MB"s and while the "MB"s were reliable their quality could not compare to the "CF"s. As a truck for a collector I would think that an "MB" in good condition would be fine. bulldogboy

In my area of New Hampshire back in the '70s there were several fire departments that had TT tankers pulled by Mack tractors; several of them had "U" models if I remember correctly. These units were used tractors and trailers that were purchased cheaply and used until the departments could afford new tankers. All have been replaced by straight trucks. The TT units were not manuverable on narrow country roads, clogged up the tanker shuttle, and departments did not have a lot of licensed TT drivers. Unfortunately, I have not seen any pictures of these trucks even on the department websites. The problem with converted milk tankers is that their tanks are not baffled. This causes the water to slosh around in the tank which may lead to loss of control. Modern fire tankers have baffled tanks. As long as drivers are aware of the unbaffled tank and drive accordingly the response should be okay. bulldogboy

Still on St. Maarten. The only thing I do worse than photography is trying to post pictures online. Close your eyes and think about what white Mack "R"s and "Granites" look like and there's your photos. It was a vacation; took a walk on Orient Beach!! bulldogboy

Joe: Thanks for posting pictures of your apparatus. The Mack looks good; in fact, all the trucks look well maintained. Why does the '67 Ford have chains on; was the weather forecast calling for snow? Hope that you find a chassis for your stainless steel tank, a nice Mack "R" or "CH" model would look good. bulldogboy

I was on the island of St. Maarten a few weeks ago. For a small island there were quite a few Mack trucks; "R", "CH", "DM", and" Granite" models. They were mostly tractors and dump trucks. No Mack fire trucks but the French side, St. Martin, had several fire trucks built on Renault chassis. bulldogboy