chevy s10 for small brush truck anyone

[bjlffire]

Does anyone have or seen a Chevy s10 used as a light brush truck/patrol truck?

I know the weight limitations, but what about some off road mods?

Thanks

[ctxffman]

most S-10 trucks I've come in contact with needed to be left in the brush fire.

Seriously thou, only for patrol work, suspension and or drive line wouldn't handle any thing else.

I've seen on the web, a Ford Ranger set up with a skid unit etc, but it was modified heavily.

[firetdriver99]

Does anyone have or seen a Chevy s10 used as a light brush truck/patrol truck?

I know the weight limitations, but what about some off road mods?

Thanks

I totally agree with the top post I have an s-10 as my personal vehicle even with the 4.3 liter engine in it I wouldnt expect it to due the duties of a brush rig. You would be better off finding an F-350 or dodge 2500 that would be more reliable.

[REVANANT]

If you're looking for a small manuverable off road rig, a lot of places have converted Jeep CJ series vehicles.

[Catch22]

I've been tossing this same idea around. Some kind of small, 4x4 brush rig to get into the tight, wooded areas of our district. The places our 1-ton won't go.

The though process started with a 4x4 S10 or even a Jeep of some kind. One guy pointed out a Scrambler as a possible option, since it's a been longer than the Wrangler versions. Something a little heavier than a Gator, Ranger, or what have you, but with similar maneuverability and ability to get into the tight spots.

The only limitation would be the tank and pump weights that the truck could handle. However, a guy could put a CAFS system in to make up for the water. It's definitely not a set-up you want to make overweight.

[RoaddoggAK]

If you want something small and manuverable, how about going with a standard cab short bed F-150? Its still going to give you that small unit youre after and its going to have better ground clearance and a lot tougher suspension.

[canuck1]

Ok - how about a GMC W series 4500 converted to 4 X 4 with a Waterous 90-45-GS CAFS Module, on a flat deck?

[bjlffire]

Catch22:

The why for is because I went by FEPP and they are getting afew in to put out to the Departments in Missouri.

I am trying to see if anyone has used thesae before.

If a CJ would work, then I think with a few mods an S10 would work well to.

Thanks all

[KAPNKRNCH]

These would be nice.

[npfd801]

I think if you keep the water tank within reason and don't overload the thing, I would bet it could do well. Less weight could be a real advantage in my opinion.

If you're getting it on the cheap, and don't have a brush rig already - it works for me.

[Fire1839]

This is what most companies in the pines of New Jersey use. This one was built almost exactly to the specs of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service trucks. it can get in to some real tight spaces and has the power and body strength to get out quick if a problem arose. it is a 2006 F-350. it has a 280 gallon tank.

[Catch22]

Catch22:

The why for is because I went by FEPP and they are getting afew in to put out to the Departments in Missouri.

I am trying to see if anyone has used thesae before.

If a CJ would work, then I think with a few mods an S10 would work well to.

Thanks all

I'm with ya. Like I say, if you keep the tank within reason, I see no reason it wouldn't work. Maybe use a high-pressure pump to get the most out of that water, unless you got the money for CAFS (which if you're looking at FEPP, probably not). Here before long they're supposed to get a big shipment of all kinds of stuff out there.

[islandfire03]

A S-10 only has a cargo carrying wt. of around 900 lbs. max and they are known for the frames snapping at the rear arch. the power company here bought a bunch of them and found that they were not lasting more than 2 years before having major issues.

[BoxAlarm187]

When I got hired with my career department about 7 years ago, we still had a late-80's S10 for a brush truck (the rest were based on Chevrolet 2500's and Ford F350's). The thing was deplorable - it was slow, overweight, hard to steer, and everyone hated it.

As some others have suggested, take a look at a Jeep Wrangler like Leesburg, VA and Mechanicsville, MD have done in the past year. A small booster tank, pump and even a CAFS system will do the job all day long.

[medicmaster]

Looks like an S-10 to me...(from the link to Mechanicsville Fire posted above)

[BoxAlarm187]

You're correct, they do still have this S10 (which is being replaced in the next several months by a full size pickup as a matter of fact), but Jeep 2 and Jeep 22 are the vehicles that I was referring to.

[npfd801]

I still think a bunch of you are missing the basic point of the thread - the poster has the possibility of getting an S10 to use for brush work on loan from the state's forestry service. For nothing. No cost. To me, if you could maybe make a few changes, put in a small simple skid that was light enough to not overload the rig, and do it for very little cost - more power to you...

What vintage of S10 are they offering? I think some of the older S10s weren't *that* bad. Mechanicsville's rig above doesn't look too bad, the *** isn't dragging. I wonder what size pump and tank they're running, but again, with the emphasis on free, I'd take one.

[agtcooper]

Boxalarm187 provided a link to the Jeep I was part of designing for the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. We went into this project knowing the limitations of the suspension of a Jeep and figured we had to keep the skid and water to about 600 lbs. We went with 60 gallons of water and 5 gallons of Class A foam and everything else we did was as light as possible. (You'll notice there's no rubber booster line -- too heavy.)

In the end, we also had budgeted and had installed custom springs to return the Jeep to its original ride height. (This was about a $2,000 expense.)

The ride of the Jeep is very good, even fully loaded. It doesn't sway at all and is very stable on and off road.

We went with a Jeep for the maneuverability. With a small footprint and excellent 4-wheel drive system, it is very capable off road.

Other people have mentioned the Polaris Ranger, etc. In the right model, these vehicles actuall have better payload capabilities than the Jeep. I've seen many with 100 gallon tanks! The problem is getting them to the scene.

An S-10 could likely be modified to carry the weight of a small skid unit. Just be prepared in your budget for suspension and braking upgrades. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[neiowa]

[QUOTE=npfd801;779620]I still think a bunch of you are missing the basic point of the thread - the poster has the possibility of getting an S10 to use for brush work on loan from the state's forestry service. For nothing. No cost. To me, if you could maybe make a few changes, put in a small simple skid that was light enough to not overload the rig, and do it for very little cost - more power to you...

....QUOTE]

If that is the case. Better choice would be to have the Forester get you a DOD surplus M1009 CUCV Blazer thru FEPP. Also for free option. Will still have significant limitations in load but a real "truck". Mid 80s diesel automatic Chevy. Many available.

How to convert see Roscommon:

http://www.roscommonequipmentcenter....ects/rec62.pdf