My four-year-old grandson Aryeh wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. He’s got a full fire chief’s outfit and his ears perk up whenever he hears a siren. That’s probably due to the influence of Fireman Sam cartoons and the fact there was a fire in one of the buildings in the apartment complex where he lived until just recently.
There are worse things he could do when he gets older. For example, scouring auction listings of oddball vehicles he can’t really afford — like his grandfather.
That’s how I came across this listing on GovDeals.com, a “liquidity services marketplace” where government entities in the U.S. and Canada dispose of their surplus equipment.
The city of Lansing, Michigan is selling a 1991 Spartan PF-125-100 Fire Pumper made by the Quality Mfg company. The ad says it was “still in working condition at the time it was decommissioned from service,” which must be fireman talk for “ran when parked.”
You don’t have to worry much about rust because the chassis is said to be made of stainless steel and, by the 1990s, I’m pretty sure firetrucks bodies were being made out of aluminum.
Mileage isn’t listed but working hours on the clock are 5,774. It has a Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engine and an HT741 Allison transmission. If you want to put out some fires, or just have a very large garden that needs watering, it has a two-stage pump with 1,250 GPM capacity, which will empty out the 1,000-gallon water tank in less than a minute.
Even if you’re not into firefighting gear, this has possibilities. Paint it in your alma mater’s school colors and use it for tailgating at football games. It has a cab big enough your friends and a tank that will hold 1,000 gallons of beer.
As I write this, the auction has another two and a half days to go with a current high bid of $2,700. Unfortunately for Aryeh, I’m already somewhat committed to restoring my own private barn find Lotus and, in any case, I have no place to store something this large.
If you dreamt of being a fireman when you grew up and have some place to store a very big toy, $2,700 is small change for something that will get you attention at any car show you attend. If you miss out on the ’91 Spartan, here are the rest of the firetrucks listed on the site. Prices range from $75,000 for a 2001 Pierce down to $350 for an FMC Ford-based firetruck that runs but doesn’t pump.
Makes more sense to me than just another ’57 Chevy.
[Images: govdeals.com]
“there was a fire in one of the buildings in the apartment complex where he lived until just recently”
My goodness. When did it start?
Considering how many commas I use in general, I should have had one before “where”.
I know about the Oxford comma (I’m a big fan of the Oxford comma). I, KNOW, about the Shatner, comma. I KNOW, about, the, Walken, comma. And now I guess know about the Schreiber comma!
(You’re in the company of some greats, Ronnie.)
Have Shatner and Walken (dramatic pause) ever worked together?
Shortly after Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7, I assume.
Reverse the pump for God’s own wet-vac!
Empty swimming pools!
Flood restoration!
Bleed some pressure into a detergent tank>spray unit and clean carpets in minutes!
“clean carpets in minutes!”
Or switch back to hardwood…
Completely agree… carpets are just filth traps.
But hey, you gotta offer a service people want.
I’m just saying, you reverse a fire truck pump and you may switch back to hardwood whether you want to or not!
Heh… I at first thought of that, a disclaimer about yanking them loose, but decided that keeping my comments as brief as possible is always wisest.
Wait a second… emptying swimming pools wasn’t part of the fire truck mission in Grant Theft Auto. What the?? I mostly drove around and sprayed random pedestrians with the hose. I feel like I missed out on something!
“I feel like I missed out on something!”
Trust me, you’d rather always just deal with a clean water tank than a recovery tank.
I kinda like this one better for $2650. It even has a diesel generator…
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=10&acctid=4579
Probably get snapped-up by some rural volunteer outfit.
Ronnie; my grandson is the same age, and loves fire engines too. He has been to several fire museums and fire houses. He probably will be a fire fighter when he grows up.
That $350 fire engine is too close to us; the temptation is strong. ;) There is a campground near us that has the usual bicycles for rent, paintball, human maze, etc. But they also have a pair of fire engines, including a 1960s Ford/FMC like the $350 engine in the listing. The pump does not work; but they welded a ladder to the back to make it easy for kids and adults to climb on top. They then hand everyone a water squirter, and drive a course that has several wooden “fires” nailed along the way. The truck sounds it’s sirens, and everyone squirts at the “fires” as they pass. It is also used for parades around the campground. The kids and grandkids loved it; some of the controls in the cab reminded me of Mom and Dad’s 1967 Country Sedan station wagon.
” The pump does not work;”
Vandals took the handles?
All the gauges and handles seem to be there; I assume there is something wrong between the engine PTO and the pump itself. The pump in the $350 Ford also does not work.
Apparently Vandals did not take the handles; nor did the Visigoths.
Did you get with the Ostrogoths?
Not even Bob Dylan could make Ostrogoths rhyme.
Buy this, an acre of plastic tarp and create THE MOST EPIC SLIP N’ SLIDE OF ALL TIME.
Just bring earplugs; those two-stroke Detroits are real screamers.
I know a guy who runs a construction biz. He bought an old firetruck, installed a flatbed behind the can, and uses the truck daily in his business. The huge cab means he can haul an entire work crew to the job site along with materials and tools.
Phuq, that’s cool. NASA-grade crew cab.
Another option that requires more work, but is cheaper up front, is to buy an old school bus and cut the cab down to, oh, 2 rows of seats (9 passenger cab), leaving as long of a flatbed as you want. Bus sections are modular so the whole thing can be shortened easily.
Public service announcement:
I used to work with a man who used to work at American LaFrance, a fire truck maker. He said they had research indicating that the majority of firemen killed in the line of duty were actually killed DRIVING TO THE FIRE. Apparently, these beauties don’t handle all that great when filled to the gills with tons of water. With many trucks having extensive customization for each department, and many small manufacturers designing and building the trucks, critical engineering details could be missed. And they often were. Combine suspect rollover stability with limited emergency driver training, and it makes a very dangerous situation.
Summary: Don’t buy one of these, fill it up, and immediately go flying around some corners. It could turn nasty in a hurry.
I remember about seven years ago a fire pumper rolled on an exit ramp on it’s way to a fire in Houston. I bet that is exactly what happened.
Imagine a fire truck trying the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca.
Curse you, Ronnie!
Now there is a whole bunch of stuff I don’t need but really, really want.
Like the 15 lb. lot of assorted Leatherman tools! (look under confiscated items).
On a few occasions I’ve been tempted to buy one of these used trucks. I have the storage space. I know of a few car shows to which I could drive it. And, as suggested in the article, I could use it for tailgating at a local college ball game. But, these trucks are just too big for me to handle (I think) and, although I have experience driving a delivery truck of almost similar size, I’d be afraid to attempt driving one of these things. Perhaps, someday (for now, it is fun to just dream about it).
Some brewery PR should buy this and upgrade it to deliver massive amounts of suds to fairs. How could it not draw a crowd?
SOLD for $2700; with buyer’s premium, $3,037.50.
Try this site too : http://www.publicsurplus.com/
We used it to sell off huge spools of wire and other misc. crap .
-Nate