Antique fire trucks

[firefighterbeau]

Just wondering who i could contact to find out the value of a couple old trucks my dad has, he recently passed away and were trying to find out what they are worth. I can post pics later when the snow melts away from them. 1954 Seagrave and i believe the other is a 1949? LaFrance

[FWDbuff]

Just wondering who i could contact to find out the value of a couple old trucks my dad has, he recently passed away and were trying to find out what they are worth. I can post pics later when the snow melts away from them. 1954 Seagrave and i believe the other is a 1949? LaFrance

There is not a huge market for antique fire trucks, as a result their re-sale value is not very high unless they are in very good condition or somewhat rare. The poorer condition they are in and the more common they are obviously render them less valuable; unless sought after by someone needing parts. I hate to say it but many antiques these days (especially the ones in poor condition) are being sold for their scrap value; but thats not to say that yours are not worth anything. However your words "when the snow melts away from them" tells me they have been stored outside and may be in deteriorating condition. Post pictures when you can, and I may be able to give you ball park figures.

[firefighterbeau]

thanks for the post, the trucks are definately restorable, one hardly has any rust as its not been sitting outside that long just this winter, the other one i havent looked at in years but has been parked in a corner so i dont think there is much damage, maybe just a lil more surface rust. but i will post some pictures when i can.

[FWDbuff]

thanks for the post, the trucks are definately restorable, one hardly has any rust as its not been sitting outside that long just this winter, the other one i havent looked at in years but has been parked in a corner so i dont think there is much damage, maybe just a lil more surface rust. but i will post some pictures when i can.

You should get them to an inside storage space as soon as possible. Weather is the worst enemy to an antique firetruck. The space does not have to be climate-controlled, but dry, and out of the rain and wind. Make sure the trucks are properly winterized- tanks and pumps have all been drained.

Covering them does not help. Even with a good-quality RV cover on mine for about a year, I paid the price by allowing all my chrome to become pitted with rust from built-up moisture under the truck.

[Station32]

FWDBuff put it perfectly, having restored several trucks myself they usually are more expensive to fix than they are worth. There truely a labor of love. I too would be happy to offer and educated guess on the value or you could check out the SPAAMFAA website and check out comparables.

http://www.spaamfaa.org/forsaleapparatus.html

[FIRE117]

Do you know which fire departments originally had these trucks?

Sometimes, the FD's that originally had them (or even fire buff's) would like to purchase those particular trucks to restore and use for parade pieces.