bulldogboy

I think that the one thing that all of us on this forum agree with is; we would all like to see Mack be what it once was, an independent, successful medium and heavy truck builder. However, reality is that this probably is not going to happen. What would have happened to Mack if Volvo had not stepped in to buy it? More than likely it would have gone out of business. Is that a better scenario that what currently exists? As to another company (Cummins, Oshkosh) buying Mack, do you think that Volvo would sell to another company thus creating a serious competitor to the Volvo brand? As to a government bailout, like Chrysler and GM, I don't think that many people on this forum would like that. My sense in reading these forums is that almost everyone wants government to butt out of our daily lives and let us do our thing free of regulations. I assume that this also includes regulation of the trucking industry that the government did away with years ago. As I have said before, I know nothing about nothing, these are just my opinions and if Mack ever came back as an independent company, there would not be anyone happier than me. BTW, I like those Coca-Cola Macks. bulldogboy

This is a Mack Bulldog I with a tandem axle. The photo is from an early 1980s Mack fire truck brochure. The brochure does't mention the brand of ladder but I believe that it is an LTI. bulldogboy

Beautiful countryside, now hallowed ground. I can't imagine what was going through the minds of those passengers; true American heroes. Thanks for the pictures. bulldogboy

The Fire Museum of Maryland hasn't forgotten you truck mechanics. Here is a Mack "AC" wrecker from Baltimore F.D. My favorite fire truck at FMM is that Mack "AB" from Thurmont, MD. bulldogboy

The Fire Museum of Maryland is a great place to visit, especially if you are a Mack fan. When I was there about five years ago they were having an outdoor show. I took a few pictures. One is a drafting demonstration featuring a Mack "AC" pumper, an Ahrens-Fox pumper, and a Ford Model "T" pumper. The next picture is a Ford Model "A" chief's car with Chicago F.D. graphics. There was a 1958 Edsel station wagon and, my favorite, a Mack "AB" paddy wagon. bulldogboy

iaff5045 is correct, Bulldog I had an LTI ladder. BTW, I was wrong, Bulldog I was available with a tandem axle (checked my old Mack sales brochures). bulldogboy

Here's a Mack tanker that you can take to your next bark mulch fire at McDonald's. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOcBJURbtJM bulldogboy P.S. Don't know why this link didn't highlight but it works.

Lucky for them (and us) that they were able to get both sections back. Good luck with the restoration. Many departments would like to get a former truck back with no success. bulldogboy

Wasn't there a serious problem with the Hahn aerial ladders? I seem to remember that they had this little problem of the fly sections moving past the stops. One department I know of has a Hahn ladder mounted on an "MC" chassis. Bridgewater, NH has a 1981 "Bulldog I", formerly in service in Ogunquit, ME. There was also a "Bulldog II", did that model have a tandem axle? bulldogboy

Rubrmat: Is that an old fire tanker or a fuel tanker? bulldogboy

kscarbel: Thanks for the Hayes fire truck photo. bulldogboy

I saw a Hayes 100 COE passing through New Hampshire about 35 years ago; probably the only time that ever happened. Do you have any photos of a Hayes fire truck? That's one I liked to see. bulldogboy

Oh well, wait 'til next year. Congrats to the Black Hawks. In my opinion Chicago and Boston have the best looking uniforms in the NHL. bulldogboy

kscarbel: You say that Volvo- North American sales are up 10% in May and up 5% worldwide. You also say, "Clearly, there are problems at Volvo Trucks Sales and Marketing Americas". So, what's the problem for Volvo? Sounds like things are going swell for the Volvo brand. I don't know anything about anything but I have long thought that Volvo would use the Mack brand like they did the Autocar name. Rather than discard an iconic brand name (Mack) they would assign it to a line of heavy duty construction trucks. One of the reasons that Volvo sold off the Autocar name was to buy Mack; the government told them to discontinue one of their LCOs, either the Mack "MR" or the Autocar "Expeditor". I know of one fire department that used Mack chassis for its tankers but has now switched to IHC because Mack is no longer Mack. bulldogboy

But, if things at Navistar are as bad as you have reported, would Ford want to be dragged down by Navistar? In the past after Chrysler and GM dropped out of the heavy truck business Ford eventually followed suit. While Chrysler and GM have dropped their medium duty trucks, so far, Ford has stayed in the business. During the economic downturn Ford sold off all its other car businesses (Volvo, Jaguar, etc) to focus (no pun intended) on its core brands. After the falling out over the Blue Diamond endeavor I wonder if Ford would want to get involved again or do they want to keep their current business plan (hopefully to include medium duty trucks)? bulldogboy

Sorry, I can't be of any help in your search but that would be a great find for your fire department. I think that it is great when a fire department restores one (or more) of its Mack fire trucks. There are some departments around here that have restored antique Macks and other departments, like yours, that would love to find a former Mack truck. Good luck with your search, keep us posted. bulldogboy

RSteele: I saw the "Rubber Duck" truck on another website. Is this other website yours? There was also a page about the St. Louis Fire Department "R" model pumpers delivered in 1968. bulldogboy

A lot of open cab "L" models for sale lately. They are classics so I hope that they all find good homes. bulldogboy

Several years ago I was standing in my backyard when I heard jets flying overhead. I looked up and saw several A-10s flying in formation. There are none stationed around here but I thought that they might be from Connecticut. A few minutes later I heard a thunderous sound that scared the daylights out of me. Suddenly, that flight of A-10s was screaming over my house almost at treetop level. It was an amazing sight. bulldogboy

Nice looking truck, hope that you remembered the wheel chocks! How's everything over at Yocum Creek FD, haven't heard from Joe lately? bulldogboy

That East Greenwich, RI Mack "B" model fire engine is a 1958 B-475. It is currently being restored by the East Greenwich Veteran Firemen's Association. The Association has also restored East Greenwich's 1938 Mack Type 75 pumper, 1961 Mack C-95 pumper, 1964 Mack C-95 pumper, and 1972 Mack "CF" Aerialscope. East Greenwich also had a 1958 Mack "B" straight aerial ladder truck. Another Mack, a 1992 Mack "RD"/ Ranger 1000/3000, was sold to Center Ossipee, NH in 2005 bulldogboy

Nice trucks. When did they change the round headlights to the quads? bullogboy

Kissimmee, FL has changed a bit since that photo was taken. Those are great old photos, brings back some memories. bulldogboy

fxfymn: There is a website, www.firenews.org, that has a lot of information about New England fire departments. If you go to "Department Listings", "Massachusetts", "Barnstable", there is a photo of Barnstable's 1935 Mack. If you are on the Cape and have a day available, head over to Martha's Vineyard. Edgartown has a fire museum with a restored 1927 Mack "AB" pumper and a 1952 Mack "A" pumper. bulldogboy