Hello,
New Member here. I wish to share with you about my fire department and how we recently purchased a 5 Ton for High water use . I hope this will generate new discussion on its capabilities as a rescue vehicle and allow for there to be an ongoing thread here as we modify and repair the 5 ton in service
A few months ago we finally managed to submerge and kill our 2 1/2 Ton that we had on loan from the Forestry Service. It had been with the department for the better part of 15 years. The repair costs had been mounting on a vehicle produced in 1967 that had served well past its time. Traditionally we would use this vehicle for high water and hurricane rescues with its ability to pull trees from the road or cross high water.
We discovered that we would be able to purchase a 5 ton from the state via DOD property sales.We traveled to the depot and found several vehicles to chose from.
The truck we ended up selecting had some paint issues but was mechanically sound and had low hours . There was some grumbling between members who wanted it and some who did not. I must say the price we paid was great(not sure if I can share that here) and was well worth it . On the way back there was some confusion on tank fuel gauge selector vs actual tank selection and the engine became fuel starved. We managed to get it back the 60 or so miles by being towed about half way. The only issues found were with the winch being very stiff and requiring a lot of leverage to open.
As some of you know we had record rainfall recently. the 5 ton came in to hard use within only a few months of being purchased. I will share the flooding pictures and look forward to more discussion
Thank you
New Member here. I wish to share with you about my fire department and how we recently purchased a 5 Ton for High water use . I hope this will generate new discussion on its capabilities as a rescue vehicle and allow for there to be an ongoing thread here as we modify and repair the 5 ton in service
A few months ago we finally managed to submerge and kill our 2 1/2 Ton that we had on loan from the Forestry Service. It had been with the department for the better part of 15 years. The repair costs had been mounting on a vehicle produced in 1967 that had served well past its time. Traditionally we would use this vehicle for high water and hurricane rescues with its ability to pull trees from the road or cross high water.
We discovered that we would be able to purchase a 5 ton from the state via DOD property sales.We traveled to the depot and found several vehicles to chose from.
The truck we ended up selecting had some paint issues but was mechanically sound and had low hours . There was some grumbling between members who wanted it and some who did not. I must say the price we paid was great(not sure if I can share that here) and was well worth it . On the way back there was some confusion on tank fuel gauge selector vs actual tank selection and the engine became fuel starved. We managed to get it back the 60 or so miles by being towed about half way. The only issues found were with the winch being very stiff and requiring a lot of leverage to open.
As some of you know we had record rainfall recently. the 5 ton came in to hard use within only a few months of being purchased. I will share the flooding pictures and look forward to more discussion
Thank you
