For the "Olde Fahrts"

[chiefengineer11]

To add on to that, if I remember correctly the globe had air in it and the pump would fill the globe compressing the air and the air would push the water through the hoses, with the piston pump serving to fill the globe. One of the books I read says that this design was even employed on some hand pumpers.

What's actually happening is that on piston upstrokes, some of the water is going into the dome (path of least resistance) and compressing the air head until the air pressure equalled the pump pressure. On downstrokes (lower pump pressure), the air is pushing water back out and into the discharge port(s). Those actions smoothed out the pulsations in the lines, but not by a long shot did it completely eliminate them.

[LaFireEducator]

The first year I was at my college Fire department we ran a mid 40's Buffalo with a piston pump so I remember those pulsations well.

I pretty much died later that year and we replaced it with a Dodge Power Wagon with a front-mount pump and a 250 gallon water tank.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

That's a fine fleet of Foxes!

[Rescue101]

The first year I was at my college Fire department we ran a mid 40's Buffalo with a piston pump so I remember those pulsations well.

I pretty much died later that year and we replaced it with a Dodge Power Wagon with a front-mount pump and a 250 gallon water tank.

Buffalo with a PISTON or ROTARY gear pump? We have a 39 with a rotary gear, I'm not aware of a Buffalo with a piston,not that it isn't possible. T.C.

[Rescue101]

That's a fine fleet of Foxes!

Wonderful that so many have been kept in working condition. They were a FINE machine,ahead of their time at the time. STILL will give a NEW rig a run for the money. T.C.

[salvage]

Great pieces of apparatus, except that I've noticed they require two operators: one to work the controls and a second to stand there and tell you how great they are.

[chiefengineer11]

Great pieces of apparatus, except that I've noticed they require two operators: one to work the controls and a second to stand there and tell you how great they are.

Nobody had to tell you that - they spoke for themselves!

[FWDbuff]

Wonderful that so many have been kept in working condition. They were a FINE machine,ahead of their time at the time. STILL will give a NEW rig a run for the money. T.C.

There is a great story that goes with that Pawtucket RI Sedan-Cab unit (which is a 1937 by the way......)

Seems that back at that time, the Maxim salesman for that part of the country (which of course was smack dab in the middle of Maxim's backyard) was incensed that Pawtucket had purchased a Fox over his wares. He was also perturbed that Fox was also picking up sales all over his territory (again Maxim's very backyard.) Maxim salesman started spouting off about how his product was superior to the Fox, and how "those piston pumps weren't worth doo-doo."

So the Fox salesman (I forget his name....) bet the Maxim salesman $1000 bucks that the Pawtucket truck pictured above would pump a decent stream through ONE MILE of 2.5" hose.

They set it up one day, and folklore has it that the Fox was successful, and that the Fox salesman used the winnings to pay the Pawtucket firefighters for their time in laying out and re-packing all that hose.

[npfd801]

There's an Ahrens Fox, complete, with the "pressure dome," sitting in the maintenance bay of a friend's fire department here in Illinois. It pains him that it hasn't been restored and is super rough, but at least the political hacks haven't scrapped it or tried to pawn it off. It is where it belongs, and hopefully it ends up restored and back to its former glory. What a beautiful machine, I stood staring at for at least an hour one evening. I won't say where for fear someone will make the city fathers (who are in hate the fire department mode) a cash offer they can't refuse to take it off their hands...

Thanks for the pics Randy.

[Box2565]

Nice pictures!

You can see individual shots of all of the 'Foxes that were on hand by viewing these two links on the Youngstown Fire Forums.

Ahrens-Fox Apparatus 1930 - 1977

Pre-1930 Ahrens-Fox Apparatus

[LaFireEducator]

Buffalo with a PISTON or ROTARY gear pump? We have a 39 with a rotary gear, I'm not aware of a Buffalo with a piston,not that it isn't possible. T.C.

Chief ...

I mistyped ... I meant to say a rotary pump.

I must have been half asleep ... or just my usual self .... who knows?