My Mack Firetruck 40 Years Ago

[cf685f]

My Mack Firetruck 40 years ago this week was featured in the "Bulldog Magazine". It was the one and only stainless steel Mack pumper ever made in Allentown. In November of 1972 they wrote a half a page on it and its new unique features. They tell me this issue was also the one and only Bulldog magazine with a Mack CF on the cover, while not mine, the CF was for Garland TX with dual beacon rotors and budd wheels. Sharp truck.

My firetruck spent a few months being driven around as a demonstrator. It was unveiled at the Fire Chiefs Convention in Cleveland, OH that fall. After seeing it, Blue Ash, OH purchased it and added it to their all Mack fleet.

While my truck is no longer yellow, it has survived and after 5 years in my care it is completely functional again. To commorate the 40 years of life Brutus and I stopped off at Mack's New World Headquarters for a photo shoot. I know, I know its not Allentown; but just like the truck the company has had to change too to the times. The good news is that they are both still in the good ole USA.

Well here's to all the CF owners in the world!

http://s266.beta.photobucket.com/user/firetoolman/library/#/user/firetoolman/library/ATHS%20Colfax%20NC%20Truck%20Show%20110312/My%20Mack%20at%20the%20New%20World%20Headquarters?&_suid=135199058291407125321796709551

Thanks for looking!

I do need alittle help to complete my historical book on this truck. If you can help me locate the things below that would make my firetruck book complete.

1) The 1972 or 1973 Mack Truck Calendar, some older mack guys said my truck was in the calendar.

2) Photos of the Mack truck booth at the Fire Chiefs Convention in Cleveland, OH in 1972.

3) Information on or parts to restore a Moog Electrical Pumping System.

Thanks, Tim H

[cf685f]

Photo

1) Original Photo of the Firetruck on its first fire in Blue Ash, OH. Photo by Steve Hagy

2) Photo of the engine on its last day with Blue Ash, OH after decals had been removed on the apron. Photo by Blue Ash, OH FD.

[umodelnut]

Cool thanks for posting. Looks like alot had changed through the years. Like the cab is longer, and the front hubs are different, maybe an axle swap?

[farmer52]

Nice fire truck and great story. Thanks for sharing!

[fxfymn]

Tim,

Have you contacted the IAFC about pictures of the 1972 show?

Carl

[cf685f]

Carl,

I have, but I just havent found the right person within the organization. The listen to the story, but I never seem to get a call back with information.

Umodelnut,

The fire department in ohio was very proactive and the chief wanted no firefighters riding outside, so my truck had four doors added in 1989 so it could stay in service. At the same time, they weighed the truck and realized the original mack axle in the front was to small, so they place a new grover 14,400lbs axle under the front. This let them bump up the gvw and they put even more equipment on it. It was at that time also, that the truck was painted red with white to match the rest of the fleet.

[cf685f]

This was their 1958 C model mack fireturck that was the second pumper in the station in which mine ran in Blue Ash, OH. The first two pictures are it in it's orginal form, the third picture is it with a new rear body. It to was refirbished in 1986 and stayed in service many years. It is now in the hands of a private collector in MI. Photo credit to Steve Hagy.

Edited November 5, 2012 by cf685f

[cf685f]

This is the C Model Squirt that Blue Ash, OH run during this same period.

This is a 1964 model, I was told it was ordered as a pumper and the squirt was added later by the department.

Edited November 5, 2012 by cf685f

[cf685f]

After the squirt retired they added this Mack CF LTI platform to the fleet around the late 80's. My engine and this ladder ran many calls together until it was replaced by a new Pierce.

After searching, I found this Mack running calls in Millers Ferry, NC. One nice day, I took a trip and got some photos of them together. They hadnt seen each other, since the last day they ran calls in the earlier 2000's.

[cf685f]

Mack CF LTI in Blue Ash, OH paint before moving to Millers Ferry, NC.

Edited November 5, 2012 by cf685f

[cf685f]

Here is the Mack CF rescue that they ran. It must have been awesome to see my pumper, the ladder and rescue heading down the street for a fire.

The first picture is after the refurbishment in the late 80's, and the second picture is how the Mack was originally delivered. As you can see the all the Macks got refubished. During that time they were all painted the same, received new graphics and matching light packages. The chief wanted them to be a unified fleet. It also shows that every Mack they owned served many years.

I was told this rescue was donated to the county and used many more years as a hazmat response vehicle for the entire county government.

Edited November 5, 2012 by cf685f

[mowerman]

excellant thanks for sharing.bob

[bulldogboy]

One day, about 15 years ago, I was walking down the street to meet a friend when a large patch of red on the side of the road caught my eye. I stopped

to check it out and found an intact 1973 Mack Truck calendar. Needless to say, I scooped that up and still have it in my basement. It's not in 100% great

condition but all the pictures are there. The cover has a picture of the Bulldog with the message; "Seasons Greetings". The only fire truck photo is

October which has a fleet shot of six Aerialscopes, presumably for the FDNY. The Blue Ash "CF" may have been in the 1972 calendar. I remember

having a picture of the stainless steel "CF" when it was first built but I don't remember where the picture came from or what happened to it. That was 40

years ago.

bulldogboy

[cf685f]

Bulldogboy,

Well that information is great and it helps me narrow down my search. I am only going on hearsay, so I may be searching for something that doesnt really exist. Since you confirmed that the 1973 calendar doesnt have it, that will let me focus on a finding a complete 1972 calendar then.

Thanks for sharing, Tim

[umodelnut]

Sweet pictures! Thanks for posting them!

[Mack458]

Awsome C Model Squirt!

[Road Trip]

excellent photos and great story

[paulromano]

Great truck and great story. I never knew Mack did a stainless body CF. I had occasion to be at the CF factory in Macungie around 1982 or 83, we were in the market for a new pump and were getting the tour at Mack. I happened to stumble across a Mack CF off the line being finished out. The workers detailing it told me that it was an aluminum body CF. I told them I had never heard of that option, they said that Mack didn't advertise it but told customers that they could also do an aluminum body to keep customers from switching to that aluminum factory in Florida. We ended up buying a CF chassis and having the body done by E-1 after having to have three thousand dollars worth of rust repair done in 1981 on our 1976 CF.