Pick a M35A3

[KsM715]

A few years ago we had several grass and brush fires around here and several of the brush trucks got stuck in the soft/wet pastures. They didnt look wet, it hadnt rained in a week or so and the grass was very dry, (late winter/early spring, before everything greened up) but the ground 1" under the surface was still holding water. Winches would have been very handy in those situations. Not for trying to recover stuck civilian cars and trucks.

 

[Happyland1410]

This last year we replaced our volunteer fire department's M35A2 with an M35A3 w/w. As someone else mentioned the winch is nice for recovery of our other trucks. We couldn't afford winches for our old donated brush trucks so it is nice to have one truck in the fleet with a winch. It is no fun to be buried in mud with fire all around you. Vegetation sure dries faster than the clay soil around here. I assume you are going with some type of custom bed since you were looking at selling whatever bed came on the truck. We simply mounted the tanks and pump in the regular bed. It would have been nice in our case to have the dropside bed which would allow easier access to the hoses and other equipment.

Here is an old thread with some pictures of our department's M35A3.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/780971-post20.html

 

[SEAFIRE]

Warm body and willing to volunteer to step up the plate is 1st criteria for a vol FF (you are?). Anytime of day/night, any weather, for ZERO pay. Will actually get out of bed or leave family/job when pager goes off.

Then
- Will follow direction (orders)
- At least reasonably physically fit for age and weight proportional to height (are you?) . more fit than the general public today.
- Not a obvious heartattack risk.
- Can and will attend regular training.
- Most useful if can wear 50lb turnout gear and 25lb airpak while climning a 35' ladder, with a chainsaw, and then cut a large hole into the roof of a burning house. Or same gear enter a burning house with zero visibility, pulling a hoseline to search for victim or extingish a fire.
- Or for some FD skilled and can undertake other critical tasks. Tanker driver for example.
- No DWI. Not career criminal (or any criminal record).
- Emotional stable and responsible, hopefully not exciteable/flakey under stress.
- Teamplayer that others volunteers can stand being around.
- Can get/hold a CDL and is insurable.

Your Local FD likely can use your assistance as FF, performing maintenance on trucks, equipment, building/grounds, construction of apparatus or water supplies (MANY rural vol. FD survive on this), fund raising/grant writing.

So operate manual transmission is WAYYYY down the list. even for drivers training. Just like business it's less expensive to make the tools fit the job than the human.

Very True, Very True,
A LOT of the younger generation cannot drive a manual tranny, we’re lucky that we have a good number of members who can drive our two M35A2’s, but there are still qualified members who are excluded from driving them because they cannot drive a manual tranny.

What kind of country do you have up there? As others have pointed out, the winch is invaluable. We currently have the only fire truck in our county with a winch ( not counting the ¾-tons and 1-tons with the little electric winches), and it gets used a lot. Pulling out other deuces, pick-ups, one-tons, and even a 5-ton once with another deuce.

We’ve thought long and hard about going to the A3, and still might do so. I don’t consider the dropside bed a must, just my 2 cents….

Good Luck