1941 Ford/American LaFrance, Commercial Chassis Pumper

History

While American LaFrance was best known for their custom fire apparatus, they also made apparatus built on commercial chassis, like this this American LaFrance Foamite Co. body mounted on a Ford chassis which was built for the New Hartford, CT Fire Department, located in Litchfield County in 1941. A large number of Ford trucks were utilized by numerous fire apparatus manufactures for volunteer departments because of their reputation and dependability and lost cost as compared to a custom built piece of fire apparatus. This engine cost $4,100 when delivered.

After the entry of the United States into World War II, departments who wanted new fire apparatus had to seek permission from the War Production Board as companies like Ford switched over to make military trucks.

Powered with the famous 95 HP Ford L series, commonly called the "flathead V8," driving a 500 GPM Hale pump as American LaFrance no longer manufactured 500 GPM pumps and use Hale as their suppler. This truck served New Hartford until 1977.

Not wanting to see the truck scraped or dumped in a farmer's field the department donated the Ford to the museum in 1978.

Technical