A two stroke 6-71 unit with a scavenging supercharger, it should be good for about 240 HP and much, much more torque delivered at low revs. The seller says it runs and drives, but that’s as far as the mechanical description goes. There aren’t any engine shots unfortunately, but power comes from an old school Detroit Diesel 7.0 liter straight six. We’d want to drive, but cramped-feeling passengers would be welcome to sit in the partially-enclosed rear-facing seats as seen in the rear three quarter shot above. The interior is surprisingly claustrophobic looking for such a big vehicle, it’s distinctively shaped cab profile letting in less light through relatively narrow windows. There’s no word on whether the pumping gear still works either, but with its firefighting days over, it’s a bit of a moot point anyway. The truck looks to have been sitting outside for some time, and also seems to be missing a lot of hoses and other equipment. Find it here on Craigslist in Islip, New York for $3k.
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Though a little faded and dusty, our inner five year-old can’t help but be excited at the idea of an operable fire truck at this price. In November, Elmira's unemployment rate was the highest in the state at 8.8 percent, said Margaret Eighmey, a spokesman for the State Department of Labor.This 1970 American LaFrance pumper truck runs and drives with power provided by a two-stroke 6-71 Detroit Diesel straight six. The city is in western New York, near the Pennsylvania border. In the past five years, more than 5,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Elmira, said Mary Haviland, assistant director of Southern Tier Economic Growth, a group that is working to save American La France.
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Murphy said he could not elaborate because a lawsuit was pending against the design firm. Murphy said, but there was a dispute with an outside design firm that had been asked to develop lower-cost products.
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But American La France continues to make trucks out of stainless steel.Ī lighter truck can carry more men, equipment and water, said Anne Dolan, a spokesman for Emergency One Inc., in Ocala, Fla., a 10- year-old company that manufactures 40 to 50 aluminum fire trucks a month.Īmerican La France did consider changing its design and using more aluminum, Mr. Its competitors are making lighter fire trucks out of aluminum or plastic. McSparron said.Īmerican La France, which also manufactures garbage trucks, now produces about 12 to 18 vehicles a month, compared with 25 to 35 vehicles a month five years ago, Mr. ''We knew orders were declining, but we never expected this,'' Mr. But if La France goes down, that'll be different.'' ''Economically, I don't think we're any worse off than a lot of other cities. ''Elmira is fire trucks and fire trucks is Elmira,'' said Doc Bitner, who has lived here most of his life and has owned a gas station on South Main Street for more than 50 years. The custom-made trucks that the plant produces these days cost $85,000 to $350,000 each, Mr. Before that, about 30,000 fire trucks, mostly steam powered, were built. Since 1910, American La France has produced about 45,000 motorized fire trucks that have been used around the world, Mr. The company's work force has declined from about 850 to 320. The company, whose only plant is here, was considered the nation's leading fire-truck manufacturer until the 1970's, when sales began to slow.
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Murphy, director of public affairs for Figgie, said the fire-truck maker had lost money in each of the last three years.Īmerican La France, the world's oldest manufacturer of custom-made fire trucks, traces its roots in Elmira to the opening of its first plant in 1873.