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Fire truck plus moving box

pennsylvaniaboy

pennsylvaniaboy

make fullsizes great again
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Sooo I am wanting to get into a toy hauler/ toterhome. I have a camper that would likely donate parts in a few years, I want dry sleeping, and wanting to build a 2nd buggy for the kids. But yet still pull my truggy on my current trailer.

i have been toying with converting the typical moving truck. Get a DT466 ITNL and build out the box. But that is 3 seats unless you some how add seats to the box. And crew moving trucks arent that common.

But I have found used firetrucks with the BIG cabs for relatively cheap. These things have forward cabs, big engines, robust power systems, and enough leftover parts if you scrapped the pump bodies to deck out side boxes, and interior stuff. Plus the cabs look big enough you could almost do a fold down sofa.

So what am i missing in the idea of taking a fire truck, ditching the fire apparatus, and adding like a 24-26' moving box, stretching the frame if needed?

The type of truck I am talking about-
 

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Projectjunkie said:
There's a reason a fire truck Can come off a side street and be On your ass, Gearing is typically shit for highway.
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There are a lot of options when specing a truck, but I haven't been in one made in the last 20 years that wouldn't do 70+ unless the computer governed it.

Duane
 
CLRracer said:
There are a lot of options when specing a truck, but I haven't been in one made in the last 20 years that wouldn't do 70+ unless the computer governed it.

Duane
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This. I turned one down a bit ago from 89 max speed to 70 max speed. The max speed limit is 60 in its district. It had some over speed codes and the chief asked me if I could tell how fast it had been going, I sure can and did. He wasn't too happy when I told him 82, said he was going to have a talk with the crews and had me turn the speed down.:lmao:
 
shortbus4x4 said:
This. I turned one down a bit ago from 89 max speed to 70 max speed. The max speed limit is 60 in its district. It had some over speed codes and the chief asked me if I could tell how fast it had been going, I sure can and did. He wasn't too happy when I told him 82, said he was going to have a talk with the crews and had me turn the speed down.:lmao:
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That's pretty fast for a truck that size, especially with a couple thousand gallons of water sloshing around...

Aaron Z
 
aczlan said:
That's pretty fast for a truck that size, especially with a couple thousand gallons of water sloshing around...

Aaron Z
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Yep, it's their heavy rescue truck with a 2500 gallon tank. It's heavy. The chief WAS NOT happy with how fast it had been. He had a pretty good idea who was responsible too.
 
I say go for it.

You get way more truck for your dollar with the fire truck. It won't be spec'd as a perfect highway cruising box truck but realistically it's not gonna be any worse than a DT466 truck of the age you'd be looking at.
 
Great turning radius, and typically a pretty good parts spec. They're usually sprung for carrying a load of water, so you'll have to evaluate what kind of load you'll have on.

On those older ones, inspect the cab mounts carefully, looking for fatigue cracking and galvanic corrosion.

They're also noisy AF, but you can either wear headsets or do some major sound deadening.

No reason to not rock one. I'd do it. Typically well maintained.
 
Go for it.

But a cautionary thought: watch how your weight shifts around that front axle. I'm figuring that with a toter box you'll be fine, but a fella I follow on another forum ran into trouble when he wanted to mount a knuckleboom on one. The front axle was severely overloaded in his case.
 
highway school bus?

it's easy to shorten the bus body and leave you a flat deck.
just have to hunt for one that doesn't have a shit powertrain.
 
87manche said:
highway school bus?

it's easy to shorten the bus body and leave you a flat deck.
just have to hunt for one that doesn't have a shit powertrain.
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I am 6'2....buses suck. I want enclosed space that I can do drop down bunks or hammocks or air mattresses. I would also like to be able to haul my BIG truggy or smaller buggy in the enclosed part.


School bus wont accomodate most of that, plus weird roof shape sucks for building out.
 
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pennsylvaniaboy said:
I am 6'2....buses suck. I want enclosed space that I can do drop down bunks or hammocks or air mattresses. I would also like to be able to haul my BIG truggy or smaller buggy in the enclosed part.


School bus wont accomodate most of that, plus weird roof shape sucks for building out.
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you gotta cotton hill yourself so you're shorter.
:flipoff2:
 
Driving a fire truck in fire truck trim is exhausting. After a hour round trip almost all highway I am spent. Easy drive in a pickup but in a fire truck it is loud, slow, and wanders on the highway. Did I say loud because they are extremely loud in the cab. Maybe other MDT and HDT are similar but I haven’t driven those.
 
BillyBronco said:
Driving a fire truck in fire truck trim is exhausting. After a hour round trip almost all highway I am spent. Easy drive in a pickup but in a fire truck it is loud, slow, and wanders on the highway. Did I say loud because they are extremely loud in the cab. Maybe other MDT and HDT are similar but I haven’t driven those.
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See this is what I am curious about. I literally cant be the first person to imagine this combo, yet I cannot find any example of it being done on the internet.
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
So what am i missing in the idea of taking a fire truck, ditching the fire apparatus, and adding like a 24-26' moving box, stretching the frame if needed?

The type of truck I am talking about-
Click to expand...

Expand your search to fire truck ramp truck, tiny home, rv conversion. Theres mostly randomn photos out there, and a bunch of tiny home conversion videos I had no desire to comb through.

www.thedrive.com

This Creative Genius MacGyvered an RV Out of a Fire Truck, Semi, and Wrecker

The builder and owner drove the vehicular mash-up all the way from Vancouver, Canada to South Padre Island, Texas. That's 2,570 miles.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com

jingletruck.com

Hendrickson (1979)

1979 ex Fire truck converted to 27 Flatbed truck. runs and drives - only goes 55 mph though, 8-71 Detroit na engine with Allison auto trans.
jingletruck.com jingletruck.com
jingletruck.com

Warner & Swasey Duplex R200 (1975)

1975 Warner & Swasey flat bed fire truck with 29, 000 miles, Detroit 6-71 two stroke diesel engine with Jake brake, Allision 750 automatic
jingletruck.com jingletruck.com

Star North Canterbury

www.ncnews.co.nz www.ncnews.co.nz

www.rvtravel.com

Fire-chasing weird RV conversion!

By Russ and Tiña De Maris Most kids run to the sound of a fire engine siren, and those kids grown up probably do the same thing. There’s just something
www.rvtravel.com www.rvtravel.com

C800 Fire truck to car hauler conversion is complete - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Large Truck - C800 Fire truck to car hauler conversion is complete - i bought a 58 C800 Firetruck late last year and converted it into a car hauler. I was able to re-purpose many of the parts...
www.ford-trucks.com




ftslidein5.jpg

ftRVt.jpg
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ft reeferbox.jpg
 

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Riding over the front axle sucks. That would be my only real gripe, as I have thought about doing the same idea.
 
Soo bumping this up... what abouta dt466 bus, shorten the "bus" part to have like seating/fold down couch. That way the driver and pass can all ride together. Then do the same idea with the box truck box behind it. Add side skirt boxes, and living quarters to the box??



Edit- or add a sleeper to a box truck cab and just push the box/frame back. I want my kids to be able to ride in the cab as I am gonna be a single dad soon
 
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Or buy a crew cab box truck like: https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2006-CHEVROLET-KODIAK+C6500-5019376966 and build out the box (or swap a bigger box on).
2006 CHEVROLET, KODIAK C6500, Medium Duty Trucks - Service Trucks / Utility Trucks / Mechanic Trucks, CATERPILLAR C7, Automatic, nice truck, runs great, clean, hydraulic air compressor, generator, hydraulic brakes, pintle hitch, nice locking storage boxes, 210 Horse Power, Spring Suspension, All Steel Wheels, Wheel Base, 22.5, Axle, Ratio, , VIN 6F427962
1653581963748.png


Could get something like a crew cab F650: https://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2007-FORD-F650-5018087865
But as JNHEscher could tell you, a used DOT truck like that will have a lot of nasty wiring, rust and cobbled together junk
1653582049145.png



Aaron Z
 
Yes, I have thought of the crew cab trucks...but most seem beat, and have smaller motors. I have also consider the expediter straight trucks. Which are exactly what I need, they just come at a price.
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Soo bumping this up... what abouta dt466 bus, shorten the "bus" part to have like seating/fold down couch. That way the driver and pass can all ride together. Then do the same idea with the box truck box behind it. Add side skirt boxes, and living quarters to the box??



Edit- or add a sleeper to a box truck cab and just push the box/frame back. I want my kids to be able to ride in the cab as I am gonna be a single dad soon
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Mechanical DT466 would be great. Just don't get a DT466E - they break down a lot.
 
Less than a week ago I spied a 3500 or greater crew cab dually truck with a overhead box.

On Ironplanet.com btw.
 
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