ideas for a new brush truck

[fao110]

we are looking at replaceing our brush truck, what i would like is ideas for a new truck. i know what we have and i think i kniow what we want and need.
we are looking at a low profile 1.5 or 1.75 ton 4x4 with pto driven pump our other option is a 2 ton 4x4 with a 500 gallon tank. both options will have a utility type body. no flat beds or pick up beds.

thanks
fao110

[BDVFD784]

www.brushtrucks.com

[CRFDrookie]

http://www.tiptonfire.org/188.html

[neiowa]

500gal, with a utility body, on a light duty/pickup chassis??? Thats a heck of a load.

[BDVFD784]

This is a different site than the one I posted above. www.brushtruck.com .We have 500 gal.on a 550 Ford.It carries it alright but if we were gonna do it again we would go with 400.This site has some 750 Fords that I would like to have.Good luck.

[1forbc]

500gal, with a utility body, on a light duty/pickup chassis??? Thats a heck of a load.

I have to agree. If you go anywhere soft like we do, you will sink.

[skvfd5]

[QUOTE=fao110;816538]we are looking at replaceing our brush truck, what i would like is ideas for a new truck. i know what we have and i think i kniow what we want and need.
we are looking at a low profile 1.5 or 1.75 ton 4x4 with pto driven pump our other option is a 2 ton 4x4 with a 500 gallon tank. both options will have a utility type body. no flat beds or pick up beds.


Are you building up a mini pumper/rescue or a wildland type 6 engine :confused:

As an ENGB on a wildfire engine I prefer the flatbed over the utility body. I have been asigned to both an engine with a pto pump and portable style, I would take the portable over the pto pump anyday. Just wish pump on the engine I'm on now had a diesel motor instead of gas. It's pain having to fill the truck with diesel and then the jerry cans and pump with gas.

[fao110]

the truck will be mainly be a brush truck, but it will have to be able to handle ems and at times as first in on vehicle accidents. we are not planning to carry extrication equipment on this truck.
we want to increase the brush fire attack capabilities over the truck we have now. i was thinkng about bumper mounted nozzles, a couple of booster reels 1 with 3/4 in booster hose and the other with 1 in forestry hose, class a foam, generator, scene lights, etc.

thanks
fao110

[randsc]

the truck will be mainly be a brush truck, but it will have to be able to handle ems and at times as first in on vehicle accidents. we are not planning to carry extrication equipment on this truck.
we want to increase the brush fire attack capabilities over the truck we have now. i was thinkng about bumper mounted nozzles, a couple of booster reels 1 with 3/4 in booster hose and the other with 1 in forestry hose, class a foam, generator, scene lights, etc.

thanks
fao110

Like neiowa said, that's a heck of a load. Two booster reels, 500 gal. tank, generator, pump, all on a light-duty? I wouldn't do it.

[Wildland]

This is a 88 Chevy 5/4 ton from MilSurp, aluminum bed, and 300 gal tank. The cab has been lifted 3" and now sits on a set of 36x12.5 Super Swampers. Spoolin front and rear means all wheel drive when the hubs are locked and the lever pulled. It goes places those pretty type 6 dualies dare not, have had more than a few of them chained to the bumper to be pulled back to concrete. Good thing about older trucks is that parts are cheaper and they can be fixed in the shop by us most of the time. It just got back yesterday from almost 2 months on the South GA fires, done great the 16 days I was ENGB.

[Wildland]

Another look........

[Wildland]

Last one..........

[HVFD65LRS372]

One of our brushtrucks. Our newest ones are F-350 superduty trucks with skid units on the back. They are our all purpose vehicles. They carry two airpacks and spare bottles, extrication equipment, med supplies, brush fire equipment, and the skid unit holds about 350 gallons of water & 150 of foam.

[hwoods]

I'm not real sure why a Utility body, except for looks. You want a Brush Rig, Here's my list of Parts..............

Ford F450 or 550, 4 Door Cab, 4X4, Diesel, Automatic, Automatic Hubs, High Flotation Tires, Air Conditioning.

Aluminum Flatbed, Aluminum Toolboxes Both Sides, Hose Beds on top of the Tool Boxes.

15,000 Pound Winch on Front, Reese Hitch setup on both sides and rear of Body for a portable 9,000 Pound winch.

250 Gal. tank, 250 Gpm Pump, Pump to go as high as 300PSI.

Left Hosebed for 1,000 ft. of Lightweight 2 or 2.5 Supply line. Right Hosebed for 500 Ft. of 1 inch and 500 Ft. of 1.5 Hose

4 Preconnected lines, 100, 200, and 300 ft. 1 inch, and 150 ft. 1.5 inch

No Foam Tank, No Foam System, No Booster Reel.

Space for 4 5 Gal Cans of Class A Foam to be used with a portable inline eductor.

That's a rough idea, anyway.

[Bowbreaker]

A type 6 wildland engine here consists of a 2 door 1 ton 4x4 with dual rear wheels, F550 preferred, with a flatbed and toolboxes on both side of the 300 gal water tank. Most use Scotty around the pump foamers and have 10 to 12 gallon foam tanks. 18 hp pressure pumps are the most common.

There is a tool rack on top of one of the tool boxes, right side is most common, for long handle tools like forks, shovels, combi tools, etc. The other side has a rack for hose, or fuel cans, or both.

A hose reel with 100 to 150 ft of low friction 1" hose is mounted beside the pump or on top of the tank. Ours are on top of the tanks. We carry 300 to 600 ft of 1" wildland hose, 300 ft of 1 3/4" hose, 600 ft of 3/4" toy hose, and a length of 2 1/2" to fill from a hydrant when possible.

Given enough money to have my dream type 6 it would have a CAFS unit and front and side remote control turrets.

For us dual rear wheels work best, foam makes our water go further with fewer rekindles, and we only use 2 firefighters per unit. 4 door units are too long and the extra cab just wastes weight we could be using to haul water and equipment.

Brad

[MG3610]

Here are two examples of brush trucks that you will get your moneys worth from.

The utility body is for a single rear wheel to keep the profile down. See the second picture for this.

The body is reinforced with steel tubing along the top and bottom edges for rigidity to allow the truck to push up against and pivot off trees.

The front bumper is steel and has tubular steel under it allowing you to push small trees down and run them over. The steel skid plates underneath protect all the jewels when doing this.

The pumps are typically seperate gas engine driven to allow them to operate at full power even at low speed (RPM).

There is a jumpseat on the rear for FF's to ride to operate jumplines from the truck as it moves.

The second photo is a typical NJ Forest Fire Service "Power Wagon"

http://www.sectionb10.org/b10fire_app.html