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| In years past some of the local fire departments had retired fuel trucks as tankers. Most had the fuel system stripped and added a dump valve and small gas engine driven pump to fight fire with. They were overloaded due to water being heaver than fuel. The tanks developed leaks quickly after being converted. They worked when no money was available but in recent years grants have helped these departments purchase real fire apparatus. As mentioned earlier almost all true pumpers have pumps that are driven by the truck engine by use of a transfer case that transfers the power from the drivetrain to the pump. No pump and roll function. For what you want and need any kind of tank with a small engine driven pump and some 1 inch forestry hoes mounted on a trailer or skid would be most beneficial. The trailer might be the best because it does not tie up a vehicle when not in use and there is always something nearby that will start unlike a truck that gets used once a year. I would look for a small 1000 gallon of less spray tender trailer. It would already have the pump and plumbing. Most rural departments have a skid unit in the bask of a side by side that works great for grass fires and they just refill from the truck at the scene. You might want to make a platform on the back of the tender trailer to haul a side by side. Another thing that works well is either a seat on the trailer or a remote flood nozzle that can be used as the rig is driven down the fire line. Another benefit of the tender trailer is it can be pulled with a tractor if the ground is unsuitable to get a truck in the field. I did see a picture one time of a Big A floater turned into a grass fire rig. No idea how that worked but looked interesting. | |
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Fuel truck as a firetruck
