Oshkosh P-4 Fire Crashtruck Preservation

[m1010plowboy]

This thread will be open to all Fire Fighters and Service Folks who may have a story on the P-4 Crash truck and all Fire Fighting related stories suited to Steel Soldiers.

The P-4 in the photos will be preserved with Poly Paint with some big hopes the Cat 1693 is healthy enough to make this beast pump water some day. Contact has been made with Indiantown Pa. fire station to see if we can gather some history on this ol' girl all in one place.

Still can't believe I have it so not exactly sure what else we're doing with this truck because it found me and I was not looking for a 44,000lb fire truck.

The PO was moving out of his gravel pit and needed to move decades of purchases, conveyers, rock-trucks, drag-lines, trailers, end-dumps and this old crash truck that his Dad bought. I did him a favor and hauled the P-4 away.

I don't have enough history to map out how it got to Canada or how long it's been here but that information is coming. The PO fought bog fires with it and used it around the pits. It was driven to the spot I first saw it prior to 2004. His Dad told him that it was getting hot so he parked it. The cheapest and the best possibility is a head gasket. For the little time I've had to research the Cat engine, it would be cheaper to drop in a new Cat than try and fix the 1693, if we can find parts....we'll see.

I tried to find the TM's online and still haven't found them but the PO solved the problem by pulling 2 fresh books from his pick-up.

TO 36A12-12-14-4 Parts Break-down and TO 36A12-12-14-1 OP and Maint Instructions are two manuals for this truck now I don't need to ask any questions about the P-4.

So if anyone knows about the 1693 or the 240 Rockwells or why we could not get this thing to role without one wheel spinning backwards.....I have a million questions and appreciate any feedback.

Ended up torching the front drive-shaft to let the front axle spin and dragged her kicking and screaming up the ramps. The unload was sweet with a tug from the M207 and a free ride off the deck to her temporary parking spot.

Turned out to be a fairly simple 44,000 lb dead truck dragging recovery on ice.

The P-4 Oshkosh.

 

[m1010plowboy]

Oshkosh P-4

Interior, pumps, engine, hour meter, hose reels, door decal, cool.

 

[patracy]

Wish I could find one of those. For parts...

 

[m1010plowboy]

Wish I could find one of those. For parts...

You may upgrade your membership and post in the classifieds.

Can't believe I said that. What parts were you looking for that I don't have?

 

[patracy]

I want a set of those axles.

 

[gimpyrobb]

DaveP has one (I think) might try sending him a PM.

 

[patracy]

DaveP has one (I think) might try sending him a PM.

I already talked to him. He wouldn't price them and didn't seem to want to sell.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I was posting that so the OP might get some info. Not for you to gets parts, sorry. I knew he wouldn't sell any.

 

[m1010plowboy]

When I started hunting for info on the diffs I thought I saw 'for sale' on one of the hundred M240HX1 5.812:1 web pages I visited.

If the Cat doesn't purr in the spring for under 5 grand it might not need axles.....must be the booze talkin', it'll run.

 

[61sleepercab]

Saw some civilian fire trucks turned into BBQ pits and Pizza ovens. That size you could be in world records books for a cooker. How about a Oktoberfest beer hauler, how many keg capacity? Nice truck!! Mark

 

[Superdave]

Cool Dave, when are we going cruising in it

 

[vtdeucedriver]

For many years the Air Guard here in Vermont operated 3 of these trucks. It is so awsome to see one of these go into a collectors hands!!! At a young age, it was great for me to go with my father on sundays for coffee to the Fire House. A long time family friend was the Chief and some days we would do a FLIGHT LINE inspection and take one of these trucks!! Not to date myself but the VT ANG had B-57 Cambarra's at the time.

 

[dmetalmiki]

I sure wish I had one of those (p4s)..there is a P15 over here been sat a long while...with fuel costs (£7+ a gallon!) and road width restrictions it would be difficult to use now..I nearly bought it though and still think about it..(somewhat wistfully( as I used to drive maintain and service them long ago in the 70s!)). I am still advertising and looking for a P4 on the continent as there is not one I know of in the U.K. sad to say...as a p.s. I seem to remember that these and the P 15s suffered transmission lock up and failures ..I will try to find my old notes..but its been a while...

 

[dmetalmiki]

And on the airbase where I worked thwere was an old M45 (deuce chassis fire truck) we used to admire, it was never used though and was eventually seconded to the Royal Army service Corps and then later "sold off" in in an ex M.O.D. sale. Guesss what though?...Yep! I bought it and now own it. (just one more to the collection)

http://youtu.be/OyxIJUq7rww

 

[kdaniels]

Served as a crew chief on the P4-A with the USMC in the 70's.....that 400hp cat engine was very dependable and the truck worked well on the hard surface but not too well off road. MCAS Yuma would work ANY piece of fire fighting equipment to it's limit.



SEMPER FI

keith

 

[vtdeucedriver]

I could be creative and use a google image screen shot of the area to help with this story but im not that good with it. Anyways my father is the former airport manager of Burlington International and one of his favorite stories involves two of the VT ANG P4's. He decided to hold a disaster exercise and simulate a downed aircraft. He planned the aircraft incident to be "off airport" and the location was to be Camp Johnson, a Army Base in Colchester. There is a river that runs between the airport and Camp Johnson so this leaves only two methods to get there and only ONE bridge can handle the weight of the P4 and that is via the I-89 interstate bridge. So my father calculated a reponse time using that route and planned the exercise for the following week. The day of the exercise, everyone is in place at the mock crash site and the call goes out that a airplane is down at Camp Johnson and the stop watch starts. What should have been a 18 min response time was a suprise as Both P4's roll in with sirens whailing and pumping black smoke from the exhaust in under 10 minutes!!!!!! My father quickly asked how they got there and the response was what he feared. Tho the direct route, the old bridge they crossed was rated for 35,000 lbs. He then asked the drivers how you crossed and one replied, "I never left his bumper".

 

[juanprado]

While searching online at that popular place for a heater core for my m923, I found a listing for a heater core for a p4 just in case you are interested.

 

[m1010plowboy]

P-4 specs

Appreciate the replies Gentlemen, any photos to go with those memories would be a great add to the thread. Tried to load a map of Colchester VT and the Burlington airport but I'm not that good either.

Keith, if you have any more stories on the P-4 they would be most welcome.

Found a few cool specs in the manual,

Air Transportable
Length 360.00 inch
Width 107.5 inch Reducible 96.00 inch
Height 129.5 inch Reducible 103.12inch
Weight Gross vehicle 46,600lb Curb 31,735lb (shipping)
Governed speed 60mph
Engine Model Caterpillar
Serial Nos. below 27U123 D343TA Torque 1225 ft/lb at 1400 RPM
Serial Nos. 27U123 and above 1693TA Torque 1275 ft/lb at 1400 RPM
Displacement 893 cu.in
Oil capacity ....... 49 quarts

Transmission Allison CLT4460-1
Oil Capacity........ 11 gal.
Weight 1080lb

Radiator fan 40 inch 8 blade
Capacity ....... 30 gal.

Pumps
Foam Pump Waterous Co. 80 GPM @ 240 psi
Water Pump Waterous Co. 1200 GPM @ 240 psi

 

[m1010plowboy]

P-4 M-1500 Manuals and Parts List

Through good fortune and a bit of strategy the email I sent to the wrong guy at Oshkosh received a reply with a very large pdf link containing the parts manual and Standard Specification for the Oshkosh Series M-1500 Crash/Fire/ Rescue Vehicle.
Amazing response from these guys so a toast to Oshkosh .

It's been warm here, rained like it was April today, so we're hoping to drop some fluids and run through some pre-start work.

The decal for the batteries is still there and I have not hooked up 4 batteries before so have some learnin' to do on order of operations. Saw a blurb in the TM about maintaining the batteries through the slave using 120VAC supply. She also has a built in power supply with rectifier and reverse current protection for 28 volt and 35 amp to the vehicle for accessories.
A rectifier!!!

The TM shows a very complicated primary and secondary winterization system with a 90,000 btu diesel heater which helps her operate in minus 40. Cool truck, there's a temperature gauge for the water tank which goes up to 70 degrees and cooling spray nozzles for the windshield. Starting to sound like a party wagon.

 

[Gunfreak25]

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! That is so awesome man!!!!! Hey but you know, it ran when parked and that's all that really matters. Subbed baby i'm subbed. Can I play with it?