Hewy and Ruth

Here are some pics of the super tender. The latest one is from Escondido CA during a 9-11 memorial in 2009. The other 2 are from the Spring Pump In at Mount San Jacinto College in Menifee. We had 3 engines pumping the tender with just over 4000 GPM flowing. We were using a 2" tip and we flooded the field next to the school. At the time, the school probably couldn't flush any toilets.

If anybody has the Code 3 Collectibles model of the Super Tender look at the trailer of the Super Tender. It has 2 lights per side mounted on a plate about 12" square. The plates are patch panels I put in to save as much of the original metal as possible. Now you know the rest of the story. Before we drove it cross county we had the rear end gears changed from 10.06 to 4.86. It would have been a long trip with a 43MPH top speed. It was not very fast going up hills. The drivers seat was made to drive a few minutes in the city not cross country. We have had people from all over the world stop by to see the unit over the years.

That is the ad we saw. Figured OK was not too far from CA. Found out the truck was in New Jersey. Had to wait till spring to make the trip. Worked on it for 5 days to get it road ready. Then drove it to CA, with a 50 gallon fuel tank. 16 fuel stops, one blown tire, one blown air line, 2 cases of ATF, and getting red tagged in Tennesee. 6 days on the road and a lot lighter (rust falling off clear across America). Made it home in the afternoon and left for the ATHS show in Portland the next day. The Pete was luxury after bouncing for 6 days in a short wheel base Mack. NY City gave me the 10,000 GPM monitor a year latter. Almost forgot that we had to clean the fuel filter every 100 miles because of the rusty fuel tank. New Mexico was the only state that charges us, all the rest waived us through even Arizona. Those were the good old days, hate to drive a truck off the hill now. Hard to think that was 22 years ago. Young and dumb is all I can say. Would not try it today.

The Super Tender has a shift problem. It is a air shift allison and is leaking air below the shift lever. Anybody ever worked one? I assume 0-rings but have not taken it apart yet. I have to get my friends Packard ambulance done before I can work on our junk. The out riggers stopped working also. Arn't old trucks fun?

They spent so much time on the F series that they forgot about the E chassis. No Diesel engine in the E, just the V-10 Gas. All our new ambulances will be on the Diesel Chevy chassis.

We bought the FDNY Super Tender from a fellow that got it in a bid from the city. It was not easy as they put it up for bid 3 times that I know of. Keep rejecting the bids and doing it over again. The whole process took about a year.

The Super Tender has retired to Hemet, California. It is safe in our barn. The model of the tender is so perfect that they put the patches in the sheet metal doors I added in the early 90's.