bulldogboy

Well, after our old fire service provider doubled their annual fee from $247 to $500, we ended up switching to another nearby town that offered us a year's service for $250. I haven't seen their equipment, but one of the other council members is a firefighter and says their fleet is no worse than the previous providers. I hope we don't have to use their services, and if I get rich I'm gonna leave these volunteer fire departments some Macks!

GearheadGrrrl:

$250 a year; is that per household? Are you served by a subscription fire department? I've read that some subscription departments will fight a fire in a non-member's property and then send a

bill while other departments will not fight a fire unless the subscription has already been paid. Having worked for a tax supported fire department this is a foreign concept for me but it might be good to

know in advance for those who may be served by a subscription fire department. Mack fire trucks automatically make the department better.

bulldogboy

Did someone say FWD?

Check out the "Craigslist Macks" thread. There is an FWD fire engine for sale by the Alexandria, NH Fire Department.

bulldogboy

Those are neat pictures. Isn't Mt. Washington where they got the highest wind speed ever recorded in the U.S?

Yes, 231 MPH. At one time it was the highest wind speed recorded on Earth. It has since been bypassed by a recorded speed in New Zealand several years ago. Still, it's a different place

to visit; it can be summer at the base and snowing at the summit. There is a NOAA weather station and NH state park at the summit. Another route up, other than hiking, is the Cog Railway.

It's an experience but expensive. On one side of the mountain is Tuckerman's Ravine. People usually ski there into late spring but beware of avalanches, they can be dangerous.

bulldogboy

There was snow in the White and Green Mts. last night; saw pictures of Mount Mansfield, VT and Bretton Woods, NH covered in snow. Littleton, NH received about 4 inches.

Drove through Hinsdale, MA last Sunday; first time in my life although I have been to Hinsdale, NH several times.

bulldogboy

The Hollis, NH Mack "R" was originally delivered to Hollis as an engine. It was later rebuilt as a tanker with a body by Valley Fire Equipment. The "L" model came from a department in

New Jersey (I think). It is now owned by a private collector who keeps his trucks in top condition. Last time that I saw it, it was in nice shape. The FWD was in Alexandria, NH for many

years. This is the same department that previously owned MADDOG93's Mack "B" and Ward LaFrance engines. They have replaced all three with two IH/Valley engines and a 2012

Ford F-550/Smeal pumper.

bulldogboy

And I agree, a big part of my mental well being is just working on the trucks or even sitting in them while the world passes by. But we are really just care takers for the next generation and letting everyone else have the pleasure of seeing them is part of that responsibility. Kind of like putting the Mona Lisa in a private collection; great for the owner's ego, but none of us could get to enjoy it.

Thanks to all you guys who maintain old Mack trucks for our enjoyment. I would love to have an old Mack fire engine but I have three strikes against me:

1. I'm a retired firefighter - No money (but lots of "L" and "B" memories)

2. No place to park one. No way I would buy one to leave it outdoors in New England

3. I'm not a mechanic, I think that you have to be able to do maintenance on them. I read a lot of these threads and I'm amazed (and jealous) at what you guys know and can do to your trucks.

I'll continue to live vicariously through you guys.

bulldogboy

Drove to the top of Pilot Mountain in 2011; it's a state park. Very unusual looking mountain. Mount Airy, NC was the setting for Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show".

The neighboring town to Mayberry was Mount Pilot.

bulldogboy

kscarbel:

I knew you would have the answer; thanks for the info and link to the previous post.

bulldogboy

Mindlessly surfing the web again and I came upon an NPR report on new fire engines needed in Afghanistan. It showed Afghan firefighters training on a fire engine built on a Ford

high cabover that looked similar to the "Xcient". The story said that the engine was American built but the chassis was obviously European. Anyone have information on this model Ford?

bulldogboy

Yikes, I hope there isn't a quiz on this any time soon!

bulldogboy

Must have been a slow day in New York City when you could draw a crowd to watch a street being cleaned.

bulldogboy

I have a photo of the Mack when Alexandria had it for sale. Later, I saw it in Harvey Eckart's book, "Mack Model B Fire Trucks". Glad to see that it was saved. You drove it to rural Alexandria? Must have hurt to

leave it behind. Alexandria liked having the Mack in their department.

bulldogboy

Looks like the 1932 Mack ladder truck that was restored by the Stony Brook, NY Fire Department.

bulldogboy

This is my 1958 Ward Lafrance, It was in service for 32 years 1958 -1990 , thats because it has a 671 DETROIT IN IT AND IT PISSES PEOPLE LIKE 1958 F.W.D. OFF SO THATS WHY I AM YELLING SO YOU CAN HEAR ME !

MADDOG93:

Is that the Ward LaFrance that was in service in Alexandria, NH for several years? I know that they had a Ward LaFrance like that and a 1957 Mack "B"; both came from Port Chester, NY. I saw the Mack

when it was in service in Alexandria.

bulldogboy

Sorry bout the sideways pic

I thought that it was on mutual aid to Worcester and was climbing one of the hills.

bulldogboy

Is Charlton still interested in buying it?

bulldogboy

"How old can an active fire truck be?" Depends on where you live. In the mid-Atlantic region a fire truck has to be replaced either when it gets dirty or a neighboring fire department

buys a new truck (have to outdo the Jones, of course). Here in northern New England, departments run trucks that are 20, 30, or 40 years old because they have no other options.

Buying used trucks is big business. Rural fire departments have to buy what they can afford regardless of what the N.F.P.A. "recommends".

bulldogboy

To me, the quickest way to tell the difference is by looking at the windshield; "A"s have a one piece windshield, "L"s have a two piece windshield. There is also the size difference, "A"s are smaller than "L"s.

bulldogboy

Little tidbit of information; the famed naval architect William Francis Gibbs, who designed "Firefighter" in the 1930s, also designed the "Superpumper" system for FDNY in the 1960s.

bulldogboy

McDermontt?

Saw a McDermott milk tanker out of Enosburg Falls, VT in MA this week with a Peterbilt tractor. They were a long time IH user.

bulldogboy

Always take pics!!! New Macks will one day be the old Macks. Utica Mack always seem to have good stuff in the lot when I stop by.

I agree. When I think of all the old Macks that used to be around NH when I was a kid; "L"s, "E"s, "B"s, fire trucks, school buses, etc. I wish that I had pictures of them all.

Just memories, no photos.

bulldogboy

looked at that truck about 3 years ago when we were in Sarasota. its a mock up. they put the cannon on it. i think the cannon was originally on an old Sterling. was never on the B

Bummer, thought that I was on to something.

bulldogboy

Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus once used this Mack for its human cannonball show. The truck is on display at the Ringling Brothers Museum in

Sarasota, FL. You could say that Ringling Brothers got the most bang for its buck with this "B". There is also a miniature display of a Ringling Brothers circus

complete with Mack "AC" and "CJ" trucks. Well worth visiting if you are in the Sarasota area.

bulldogboy

kscarbel:

Thanks for the info; I missed that thread.

bulldogboy