Since 1913, Pierce Manufacturing has been making fire-fighting apparatus, which includes fire trucks like this 1977 Dodge Power Wagon. It was built on a Dodge W400 chassis to be a “brush” truck for the Concord, Vermont Fire Department. After its retirement in New England, it found its way to California as a farm irrigation vehicle. In its original condition with a scant 4,400 miles, it only needs new tires, brakes, and seat covers.
Pierce is a Wisconsin-based company that’s been around for more than 110 years. Now owned by Oshkosh Corp., it may still be the largest firm of its type in the U.S. They began by building truck bodies for the Ford Model T and branched out from there. In later years, their focus moved to adding custom bodies to commercial or other manufacturer’s frames, such as this Dodge Power Wagon. Here’s a link to their web site. I can’t look at this truck without thinking of the guys from Station 51 on the popular 1970s TV series, Emergency!
When this Dodge Power Wagon cab and chassis left the Chrysler assembly line, it had a 440 cubic inch V8, the biggest offered in a Chrysler product in those days. We assume it was sold originally to the fire guys in Vermont as we’re told the red paint is original and it looks quite good. Also, the decals identifying it as “Engine #1” still look as good as the day they were applied. The truck’s low mileage is probably legit as these types of vehicles usually only went out on short hops to wherever the action was.
This Pierce has all of its original fire-fighting equipment. The ladders are interesting as they utilize a 3-piece system with pulleys and cables. After moving to California, this Dodge has seen little action in the last couple of years though we’re told it starts up and runs fine, but some maintenance is needed. The water tank has a leak somewhere though the seller believes the pumps still work fine.
The fire machine comes with a clean Vermont title (never retitled in California?). With a little work and some new upholstery, it should make a most interesting piece of automobilia. Bidding here on eBay has been brisk and the current ante is $9,208 with no reserve to worry about. The truck can be picked up in Moreno Valley, California. So, who wants to operate the siren?
Pierce sold these units like McDonald’s cheeseburgers back in the day- many departments had one. They come up for sale somewhat frequently, often in excellent original condition. This is a well kept, fairly well equipped example. Don’t expect to do much with this apparatus unless you have a water source to supply it (pond with floating pump, water tank, etc) or water tender support- this probably only holds 300-350 gallons of water- just enough to keep things at bay until more equipment and water arrives, but probably not enough to put out your house, barn or ranch by yourself. One thing that really stood out to me was what appears to be wooden ladders on the passenger side of the body. Even when this was new, wooden ladders were almost extinct- I only knew that San Francisco FD still used them. Most departments had gone to aluminum or fiberglass ladders by then. The cables and pulleys are only there because they are extension ladders with sliding sections. A common ladder complement on full size pumpers is a 35’ tall (extended), 3 section extension ladder, along with a fixed 14’ (non-extending) roof ladder and a folding attic ladder for building interior work.
Very cool rig. 😎
“Emergency”,,,( I know who wrote this one up) one of the hoakier ( and last, I believe) of the Jack Webb series. It was actually pretty high action for a TV series then (1972) with no animation like today. The show featured a truck like this, with compartments( no hoses) and depicted the life of early paramedics. Before ambulances were rolling hospitals, paramedics were 1st sent to stabilize the patient, and transport by an outside firm was secondary. Survival was iffy, at best.
Unless you have a lot of brush fires, and they are on the increase, this could save the farm, or the neighbors farm. “Brush trucks” generally live a lonely life, relegated to the 4th of July parades and bonfires that have gone awry etc. and didn’t go far. The engines are usually shot from idling. Make a nice AWD contractors type dump truck and plow, but as is, be a limited calling.
And every patient always received an I.V. with “lactated ringers”,
whatever those are.
d-5-w
Paging Randolf Mantooth!
“10-4 Rampard!”
Rampart, NOT ‘Rampard’! Sorry, loved this show as a kid in the mid 70s when I was around 10-11 years old. And I always liked Jack Webb’s productions, especially Adam-12, and so did my dad.
Bang!!! Bang!!! Mark VII Limited. Watch out for that sledgehammer on the down stroke!!
kmg365
For the record, it was “Rampart” and did you know, Dr. Joe Early( Bobby Troup of Route 66 fame) was married to Dixie McCall( Julie London). Also, Mantooth used his own Land Rover, a ’66, I believe, for the show. Mantooth is 79.
How does a truck get so wiped out in 4400 miles? Trashed interior, ugly engine compartment, rusted chassis. I’m not believing that number at all.
Leak in the tank? I’d want to see the fire parts all function as repair to anything fire related is 10x the normal. $100.00 ball valve repair kit anyone? 300 gallons lasts about 3 minutes and unless you have a good prime system, you wont get those 3″ hoses to ever suck water back into the tank.
If the fire parts don’t work I’m not sure where the $9000.00 bid price is coming from, but perhaps a nice looking Mopar body and chassis is worth that alone anymore.
Dodge sure made a muscular truck back then. Solid running gear, locking 4wd, and reliable engines. Rode like truck, but that was expected.
It’s 47 years old, what do you expect?
I have owned a quite few fire trucks ( still have 3) and looked at a lot more. They are usually stored indoors and well cared for. Relatively low miles and older and most still look realy good. This one is not one of those, but is valued as though it is.
Would it be a crime to want the truck without the fire bed? I need a good 4×4 work truck this fits the bill but not with the water tank
Run, do not walk away from this rig. The 7 month salt exposure as well as extended idle time is a deal breaker for me.
These were truly built to serve. Big engine for the many running hours that more than make up for the miles. Maybe still a good work horse with the expected new brake lines and other tubing.
We had a ’73 W-300 back in the day. One tough truck to say the least but it was the roughest truck on the ranch. Just driving across the bridge over the river at the home base I thumped my head pretty good on the window frame; got my bell rung for sure.
440 engine got popular as the time went on. Back in ’73 the 360 was the best you could do. 4.88/1 gear ratio was the only ratio available. You could farm with that truck.
I don’t know what you could do with this rig. Howard has an idea that it could be put to good use in a farming operation. With the number of combine fires it could do well to save a $750K combine from becoming another burnt offering. Out west, there are a lot of farmers running water trucks with high pressure pumps just for that purpose.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_HGE5J7kjE
I doubt if I have ever seen a seat that was used by people in such a hurry.
I used to work with a guy who had quite a sense of humor. He’d often dreamed of buying an old fire truck and painting “SAME DAY SERVICE” on the doors. ;)