bulldogboy

Pemfab, a custom fire truck chassis manufacturer, used Mack engines in a some of its vehicles. I think that the president of Pemfab worked for the Mack fire apparatus division at one time. They are now out of business. bulldogboy

A young girl answers the phone and the caller asks, "May I speak to your father?". The girl says, "My father ain't here." So the caller says, "May I speak to your mother?" The girl answers, "My mother ain't here". The caller says to the girl, "Young lady, where is your grammar?" The girl answers, "She ain't here, either." bulldogboy

Joe: How's everything in Kenvir? Did Yocum Creek order the fire truck that you were spec'ing? bulldogboy

That's not unusual, many fire departments try to stay one step ahead of a neighboring fire department. Each one has to outdo the others with a newer, bigger truck with all the lights, sirens, bells and whistles. The firefighting equipment is the same (and secondary), it's the bling that is most important. Another reason that departments do away with tractor trailer tankers is that they are too big and unwieldy to use on narrow country roads. Several straight tankers can operate more efficiently than a TTT. And, as hard as it is may be for members of this forum to believe, there are many who cannot operate tractor trailers (me included) so that these tankers will not respond to calls. Some departments have bought tractors, stretched the frames, and made them into tankers. This can be a very dangerous practice if not done by someone who knows how to safely build trucks. Botsford, CT bult a tanker on a used "CH" chassis; it appears that they took the time to correctly build a safe truck. bulldogboy

A rare model well worth saving. Good luck with it bulldogboy

Yes, Al, Savannah, Natalie, Willie Giest, and Santa Claus. bulldpgboy

If this is still an in-service fire engine a diesel engine should extend its life for quite a few years. Fire engines have a valve on the pump panel to allow water from the fire pump to circulate around the engine to keep it cool while pumping (as fxfymn says). At least the "L" and "B" models that I operated did; not sure about these new fangled computer controlled engines. bulldogboy

This morning (11/14/2012) a Mack "Pinnacle" tractor delivered the Christmas tree to Rockefeller Center in NYC. bulldogboy

Mack 3P: Great looking GU fire truck. Do you know what fire department it is going to? 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

Still a few small departments in New England with mutiple Macks: Rowe, MA. has two engines on "MR" chassis and a tanker on a "R" model, Hinsdale, MA. has three "MC" chassied apparatus and a "R" chassied tanker, Bridgewater, CT has three "MR" models. A few new tankers on "Granite" chassis have shown up here and there. Most MA departments that had Macks have replaced them with Pierce and E-One; all cookie cutter trucks lacking the character of a Mack fire engine. bulldogboy

Vinny: I'll bet a lot of those Macks in Ocala are headed to Haiti; seems a lot of old Macks end up there. The "CF" fire engine is formerly Fitzwilliam, NH and prior to there, English Consul, MD. I used to drive a "C" model ladder truck; that "C" model tractor would fit in my yard. Too bad I can't afford it. bulldogboy

Sacrilegious, just like years ago when the original FDNY satellite units were refurbbed and the Mack "C" model cabs were replaced with nondescript square cabs. Not to mention Marcus Hook, PA who had the only Mack "N" model ladder truck ever built and then replaced the cab with an IHC. At least they could have used an "MC" cab. That's my rant for today. bulldogboy

Well, I guess I learned something here today, UPS did NOT always leave the bulldog on their Macks. My bad. bulldogboy

Interesting that UPS took all the chrome, name plates, etc. off of their trucks but they always left the bulldog on their Macks. bulldogboy

Gotta get to Lubbock someday; need to see the Buddy Holly museum. I've been to Clear Lake, IA but I want to see where it all began. bulldogboy

It would be great if another department bought it and kept it in service. I know that Charlton has a chrome yellow Aerialscope that they bought from a department in PA. bulldogboy

Always sad to see a "CF" go out of service but I guess time marches on. I joined my fire department when we still ran "L" and "B" model Macks and I was there when we purchased our "CF" models. Now they, too, are all gone; makes me feel really old. Didn't Millbury's and Leicester's Aerialscopes respond to the Worcester Cold Storage fire in 1999? bulldogboy

Loadstar: Double clutching is definitely learned by doing. I learned to double clutch when I joined the fire department. My department had a fleet of "L" and "B" models so double clutching was mandatory. I found that each Mack, like people, had its own personality, some shifted easily, others required that you hit the right spot when shifting gears. In general, I found the "L" models easier to shift than the "B" models; perhaps because they were older and the gears were worn down more. In any event, I did my share of grinding the gears. Both the "L" with its four speed transmission and the "B" with a five speed started in second gear. Good luck with your Mack. bulldogboy

Interesting story about that 1960 "C" model ladder truck in NYC. It looks strange with those two boxes mounted on the front fenders. There was a story in the Mack magazine, "Bulldog" several issues ago about the Woodsboro, MD Fire Department who was special called to the Pentagon on 9/11/2001 with their 1955 Mack "B" model ladder truck. All the current ladder trucks were too big to fit into the Pentagon but the old Mack was perfect for the job. bulldogboy

This might change the "Camping World Truck Series" to the "Sleeper Cab Series" or something like that. bulldogboy

I know that there was a difference in front bumpers. 1947 and earlier had small front bumpers, from 1948 on to the end of the model run "L" models had the larger, full bumpers. I never noticed that there was a difference in the front fenders. bulldogboy

Yep, I remember those days, painting the running boards on the "L" and "B" model engines with silver paint. Then we painted the tires with tire black, highlighted the letters in white, and waxed them; they looked great. Those were fire trucks with class! bulldogboy

I'm pretty sure that the four square headlights were added to these trucks during a refurbishment. I have also seen "CF" and "MC" fire trucks with the four square headlights added during a rehab. The "R", "CF", and "MC"s came from the factory with single round headlights. I prefer the single headlights, that's what Mack intended them to have. As to fire bodies used on Macks; when Mack built a complete apparatus they built most of the "CF" models but the "R" and "MB"/"MC" bodies were built by other manufacturers such as Grumman (Howe) and Hamerly. bulldogboy

I'm sure that Mack is happy selling 100 trucks to the military regardless of whether they are tactical or administrative models. bulldogboy