Old fire trucks and other firefighting apparatuses continue to show up with ridiculously low mileage and in seemingly mint condition, a trend we hope never goes away. This 1974 GMC K2500 4×4 is a former fire department vehicle that has survived in incredible condition, with much of the credit going to having just 15,600 original miles on the clock. The truck is located in Winlock, Washington but has the name “Mapleton Fire Department” on the side, which could mean it’s from Pennsylvania or Utah or anywhere in between. The seller claims that the fire department took great care of their GMC, keeping it stored inside and regularly washing and waxing it. Find it here on Barn Finds Classifieds with an asking price of $28,950.
The truck isn’t perfect, even with its low mileage, but it’s still quite nice. It is remarkable how many pickups and fire trucks show up like this, and even more so that some fire departments manage to keep these old girls on the payroll for so long. There’s a few fire stations near me that have kept the old Chevy and GMC pickups around as plow vehicles or as an attraction of sorts for the kids; there must be something about them that just gets into your blood after a few years, because it seems like multiple fire companies around the country have a hard time letting go! The seller adds it was only used during the summer seasons.
The evidence of regular waxing and general love and care is evident inside the door jams, where the paint remains in near-perfect condition. In fact, all painted surfaces seem to be in outstanding shape. The same goes for the door panels, rubber floor mat, and vinyl upholstery. The truck remains numbers-matching and has loads of original details including the Power-Beam headlights, Safety Flo-Lite glass (including windshield), dual electric booster reels, 300-gallon water tank, high-pressure Gorman-Rupp water pump, and more. For fire truck enthusiasts, finding one that hasn’t lost these period-correct details is a major attraction to a truck like this.
The truck is powered by a 350 paired to a four-speed manual transmission. Other equipment includes quick-ratio steering and power brakes. The hoses appear to be in mint condition, and the underhood details are generally tidy. No word on recent maintenance like belts and fluids, but if the fire department kept up with the cosmetics, I’m sure they tended to basic upkeep given their obvious pride in the truck. The asking price strikes us a bit high, but then again, trucks as clean as this don’t come along often. Keeping it as a fire truck offers certain advantages as well, as the 6800 GVW makes the GMC eligible for 100% depreciation for farmers and business owners – as the seller mentions, check with your tax preparer about Bonus Depreciation.
Wow that price is pretty high, milage maybe low but hours on the engine at high idle running the pump, well? Too old for fire use so what can you do with this? I am sure somebody will pony up a pretty penny for this truck because there is such demand for old fire equipment.
Cadmanls: Not your typical city fire truck on call 24/7/365. Only in use during summer fire season by Mapleton FD, Utah. Low miles and low hours, take a look at the oil filler cap and gasket, shows engine internals are clean as new, a benefit of routine pm maintenance.
https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20210524_151359-1.jpg
The pump motor has been removed. Set up a separate to be able to pump and roll. I don’t see a pto pump and that would be rare. Second my concern would be if the block is rotten. A lot of small fire departments did not have a maintenance program so not uncommon that they never changed antifreeze and brake fluid. I’ve seen rotted blocks with smaller departments on full size pumpers. Just saying a concern.
In the business for 30 years +
Original 48 year old paint? Wouldn’t five decades of polishing thin it out leaving primer visible? Tax right off? Okay, say a “farmer” buys it. Will he really use it to control brush fires and depreciate it over another number of years and basically pay zilch at my and other taxpayers expense? That seems pretty unfair to me. The tax code needs updating in this regard. I have read stories of farmers buying new pick ups that they never used instead of paying taxes, and decades later they come up for sale with like a hundred miles on them. Ever time I see a 20 grand lawn mower on a small yard in front of a farm house I cringe. As if that is a needed farm expense. After all, I mow my lawn too, but can I write off a crazy expensive John Deere to do it? I have no problem with reasonable business expense write offs, but this stuff makes me fume.
You’re on the wrong website for complaining about the tax code.
Gary: Paint was thin back in 1974, lol. Take a look at the pics, lots of natural fire-fighting patina.
Everyone needs to take advantage of every available tax break, the ultra-rich people do, why shouldn’t we?
It’s not a crime to avoid taxes, only a crime to evade, lol.
It’s not avoiding tax, it’s called having the right to ‘limit’ your tax obligation. That’s the legalese for that.
Love how many of these older brush trucks seem to have manual transmissions. As noted, low miles are misleading – plenty of wear on the mechanicals, similar to other service vehicles. Unrealistically high price makes it irrelevant though.
LarryinMA: Not your typical city fire truck on call 24/7/365. Only in use during summer fire season by Mapleton FD, Utah. Low miles and low hours, take a look at the oil filler cap and gasket, shows engine internals are clean as new, a benefit of routine pm maintenance.
https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20210524_151359-1.jpg
Larry…our west here all the Forestry trucks are standards…or should I say were standards..anyways
Its so you could roll and bump start
them and not be stranded by a dead battery in the woods.
300 gallons and all the fire apparatus, what a pig. Rust, dents, a poor repair job, no draft capability. Can’t imagine where the price is coming from. A low mileage 2012 with a slip goes for less than half of what this one is asking. I think this might have been on BF before.
What would a farmer want it for?
Jay, it’s the second time around with a 6k price cut.
https://barnfinds.com/15k-genuine-miles-1974-gmc-k2500-pickup/
4spdBernie is apparently the owner
It started out $6K *higher* than this?!? Wow.