Homemade fire engine

[patrick_g]

Don't get in front of a head fire with a pressure washer!!! Pressure washer is for washing not fire suppression. Great pressure, lousy volume.

End to end direct drive coupling with "rubber pucks" is great and requires less engineering as there are no sideloads to worry about. If the engine runs the wrong way for your pump then belting is a solution.

In these parts the Noble foundation sponsors controlled burn seminars. I have attended a few and have burned and or helped burn hundreds of acres in the last 5-6 years with never a problem. There is just a whole heck of a lot more to a safe controlled burn than lighting a match or running around with a drip torch.

I have a 3PH mounted pasture sprayer that has a "gun" on a hose and is fair for fire suppression. On my want list is a tank I can put on an existing trailer to tow behind the tractor and a bigger PTO powered pump than the pasture sprayer.

Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT try to rely in a pressure washer for fire suppression. If you have ever been involved with fire suppression in a wind driven grass/brush fire you would NOT consider one. One of the things I used to "PREACH" when I taught boating safety classes and or performed courtesy boat inspections during my 10+ years as a volunteer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary was not to get the minimum fire suppression equipment. Once someone has had to use, in earnest, the minimum fire suppression equipment that meets the regs they will ALWAYS replace it with several sizes larger.

Grass/brush fires can be a life changing experience. Don't under equip yourself and seriously regret it.

Pat

 

[Mattlt]

Probably goes without saying, but you really don't ever want to be ahead of a grass fire. It's best to chase it - be in the area that has already burned and move toward the fire.

I would stay away from the pressure washer type pump as well. More volume is better.

Also agreed on asking the local FD. They'd probably help you out, but it might cost you some lunch and "refreshments."

 

[kyhobbyfarmer]

Agreed - NEVER get ahead of a grass fire, always stay in the burned section and follow from behind. The day after I turned 18 I was fighting a wildland fire with the local volunteer department. My group was headed by a green-as-a-gourd major who didn't have any idea what he was doing and well, for that matter, neither did I. We were assigned with protecting a house and barn with a creek as our water source and fire break. Sparing you the details, we lost everything and ended up hightailing it out of there as fast as the freightliner would take us. Never underestimate a fire, it will be on top of you before you even knew it moved.

Now, back on topic. Volume isn't key here. You would be supprised how little water it takes for an initial knockdown, especially if it is a controlled burn that hasn't got too far out of control. Pressure isn't key either - if you shoot the stream from a pressure washer into a fire you will be extremely disapointed at it's effectiveness, the same thing goes with too little pressure. The key is having the right combination of volume and pressure. Trash pumps do a great job, especially with the right hardware. We have two brush trucks that use a 210 gallon tractor supply tank and trash pumps and they work a lot better than I expected. The northern pump you have chosen "should" work just as well at 132gpm. Just reduce it down to get the pressure vs volume.

What kind of hose would you be using? They sell adapters to adapt pump output down to garden hose size, however, if you are going that low, you may as well check out forrestry hose (Hose & Access. | Forestry Fire Hose). It's compariable to garden hose, however, it's not anywhere as bulky and easier to handle if you get the cotton hose, not so much the booster type. Or you could get a booster hose reel and hose. Call around your local volunteer departments, many departments have old hose, adapters, hose reels, nozzles, fittings, etc that they will be willing to part with, many departments are funded with donations and most can use the money, that is how I built my fire rig. I would also advoicate getting a decent nozzle. A combination nozzle - one that goes from straight bore (full stream) to fog would be ideal.

Sorry for rambling, but this topic just hit a sweet spot . Fire isn't anything to play with, and it's worth it now to invest in quality equipment that will last a while, that will be there when you need it if you do the required upkeep.

 

[Redneck in training]

Just last week when I was out of home on a business trip my wife wanted to burn some papers and trash on our fire pit. The grass around started burning and while she tried to suppress it the wind swirl turned the fire on her. Her hair, eye lashes, eye brow got synched, her clothes was smoldering and she ended up later on in hospital with asthma attack triggered by smoke inhalation. When she recognized that the fire was out of control she called all the neighbors and local fire department. Fire department showed up in about 20 minutes (we live 14 miles from the town) but by then she and the neighbors had the fire under control. Luckily the wind blew down slope slowing the fire down. As you could see on the pics there wasn't too much fuel on the ground but it still was a scary experience. The burned area is about little more than half acre.

 

[Calvin]

H. Saw your post. Had to reply cause it seems like I made the same thing you are looking to make several years ago. Works great. I got the pullys from Grainger. The engine slides in the frame to tighten the belts. 2 threaded bars and some nuts keep things tight. I bought used fire hoses from a place on the web.

 

[Stampeder]

Calvin:

Do you happen to remember where on the web you bought your hose from? I have been looking for a good source of 1" to 1 1/2" used fire hose?

Thanks.
Glenn.

 

[Calvin]

Dear Geln, I got the hoses, nozzles, etc at: Allstar Fire Equipment, Inc. 12328 Lower Azuza Rd, Arcadia Ca 91006. Phone 626-652-0900. Used Single Rubber Jacket Forestry Hose 1" x 100' was $40.00 each (in 2003), 1 1/2" x 50' hose was $20.00 each. The Grainger items were: Split taper bushings 2L268 $5.66, and 3X572 $5.65, and Sheave- 3.35" OD Double 3X550 $40.50. These fit on the the 5.5 Hp Honda motor and the Northstar belt drive pump. For nozzles, etc, you also need reducers and adapters. The pump is 2" with different threads. Can get: Brass Reducer 14-155-7 2" NPTF X 1 1/2" NSTM, Red Poly Nozzle 10IPT-1" NPSH, Poly Red Fog Nozzle 10IPT 1" NPSH, Red Poly Nozzle 15NST 1 1/2"NST, Brass Hex Nipple 2" NPTF x 1 1/2" NSTM, Aluminum Reducer 1 1/2" NSF x 1"NPSHM. Their web site is: allstarfire.com. The hose I got was all retired hose used by various fire depts. Works fine for me. Still have it and use it occasionally. I did not see the hose on their web site, might need to call them. One thing to consider - practice using this stuff. 1 1/2" hose full of water is VERY HEAVY. You basically have to lay it out where you want to use it first, then turn the water on. 1" hose is easier to move and pull around. Also, if and when a fire starts, you have literally minutes to do something about it. Everything has to be ready to go when you need it. You don't want to look for hoses and nozzles etc. I have 4 stations (wood boxes) around the house each with a length of 1" hose, 1 1/2" hose, nozzles and adapters ready. I buried 2" pvc pipe to all the boxes. Each station can be turned on or off with a valve at the end of the pipe. I connect the 2" reducer to the PVC pipe so I can connect up the fire hoes. The start of the 2" pipe is near the pool. This way, if something happens, I fire up the enging, drop the suction hose into the pool, connect the pump to the pipe and I'm ready to go. This set up is easy to start as it is (no tension reliever, etc). The water does get hot if the motor is running and NOT pumping anything, so you can't leave it on all the time. Never had any problem starting the Honda engine, even after sitting for a year. The pump has capacity for 2 stations to spray water with the fog nozzles at the same time. Water shoots about 40' or more away. Lots of volume and good pressure. It dodes need priming and you want a foot valve at the suction end. Good luck!

 

[E_Sanborn]

I need fire supression for doing burns. ......any suggestions on kludging this together. BTW I have a welder.
What else do I need ? Bob

I'm in the hills west of San Marcos, so I understand the need for at least a minimum level of fire suppression capability, especially when doing burns. There are a lot of good, experienced suggestions here from guys that know the fire business. With my limited resources, and my reading of this and other tractor sites, what I did for fire suppression with my YM 2010D was put a 65 Gal. TSC leg tank on skids, it slides on to my Carryall. I got a Hypro 6500XL to pump this out. I get about 15-20 minutes of very robust stream out of a 5/8" - 75' hose. Run it at PTO 2 gear at 1500-2200 Engine RPM to get (guessing) 30 to 100 PSI stream. (@ 600-800 PTO RPM, est) Very good volume and pressure. Guess a reach of about 50' at 70 psi. 100 PSI is a little tricky to handle. Don't want to let go. Pressures are estimated based on my experience with my water system, not measured. could be quite off.

I'd like more tank capacity, but then weight an stability might be an issue offroad in hilly terrain. I'm looking for deals in 1" forestry hose and nozzles, but I am fairly pleased with this limited capability for the price. BTW, found the Hypro 6500XL new on Ebay for less than 1/2 of the TSC price, and it is the real deal, not a knock off. I'll likely rig a pressure bypass so that I can shut off the nozzle without blowing the hose, but I haven't worked that out yet.

To be sure, I won't be fighting any fires of consequence with this this is just for controlled burns so I don't get divorced by the wife, who hates fires.

 

[Mattlt]

Calvin:

Do you happen to remember where on the web you bought your hose from? I have been looking for a good source of 1" to 1 1/2" used fire hose?

Thanks.
Glenn.

Check with your local FD. Small burn marks, cuts, etc cause them to throw it out; probably good enough for your use. Doesn't hurt to ask.


Keep an eye on the threads. Most of the time the threads on the pump are NPT. Standard fire hose is NST/NH. Forestry hose (and most of those cheap red plastic nozzles) are NPSH. Consider what adapters are needed for the overall system. Also consider the local FD connecting to your system. Again, doesn't hurt to ask.

Ebay is another resource for hoses, nozzles, and adapters. Hoses are kinda spendy to ship, but the brass stuff isn't bad. Again, watch the threads.

 

[atgreene]

Here's another couple supply places for hose, fittings and pumps:

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