1008 Brush Truck

[hendersond]

I suppose you guys have seen it all, but here are some pics of the brush truck a built for our FD a while ago. We had an M38a1 and a M715, but both had weak brakes and poor traction. We live in the Driftless area in western Wisconsin so the woodland is very steep. Our fires are mostly early spring. It is usually after the snow goes and the duff dries out. Underneath it is greasy. spent the money on tires so we could run in low range. We want to follow the nozzle man and hose puller. We usually run 50' of hose. Works the best because we can keep it off the ground. The driver is supposed to only go the same speed as the guys pulling on the hose. if he goes too fast, the hose touches the ground. If he does what we all agreed, it never touches the ground. Much safer than the truck driving ahead and the hose guys getting jerked around. The tires are the key. Great traction = safe speed. The tank is 150 gallons for a safe weight.
The first pic is the test run of the tank set up. We are on a training burn in someones yard. Otherwise the truck stays in the black and never the unburned area.

 

[hendersond]

Tires are Super Swamper Boggers 33x15.50x16.5. Bumbers are 3x6x1/4 tube with flame cut tow loops built in. We trimmed the bottom corners of the wheel wells for the tires rather than lift the truck. Emergency lights are in grill strobes and in taillights. We don't worrk about the "race" to get there we usually run the speed limit, so the lights are more for parking. We learned a long time ago to get ther safe and work smarter. The headache rack is for running the hose over the cab so the nozzle man is always in front and the hose is high.

 

[biggestc69]

Nice looking truck, looks like its got form and function.. I love the fact that these trucks found a purpose after they military was done with them instead of scraping them. I've got an old M715 former fire dept. rig and love it. I'm not a "purist" with these vehicles, they were tough trucks and are still on the road today doing work.

 

[Danger Ranger]

The truck looks good. I am definitely surprised to see boggers on it, as they really, really suck on the road, but if you are on a greasy hill then I guess they fit! Have you considered a level kit for the front of it? Like a 1-2" spacers or different leaves. That might help your tire fitting problem. Hope it works out for you.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Why only 150 gallons? You can go 250 and still have plenty of margin.

 

[Danger Ranger]

Screw up. sry

 

[Danger Ranger]

Why only 150 gallons? You can go 250 and still have plenty of margin.

Better maneuverability and space for cargo, and maybe men.
150*8=1200lbs of water + gear. Plenty of weight.
250gal = 2000lbs. Just a bit too much. You want that in your truck all the time???
Whats the load range on the Boggers you got?

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Hmmm. Mines a 1028 rated at 3600 payload, so a ton in the back isn't a problem, but then, I don't do that constantly, so I see your point.

 

[martindc1]

Why only 150 gallons? You can go 250 and still have plenty of margin.

Its easy to get a truck stuck in the kind of soil conditions he's talking about with that much water, though I'm guessing their choice of tires would help that a fair amount. They can always quickly refill with a staged tanker truck. It depends on the region, but 250 gallon tanks in brush trucks are common though.

The tuck looks great though, next time I go through Galesville I will keep an eye out for it. I have an affinity for older brush trucks. Richland Center just sold their round headlight square body that was in pristine condition. Occasionally I run across former brush truck CUCVs for sale when I'm poking around the 'net. There is a wildland fire private contractor in PA that has a CUCV pretty well documented on their website. My buddy has a M1010 that he got from a National Wildlife Refuge that was converted to a flatbed. I believe they used a slide-in apparatus with it for the prescribed burns.

 

[stranger75]

Nice truck! I routinely drive past a fire station in Franklin, TN where I believe they have a m1008 or 28 as a brush truck. Its hard to tell from the road because of all the chrome that has been added to it. I've been meaning to stop by and ask if I could check it out. I will post pictures when I do.

What year is the pump truck in the background in pic 4?

 

[Danger Ranger]

What year is the pump truck in the background in pic 4?

Probably newer than you think...lol. A local dept near a friend of mine had one like that, a Ford if I remember right, and when I checked the date on it looking for a 1970's date I found it to be a mid-1990s truck. It was pristine, and had a set of Firestone T831s on it. They were supposedly going to sell it soon.

 

[AVFD8]

Those fords had the longest production run; 1954 - 1996 if I remember right. Mack also used the cab for a few years in the 60,s as well as FWD trucks and Thibault fire trucks.