1980 Mack Cf

[fdnymackcf]

I have been here awhile, but never posted here.

This is my 1980 Mack CF 1,000 Gallon Per Minute pumper. Started out as FDNY (Fire Department City of New York) Engine Company 156, then going to Engine Company 290 in East NY, Brooklyn. Except for the front bumper, siren, and upper compartments on the left side, it is original.

Sold to the North Versailles Fire Department outside Pittsburgh, Pa., then bought by me. What I love most about this rig is it is 100 percent MACK.

Would love to restore it, but don't have the place, time or tools. Does anybody know of a vocational school that would like a guinea pig? And a dealer that sells old Mack CF parts?

This would look nice fully restored going up Fifth Avenue every St. Patty's Day.

Stay safe, and have a safe, healthy Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[Barry]

to BMT! That is a nice fire truck! Keep those photos coming and enjoy your stay here!

[bulldoggin']

Nice ride

[fdnymackcf]

Nice ride

Thanks. Started out almost 25 yrs ago on Macks in the Fire Dept. when I first got in as a volunteer. Nothing like a Mack.

Shame they stopped making them. These new rigs can't take the abuse the Macks could. Well, when you build trucks to carry tons of concrete, etc., 'nuff said.

Barry, do you also carry parts for the CF's? Body, chassis, etc. Some Depts are scavenging parts off old CF's to keep theirs running.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all.

[pcbfirewmtc]

I don't know if this helps, but they show up for sale every so often.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...2474&rd=1,1

Mack made the best fire truck ever and the CF was the cream of the crop. They should have never stopped making them. At minimum they should have continued making cab and chasis for fire apparatus.

[fdnymackcf]

Amen, Brother. I remember when Mack stopped making CF's and fire chassis', and Pemfab was advertising for awhile you could get their cab on a Mack Chassis. They should have bought the rights to the CF, and put it on a Mack Chassis. Like Mack did when it bought out Ahrens-Fox with the C model. You could always remove the Pemfab plate and buy the letters M, A, C, K.

Smart people would have worked out the name and licensing agreement, unlike the Mack/Sutphen debacle, but was not to be.

Not many rigs can take the abuse of a NYC street, but the Macks always did. Guys still talk about them, and some have posted on sites the new Rescue 1 should have been on a Mack, and not the Pierce. And it's getting bad press because of injuries, but the 21 year old tower ladder still running on the streets of NYC is a 1985 Mack CF. 21 HARD years, and it holds up.

The only other CF's left in the FDNY fleet are the Foam Apparatus strategically located citywide. Eventually, they may be replaced by the Seagraves being removed from service over time. But they may stay a little bit longer with FDNY's disgraceful spare fleet status.

[ThaddeusW]

When any why did Mack retire the CF? All the volunteer fire departments use the retired FDNY trucks. Shame mack stopped the fire equipment business. MR's are still used for emergency equipment trucks for both the FDNY and the NYPD.

[fdnymackcf]

Mack stopped making the CF cab in the early 90's, possibly 92-93, not sure. Like everything else, business reasons. And I have also heard the CF did not meet NFPA standards on cab noise. But I was told years ago it was more business as well.

The European heads wanted a certain number of CF's guaranteed to be bought every year. Aerialscope, which is now a part of Seagrave, at the time was told to buy a set number. Aerialscope couldnt guarantee that. Many manufacturers also were using CF's (like they are using the MR and Granite), but supposedly buying a Mack and using their custom body upped the price.

This is what I have heard over the years, how much is true, I don't really know. But I think the biggest reason was from the business side.

Except for the Ahrens-Fox, nothing described a Fire engine like the Mack CF. And except for the American LaFrances bought in the early 80's, FDNY was ALL Mack with it's engines and tower ladders.

Save for 4. 2 Sutphens in 1981/82, to Ladders 14 & 119, and 2 ALF/LTI behemoths which went to Ladders 14 and 163.

Rear mounts and tillers were mostly Seagrave. Though Ladder 30 and Ladder 132 had 106' CF Bulldog rear mounted Aerials.

[pcbfirewmtc]

I was always told that Mack got out of the fire truck business because it wasn't "cost effective" and that it was about the same time Renault entered the picture. If anyone could clarify for me.

[pcbfirewmtc]

I was out at the Seagrave plant in Wisconsin two weeks ago. They make a pretty impresive rig. They're really made solid. but I don't know if they can hold up like the track record of the CF. FDNY's trucks took such a pounding on the city streets and many of them still live on in volunteer fire houses across the country. I guess only time will tell!

[fdnymackcf]

Mack stopped making complete fire apparatus about 1983/84. But with the CF, MC,MS(yuk) and R, continued to sell these chassis to other fire apparatus manufacturers.

IIRC, that is about the time Renault got into Mack and disemboweled it.

Leave it to the French. If they ain't surrendering fire apparatus manufacturing, they will be surrendering something else.

Must be a French thing.

[maxidyne237]

before 82or 83 like you said, did mack make the whole truck including body, pump etc?

i always wondered if they farmed the body building out or they built the entire truck

[Rich Reinhart]

The term was "custom" truck. Thats the niche the CF had.. I believe Mack made all the bodywork and such. The MR was still used with non Mack bodywork, like FDNY`s rescue units..

[fdnymackcf]

before 82or 83 like you said, did mack make the whole truck including body, pump etc?

i always wondered if they farmed the body building out or they built the entire truck

Mack made the whole body, chassis and drivetrain, save for an Allison automatic or a Detroit or Cummins in it, and rears as well. (Please correct or add)

Pumps were made by various manufacturers, like Waterous, Hale. Mack was flexible, you could build your rig any way you wanted. Add that to the Mack durability, and you had one hell of a rig.

Like everyone else in the 70's, they had the rust problems with crappy metal. Live and learn.

Leave it to the French to mess up something good. My job uses Seagraves, with Waterous pumps, Detroit Series 50 (underpowered), etc. Let something go wrong, and unless the Seagrave mechanic is certified to work on those things, it goes back to the company that made it.

With a 5 year warranty, our mechanics can only do basic maintenance. After 5 years, our guys can repair it.

I don't think we can blame it on Seagrave, I guess it's liability nowadays. I would assume if Mack was still making fire apparatus, it would still be the same.

IMO, if the majority of the rig was made by one manufacturer, the problems would be less. I could be wrong.

Shoulda went to diesel school.. lolol

Merry Christmas to all.