# Fire Truck/Snow Plow



## bleedorange (Dec 14, 2007)

First post here, love the site. Not a commercial plower, but a life long snowplow chaser. Thought some of you might enjoy this. Alexis Fire Equipment in Alexis, IL manufactured a brush truck/snow plow for Washburn, IL pretty cool mounting system. Enjoy pics.


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

nice pic's but you need to make them bigger........


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## bleedorange (Dec 14, 2007)

Sorry, took them from their website. here is a link to site.

http://www.alexisfire.com/Company/RecentEvents/DeliveryDays/WashburnSK694_D/index.html


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

Thanks for the link!!


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## firstclasslawn (Sep 5, 2005)

isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/storyimages/Firetruck3.jpg
THis is like what the department by me uses. They had a nasty swamp fire last year and got a few f350's stuck trying to put out the fire.

The reason I question this is because I have a 3500 duramax 4x4 DUally, and it HATES wet ground. My 2500hd does 1000834503485093485093 times better in wet ground then my dually. the heavy duramax front end sinks right down.


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## VBigFord20 (Aug 17, 2004)

I like how the brush guard hooks to the boss frame. I should work something like that up for my light bar so I no longer have to bolt it to the truck and take it off in the fall.


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## William B. (Jul 22, 2004)

Alexis builds our fire trucks. They arn't to far from me about an hour or so. They do some good work.


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## bleedorange (Dec 14, 2007)

> isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!


I have been a volunteer for 12 years, and 90% of our calls are field/brush fires. We take our 25,000lb F-750 out into fields, plenty of weight over the drive tires combined with excellent traction and of course good ground speed and it really works very well for field fires, to this day, that truck has never been stuck (1973 model). Here is a link to some other brush trucks if you're interested.

http://www.alexisfire.com/FireEquipment/MiniUnits/minis.html


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## dmontgomery (Oct 3, 2003)

firstclasslawn;455587 said:


> isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!
> 
> http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/storyimages/Firetruck3.jpg
> THis is like what the department by me uses. They had a nasty swamp fire last year and got a few f350's stuck trying to put out the fire.
> ...


Thats funny since my old chief bought a 30,000lbs wildland interface truck for a brush truck about 10 years ago....huge mistake........ It is going to be traded in soon for a 1 ton.....with a side in unit.......


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## 04superduty (Jan 9, 2004)

do you know if they sell that brush guard that fits in the boss mount. i have always wanted to do something just like that.


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

I think that's a very resourceful thing to do with a truck. I like the idea and have always been a proponent of multifunction trucks, rather than simply a "utility" and a "brush truck" and various other vehicles that are far underused. Don't have any pictures, but I had a custom fabricated brush guard for my truck with the conventional Fisher mount. Off with the headgear, bolted the brush guard on. Worked pretty slick, and it's one of the reasons I liked the conventional better! 

Thanks for the posting


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## NoFearDeere (Nov 7, 2005)

Ive been hoping some day Boss would make a brush guard or push bumper that hooked up to the Smarthitch....they have one customer right here!:waving:


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## groundbreakers (Jan 16, 2004)

POPO4995;456370 said:


> Ive been hoping some day Boss would make a brush guard or push bumper that hooked up to the Smarthitch....they have one customer right here!:waving:


ya outta call em up and suggest that .. who knows they might sell even more plows .. with attachments that you can buy LOL ...


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## PolyPlowBoss (Dec 12, 2007)

firstclasslawn, is your snow ex still for sale? If it is, how much are you asking and do you have some pics?



firstclasslawn;455587 said:


> isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!
> 
> http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/storyimages/Firetruck3.jpg
> THis is like what the department by me uses. They had a nasty swamp fire last year and got a few f350's stuck trying to put out the fire.
> ...


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## nicksplowing (Oct 5, 2005)

firstclasslawn;455587 said:


> isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!
> 
> http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/storyimages/Firetruck3.jpg
> THis is like what the department by me uses. They had a nasty swamp fire last year and got a few f350's stuck trying to put out the fire.
> ...


JUST WONDERING WHY THERE WOULD BE A BRUSH FIRE IN AREA WITH WET GROUND.........SORRY  HAD TO ASK ?


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## jjklongisland (Nov 13, 2006)

On Long Island that would be called a mini attack brush truck. We use old duece in halfs. We do not go around the trees, we go through them...

http://www.sayvillefd.org/content/apparatus/


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

nickplowing1972;458584 said:


> JUST WONDERING WHY THERE WOULD BE A BRUSH FIRE IN AREA WITH WET GROUND.........SORRY  HAD TO ASK ?


When people water a Christmas tree, they water just the base, but it's the needles that dry out, right? Vegetation is like that too. One thing about a wet field or forest bed is that the root structures will take much longer to get burning. A brush truck is also a good alternative to taking a fire truck down a logging road or across a field to a fire (not nessarily just a brush or forest fire).


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## linycctitan (Aug 13, 2007)

firstclasslawn;455587 said:


> isn't that a bit heavy of a truck to be a brush fire truck? Wouldn't a 10,000 lb truck sink when you try to drive it across a somewhat wet field!
> 
> http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/storyimages/Firetruck3.jpg
> THis is like what the department by me uses. They had a nasty swamp fire last year and got a few f350's stuck trying to put out the fire.
> ...


We use ex-military 5-ton chassis, add the bars, tank & pump, cages and lots of skidplates to allow us access to anywhere we need to go. We have gotten stuck a time or 2 and when the 6WD won't keep you moving, the winch sure will. This pic was taken before it was painted red, looks much better now.


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## StoneDevil (Dec 13, 2007)

Now all u need is a Plow


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## Supper Grassy (May 31, 2007)

Very nice trucks, they look heavy


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## THREE W (Jan 18, 2002)

Just depends on where your at and what you do. Around here grass/brush trucks run form 1 tons to 2 1/2 ton trucks. We fight a lot of wheat field fires and forest fires. The jeep you have works great for you, but the soft top and the smaller water tank wouldn't do the job around here.

On the other hand some of the bigger trucks probably would not work in your neck of the wood, the big 6x6 in New york would roll on most of our hilly terrain, but if your on flat ground with lots of brush I bet it puts out a ton of fire.

Each you own depending on what you have and are trying to do.. What is fun is to see the different types see some of our training photos


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## jjklongisland (Nov 13, 2006)

linycctitan;459038 said:


> We use ex-military 5-ton chassis, add the bars, tank & pump, cages and lots of skidplates to allow us access to anywhere we need to go. We have gotten stuck a time or 2 and when the 6WD won't keep you moving, the winch sure will. This pic was taken before it was painted red, looks much better now.


5 tons are nice... There is no other more powerful feeling than driving a duece in a half or 5 ton through the dense woods and making your own fire roads...


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## PolyPlowBoss (Dec 12, 2007)

jjklongisland;459956 said:


> 5 tons are nice... There is no other more powerful feeling than driving a duece in a half or 5 ton through the dense woods and making your own fire roads...


Driving a duece in a half is every man's dream!! Isn't it?


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## Ggg6 (Oct 14, 2003)

Quote THREE W
"Just depends on where your at and what you do. Around here grass/brush trucks run form 1 tons to 2 1/2 ton trucks. We fight a lot of wheat field fires and forest fires. The jeep you have works great for you, but the soft top and the smaller water tank wouldn't do the job around here.

On the other hand some of the bigger trucks probably would not work in your neck of the wood, the big 6x6 in New york would roll on most of our hilly terrain, but if your on flat ground with lots of brush I bet it puts out a ton of fire."

Very well said THREE W.
What works in one geographical area does not work in others. There are very few swamps, or pine forrest's in IL. When we (in the midwest) talk about field fires it is usually cultivated fields with wheat, beans, potatoes, or corn, with the occasional prairie grass areas and highway median grassy areas. So when the "field" is wet it really does not burn due to the type of vegetation, but there is always that exception. There are quite a wide variety of grass rigs around here. I have seen 5 ton surplus military to 1/4 ton Jeeps and everything in between. I personally have used a County road grader to plow up beans in a very large field to make a fire break to contain and stop the fire progressing to a few large homes that were adjacent to the field. It is always interesting in the ingenuity Depts. have in designing a rig.


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## jjklongisland (Nov 13, 2006)

Ggg6;461512 said:


> Quote THREE W
> "On the other hand some of the bigger trucks probably would not work in your neck of the wood, the big 6x6 in New york would roll on most of our hilly terrain, but if your on flat ground with lots of brush I bet it puts out a ton of fire."


That comment is true... The duece in a halfs and 5 tons along with a large water tank have a real high center of gravity and do not like side slopes or side inclines... We had a local brush fire in one of the parks in my neighborhood and it happens to have some hills and in this one spot the fire was coming toward us and we had to make a break for it and reposition, the only way out was on a slope, and I am not talking a 30% grade, it was like 10% or so and the only thing keeping the truck upright was the large oak trees the side of the truck was rubbing against... That was one fire I had white knuckles and it wasnt from the fire but from the slope... It is real effective though in dense Pine Barren brush especially without alot of fire roads...


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

nickplowing1972;458584 said:


> JUST WONDERING WHY THERE WOULD BE A BRUSH FIRE IN AREA WITH WET GROUND.........SORRY  HAD TO ASK ?


Because it's not the ground burning, it's the brush\grass\trees burning. Spring time is our busiest, generally. Ground just thawed out, spring rains, dead grass. You get the idea.



linycctitan;459038 said:


> This pic was taken before it was painted red, looks much better now.


You mean you left it out in the sun long enough to ripen.  

Good choice, fire trucks are supposed to be red.


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## firstclasslawn (Sep 5, 2005)

nickplowing1972;458584 said:


> JUST WONDERING WHY THERE WOULD BE A BRUSH FIRE IN AREA WITH WET GROUND.........SORRY  HAD TO ASK ?


Have you ever heard of a swamp fire. They are without a doubt the toughest wildfires to put out. They burn under the moss and you can't usually see the fire. Sure a 20,000 lb truck can drive across a field, but we have swamps around here.


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