Quote Originally Posted by DaveO View Post
A tip of the welding cap to you- first for volunteering and then for bringing outside talent to the immediate benefit of the department. Saving $500 over retail is some pretty serious bucks! I'm going to keep that tip about the carbide moulding blade in my back pocket too.
Thanks Dave. I am a Mechanical Engineer and I often get involved with some projects that most folks would just buy new to replace as they would never have the confidence to "open the box and see what's inside".

This part of the repair was about a $1000 savings for the department. The rest of it will cost about $1300 in parts, but that will net probably another $1000+ in savings.

We have insurance of course, and it woudl have paid for this. The cost of the insurance is quite high as it is and unless it isn't practical, we usually don't turn in the "smaller" stuff.

These days you can barely scratch the surface of getting a new truck for under $250k, most are more in the range of $350+. Can;t really blame the insurance companies on the rates when the trucks are covered for full replacement value.

We have a 1986 American LaFrance that was purchased form a department in Carnegie PA. The truck was in a flood. The whole thing was stripped and repainted in-house (it was robin egg blue). The driveline parts were torn down, flushed adn re-lubed and the rear end was cleaned and re-lubed by a truck repair facility as a precaution.

The truck body is all stainless (othe than the top portion of the cab which is plain carbon) and it has a 400HP Detroit Diesel engine in it.

All told, I believe the total costs was about $35k including purchase of the truck. This is one of the last "real" trucks made as today they really aren't as heavy and robust. Even the Seagrave trucks which are quite nice, just aren't as robust, and repair costs are high. This truck has all mechanical pump operations, which I can repair or fab parts for as opposed to electronic, remote console operation.
The LaFrance was done before I move into town, but I have since added an extended front bumper to it to house the rescue tools.
It will need periodic maintenance or repairs, but will probably be around for another 20 years and will still pump with anything out there (and the sound of the Detroit can't be beat either).

I'm really not all that into the part of "being a fire fighter" (although I am the Asst Chief). I do it more because there is a need and I am able to do it.

Unlike quite few of the guys / girls involved with the department who are really into it, I truly wish the whistle (which I re-wired as well) would never blow again.