need help with AA fire truck 31

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Dave10000000

Junior Member
Last fall I listed we were looking for a fire truck project. Thanks to people here we now have a 1931 AA fire truck. looking for more help... anyone here have a fire truck? We are trying to figure out where ours came from?, possibly who built it? and most importantly what Equipment it should have on it. The truck is running great. We would like to restore it back to it's original state. The truck was owned by the Greeley Colorado Lions club since around 1960, and they used it as a parade vehicle. they thought it might have come from Eaton CO, but we have not been able to confirm that. It has a siren, bell and spot light, but we don't think they are in the right places. there is no other fire apparatus. I am hoping to connect with others who might either have some information or point us in the right direction. we will need to purchase the equipment, so maybe someone knows of someone with something to sell. Anything we can find out will help. Dave
 
Dave,
Just shooting from the hip here, not sure what you have tried but I would try some of these places.

1. The Colorado DMV. Unlike California some states can still give you the linage, you can hope Colorado has info on original owner.
2. City directories from 1930's. The Denver library may have some.
3. Fire museums around the country may have literature or even a AA truck.
4. Old newspapers from Eaton, CO if such a thing still exists.
5. MAFFI museum.

You never know where you will find info or parts. I called 25 to 30 bearing houses looking for an out of production thrust bearing for an antique scooter before I found 10 of them in Iowa. As for the DMV, I would make 2 or 3 calls to different places, some people are more willing help.

Good luck on your search.

Ed
 
You might try a stop at the fire department. They may have a fireman or know an older fireman that knows the lineage of the truck. If I did I'd try both towns. You'd be surprised how there's usually one of them that cam tell you every apparatus they have had since the horse drawn days.
 
Pictures would do a world of good. Howe offered a pumper on a Ford AA chassis, which is what mine is. Much of the accessory equipment you find on early trucks was put there by the fire company and not the mfg. The internet is your friend. Mine was delivered to South New Berlin NY in February of 1929 and was their first motorized piece of equipment. Post a photo and maybe we can notice something that will stir the senses...

There is another nice truck at Alamo Model A's, but I don't know who built it. There is a really nice Howe at http://fastlanecars.com/. It's listed as a 29, but it has the 30-31 drive train, so I don't know what else has been modified.

Frank
 

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If the body has not totale stripped you may be able to remove the paint layer by layer and see if there is any signage on it.

Mike
 
We restored a 1928 Fire Truck that was the property of the village I live in. It was the most original truck we had ever seen. Still had the original Mazda light bulbs in the headlights. No painting was done, only mechanical repairs and an engine. We have lots of photos.
 
i wonder what rear axle it has under neath it...doesnt look like any AA rims that ive seen.

Do you have any pics of the underside?
 
Find a copy of the book "American Fire Engines Since 1900". It will have lots of photos of various engines with equipment typically mounted.

Yours appears to be a "pumper", the pump looks to be in the 200-300 gpm range. Darley is still in business and may be able to help you with pump information and parts. This looks to be a pure pumper and would not have had a water tank. Hydrants or suction would have been the water source. Discharge hose would have been stored in the bed (pre-connected discharge hose was still a bit of an innovation in the 1940-1950's.) The discharge hose would likely not have been larger than 2-1/2".

Small apparatus of this era did not carry very much stuff, likely several fire extinguishers, canvas hose for discharge, nozzles, two lengths of hard rubber hose for suction, one or two pike poles, a real ladder or two (yours are toys for show). If this rig was to be used in town with volunteers it might have carried helmets mounted to the rig. The running boards were usually kept clear as firefighters rode there on the way to fires.
 
SeaSlugs said:
i wonder what rear axle it has under neath it...doesnt look like any AA rims that ive seen.

Do you have any pics of the underside?
Click to expand...

What is different in the wheels? They look like ordinary 30-31 AA wheels to me....

Frank
 
emf said:
What is different in the wheels? They look like ordinary 30-31 AA wheels to me....

Frank
Click to expand...

Check the front when compared to the rear - front are for sure - rear not so much. They are close but the lug portion looks to be pushed back (dished) in comparison to the hoop (part where tire beads up to). Single rear wheel AA's should have identical rims front to rear. Even dual wheel AA's are just 2 rims facing each other.

Although maybe since it is a firetruck I suppose it could have had special rims made/supplied by the body manufacturer to clear the bed/box so I could be completely wrong...

Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful truck! Just an observation I made....
 
emf said:
What is different in the wheels? They look like ordinary 30-31 AA wheels to me....

Frank
Click to expand...
Like SeaSlugs said the center disc of the front wheel is close to the edge of
the rim, the center disc on the rear looks to be about 1 1/2" from the edge
of the rim. I think they may be later 30's 6" rims instead of the AA 5".

Bob
 
Dave, from looking at your pictures what you have is a front mounted Darley Pump. Darley Fire Equipment is still in business and might be able to tell you where your engine came from. There must be a serial number someplace on the chassis or pump. Also from the looks of the bed, unless it was modified it has the characteristics of what was known as a "Hose Wagon". These were designed to cary a large quantity of hose and weren't usually "front line" engines. If the engine came from a volunteer dept. it's very possible that it was never registered by the DMV. I don't know the law in CO but many states do not license fire vehicles. What you have is a fire "Engine", you don't have a fire "Truck". Engine companies have pumpers and truck companies have ladders. There is also an antique fire apparatus club that you can join.
 
woodiewagon46 said:
Dave, from looking at your pictures what you have is a front mounted Darley Pump. Darley Fire Equipment is still in business and might be able to tell you where your engine came from. There must be a serial number someplace on the chassis or pump. Also from the looks of the bed, unless it was modified it has the characteristics of what was known as a "Hose Wagon". These were designed to cary a large quantity of hose and weren't usually "front line" engines. If the engine came from a volunteer dept. it's very possible that it was never registered by the DMV. I don't know the law in CO but many states do not license fire vehicles. What you have is a fire "Engine", you don't have a fire "Truck". Engine companies have pumpers and truck companies have ladders. There is also an antique fire apparatus club that you can join.
Click to expand...

Learn something every day - thanks for the informative post!
 
Dave, in taking a closer look at your photos I noticed a small open hole at the top of the pump. This may have been connected to a "primer tank" located somewhere near the pump. These tanks were usually filled with water or even light oil. The bottom fitting on your pump is the suction and the fitting that exits on the driver side is the discharge. If your pumper is from a rural company, it probably came with two or three "Hard Suction Hoses". These hoses are different than the soft hose that would be in the bed. The hard suction hose would allow the pump to "draft" water from a lake or river to supply water to the fire. Once the pump operator dropped the hard suction into a water supply he would open the primer tank to allow the pump to "pick up a prime". I would try to wet sand a door with 600 paper to see if you can get a company name. Nice find keep us posted!
 
I see what you mean by the difference in the wheel profile. It looks like the front wheel has a deeper dish to it than the rear. They seem to fit the hubs. My truck is a 28 with with wire wheels, so I'm not too familiar with the "late model" stuff. :)

Frank
 
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