We’ve featured a few firefighting appliances here on Barn Finds, but we haven’t had anything quite like this one. I have to thank Barn Finders Marc and Peter R for spotting this one for us because this is an absolute beauty. It is a rare vehicle, and it is worth a look. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. This big Ford is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is being offered for sale with a clean title. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $15,100.
It’s hard to know where to start with this particular vehicle, so it’s probably best to start with the vehicle’s lineage, as this explains how this vehicle came to exist. The base for the truck is a 1956 Ford COE C500 truck, powered by a 272ci V8 engine. The truck then proceeded to the renowned Marmon-Herrington factory. This company were specialists in this era for their work in undertaking 4-wheel drive vehicle conversions, mainly for military purposes. Once the vehicle had received its conversion, it was then shipped to Canada, where its next port of call was at the factory of King-Seagrave Ltd. This company then undertook all of the work to convert the vehicle into the fire-fighting apparatus that you see here. Historic data is quite vague on this, so this is where we come to rely on information provided by the owner. He states that 11 of these vehicles were built for the Canadian military as fire tenders on artillery ranges. According to the owner, virtually all of the original 11 vehicles were destroyed, leaving this as the only complete vehicle in existence. The owner also provides a link to this YouTube video, which gives you a full overview of the vehicle.
This truck is just stunning to look at. It underwent a full restoration two years ago, and the level of detail in this restoration is just jaw-dropping. The body and frame are completely free of rust, and the paint finish is close to perfect. Since the restoration, the vehicle has been kept in climate-controlled storage and has only been out for display purposes. However, it’s when you start to take a close look at the photos that you truly begin to realize and appreciate the amount of work that has gone into every detail of the restoration.
You look at the vehicle and realize that the picks and shovels have the correct timber handles, with the ones on the shovels being single piece “split timber” items. All of the knapsack sprayers are present and operational. The spigots on the back of the vehicle provide gravity feed from the on-board water tank to fill the knapsacks. Those steps on either side of the vehicle at the back are designed to fold flush into the bodywork when not in use. All of these items have been painstakingly restored so that the vehicle looks and is equipped exactly as it was when it rolled out the doors of King-Seagrave.
The original water pump for this vehicle has also been completely restored, along with all of the plumbing and pipes. While the spigots on the back of the vehicle are gravity fed, the vehicle also has a number of hoses and nozzles which are fed from an onboard water tank via this pump.
The interior of this beauty is at one with the rest of the vehicle. Once again, the restoration has been beautifully complete, and the interior trim (such as it is) is perfect. An unusual feature of this vehicle is that it is fitted with seat belts, and these are an original fitment for this vehicle. Apparently, these were considered as essential equipment due to the open nature of the cab, and the fact that the vehicle mainly operated on rough terrain.
Under the hood is the 272ci Ford V8 engine. This sends drive via a 4-speed manual transmission to the Marmon-Herrington 4-wheel drive system. This system incorporates selectable high and low range modes to cope with the varied terrain that the vehicle operated in.
Looking at a vehicle like this, it is virtually impossible to place a value on it. As a fire-fighting appliance, there is virtually nothing comparable that was used in civilian life. As a military vehicle, it looks to be the only remaining example of its type. It will never return to active duty, but whoever buys this will have a truly unique vehicle to display at car and truck shows.
Truly amazing and have to agree it looks to be a one-of-a-kind vehicle. I’ve never seen anything even close to this one. Hope it goes to someone that will save it for posterity.
Man it’s the perfect 👌 apocalypse truck to drive over zombies. One might need to put some kind of cage (errr sorry)
“apparatus” around the cab though 😅
Okay in all seriousness this is a very unique older vehicle 👍
Next time you say appliance….it is mandatory to drop and give the CHIEF 20 pushups…..
APPARATUS
APPARATUS
APPARATUS
😉👍😅😆😅😆🎯
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE APPARATUS
Thanks Fire Man Dan! Good grief almighty.
Which one of these is not an appliance:
Washer
Refrigerator
Toaster (called a browner down under)
Microwave oven
Hot dog maker
BIG GODFREY DANIELS FIRE TRUCK
Beautiful rig
Semper Fire….👍🎯😉🍻
This was over restored (not a bad thing).
“When it rolled out the doors of King-Seagrave.” I doubt it looked this nice.
I love looking a odd-ball stuff like this.
Looks like a giant Tonka truck. I could see Gumby driving it to a fire the Blockheads started. Don’t mind me, just showing my age here.
Very much along my line of thinking there, has a bit of a cartoonish look to it. It’s a beautiful restoration no doubt!
LOL… My three year old and I were watching “GUMBY” after we made a huge batch of green “PLAY-DOH”…. They had some neat Doepke, Smith -Miller and Tonka fire engines and a lot of other great toys ! My 1965 Tonka Ladder truck and Pumper ( cab over square cornered) are in my 83 year old parents attic, all wrapped up and boxed…time to go dig them out soon !
This really is a museum piece and I hope it lands in one. The wipers on the open cab windshields really crack me up, there should be a second set for the back side of the windshield to wipe the rain off too. The restorer has done an extremely good job on this truck, great find.
To quote Davis, “That is one fine parade ready fire apparatus.” Would be a shame to put it in a museum. It would be a Charity Event Spotlight.
Makes me wonder why the others were destroyed. I’m sure there would have been a market for them for fire fighting. Could have been donated or sold to small communities around Canada.
Tort,
As these were all destined for duty in & around Military artillery ranges, It’s likely once the others outlived their usefulness or had major repair problems, they became targets out on the gunnery range! This one was saved from that fate because it was probably still in service when the decision was made to retire it.
If you visit any of the larger military bases where you find armored units, you’ll see plenty of old vehicles out on the ranges, being used for target practice.
Adam: around our area those Knapsack tanks are known as “Papoose tanks”.
There definitely were a few post “WWI” era tanks blown to heck during WWII at Camp Roberts in California: I was surprised as heck to see them in the back 80 when started work out there , especially since Roberts was built during WWII.
My one summer with the NJ Fire Service we called those “Indian Tanks”. Heavy suckers, and packing one through the woods looking for hot spots was a miserable job, even for an 18 year-old!
Really cool old truck!
If I know our government when they were decommissioned they probably used them for target practice.
Somebody laid the paint on pretty thick. The king of brush fire trucks for ’56. Ok, so it’s an operating unit, but really, you gonna fight fires with this? Brush fires are particularly nasty, and it won’t look like this after one. M-H’s had low gears, so it’s going to be a slow ride. Sure is sharp, but not much of a market, as is.
Fireman Dan you are quite right my friend as a retired fire fighter ( Albuquerque Fire Dept ) these were not fire trucks or anything other than apparatus and yes in the academy if you called them anything else you ran the tower. Beautiful APPARATUS /// AFD retired 1977 – 1997
Hey Fireman Dan Semper Fire // I love it by the way did you have a nickname when I joined I was told that if the old salts didn’t like you they called you by your last name if they did they named you , I was Casper for 20 years
Middle name is Ray….like my dad…my granddad…and great grandad…..i punched a recruit in the eye for calling my friend the N word….bled like crazy….checked me for a knife or…Razor…..hence my boxing moniker..Razor Ray…….usually Razor…Rahhhh
I like it, part Sanford and Son truck, part Fire Truck and part Unimog……what I would do with it? I have no idea.
But everyone loves a convertible!
That is one fine parade ready fire apparatus.
Such a pretty pretty Engine !
Dammit man , appliances are NOZZLES and the assorted hardware . And yes, one of them IS actually called a “GIZMO” .
http://www.elkhartbrass.com/products/appliances
Just ask my ex-Captain who got his teeth busted out and put in the hospital in a coma by an “Appliance” gone wild while working for the US Forest Circus ! (And it was a training exercise to boot !)
Such a pretty rig …makes me sad I never got to do that with my 1937 Ex-San Diego Seagrave Sweet heart Grill pumper, serial number 85805 , second to the last ever made with the “T” head 6 cylinder.
If you drive a convertible fast enough, in the rain, with the top down, you don’t get wet, in the front seat anyway, as long as you don’t stop, so no need for an interior windshield wiper, but I doubt this apparatus ever went very fast, certainly not off road which is what it was built for.
“It will never return to active duty…”
Just what I’d wish 4 it. Esp w/the on-bd equipment.
Samething – some dry land territory.
I can just see the old crew (if it were a muni steada the military)…”OK guys, if we get this a lill nicer when sold we can get some new equipment for ourselves. Who can do the hand equipment? Take these shovles’n picks Ralph. U got a shop @ home. Back in 1 month. Let’s get goin!”
Actually I know of at least two other survivors . One was purchased by the Anderdon Fire Dept, near Windsor On. They used it as a brush truck until they sold it off sometime in the 90s. The second one is owned by the Prince Edward County Fire Service, in Eastern Ontario. They where, at the time intending to keep theirs as a preserved vehicle.
Interestly, they have their truck registered as a 1958 model. I suspect that by the time the trucks where finally built, they where probably shipped to the Canadian Army by then. I also suspect that bankruptcy of King Seagrave’s predecessor company in 1956, Bickle Seagrave, probably added to the delay of building & shipping these trucks.
This isn’t the only Ford Marmon Herrington brush fire truck in existence. The Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada Fire Department still has one as a parade truck. It was inherited many years ago by the Dept from the Canadian Army, which operated a firing range in the County. It’s in excellent shape, although not quite as nicely finished as your example. The truck is located at County Station No. 2 in Bloomfield, Ontario, Canada.